The Department of Defense sign, before Incoming Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III arrives at the Pentagon after being confirmed as secretary of defense, Washington, D.C., Jan. 22, 2021. (DoD photo by Lisa Ferdinando)
By Gary Raynaldo DIPLOMATIC TIMES
WASHINGTON – PENTAGON – A surge of violent events by militant Islamist groups in Africa, led by escalations in the Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin, sets record and widens instability, according to a report by Africa Center for Strategic Studies. There was a 43-percent spike in militant Islamist group violence in Africa in 2020, according to the ACSS study. The 4,958 reported events linked to these groups represents a record level of violence, continuing an upward pattern seen since 2016. The 1,170 violent events observed in the Sahel (specifically Mali, Burkina Faso, and western Niger) in 2020 represent a 44-percent increase over the previous year. This continues an uninterrupted rise in violence involving militant Islamist groups in the region since 2015. Reported fatalities linked to African militant Islamist groups rose by a third in 2020 over the previous year, to an estimated 13,059 deaths. Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said Friday in a press briefing that the U.S. is aware of and concerned about the growing terrorism threat in Africa, especially in the Sahel region responding to a reporter’s question about the situation.
(credit: Gary Raynaldo / ©Diplomatic Times ) Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby briefs reporters at the Pentagon, Washington D.C. March 5, 2021
“I think we said before we certainly take seriously the terrorism threat in Africa and Sahel specifically and continue to work inside the international community to address that threat. I don’t have and won’t speak to potential future operations.”
-Pentagon Press Spokesman John Kirby March 5.
Meanwhile, U.S. AFRICOM Forces Conduct Assessment in MALI
U.S. Africa Command forces stationed in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa conducted an operational and logistics assessment in Gao, Mali, March 3 with French troops. According to AFRICOM, U.S. forces routinely conduct operational and logistics assessments across regions to prepare for contingencies, exercise readiness, and identify areas for improvement. While on the ground in Gao, the U.S. troops met with French troops. U.S. forces comprised of Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa.
U.S. Africa Command forces stationed in Djibouti conducted an operational and logistics assessment in Gao, Mali, March 3, 2021 (credit: africom.mil)
“Exercising our forces in this joint readiness event demonstrates our capacity to rapidly respond anywhere across the African continent when the need arises. Our flexible and adaptable response is essential to our ability to protect U.S. personnel and facilities anywhere in Africa and shows we also have capacity to support our partners in the region.”
-said U.S. Africa Command Commander, U.S. Army General Stephen Townsend
U.S. Defense Secretary And FRANCE Armed Forces Minister Pledge Cooperation Fighting Terrorism in AFRICA Sahel
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin and France’s Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly pledged cooperation in fighting terrorism in the troubled AFRICA Sahel region. The two high-ranking defense officials spoke by telephone in January one week after Gen. Austin stepped into his new position as the Pentagon chief to reinforce the importance of the strategic alliance between the U.S. and France. Last January 2020, France appealed to then-President Trump not to cut off U.S. military support to French forces fighting Islamist militants in Africa, warning that it could undermine efforts to counter a growing terrorist threat in the Sahel region. France has some 5,100 troops in the Sahel with the U.S. providing much-needed intelligence, logistic and drone support.
