Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley, Commander of U.S. Africa Command (Wikipedia Commons)
By Gary Raynaldo DIPLOMATIC TIMES
U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley made his first visit to the Sahel this week since taking command of U.S. Africa Command on Aug. 9, 2022. Langley visited Niger and Chad, Sept. 18-21, 2022, on his second trip to Africa after taking over command of AFRICOM in August. The four-day trip included several stops to meet with host nation military leaders, U.S. Chiefs of Mission, and U.S. troops deployed to the region.
“Security and stability in the Sahel are shared interests of the United States and our partners in the region,” Langley said. “We are grateful to our security partners for their demonstrated commitment to the counter-violent extremist fight. I look forward to continuing to build on our partnerships.”
Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley, Commander of U.S. Africa Command speaks to Airmen and Soldiers stationed at Nigerien Airbase 201, Niger during his visit Sept. 18, 2022. The visit was one stop on a three-day trip to Niger and Chad. (Credit: africom.mil)
AFRICOM Chief Makes Second Visit To Africa since becoming Commander in August
U.S. AFRICOM Commander meets with Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud with Amb. Larry André, U.S. Embassy in Somalia on Aug. 29, 2022 (Credit: africom.mil)
The new commander of U.S. AFRICOM hit the ground running in August on his first visit to Africa since taking over as boss of AFRICOM. On August 9, 2022, U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Langley became AFRICOM’s sixth commander since the command was established in 2008. Gen. Langley visited Djibouti, Somalia, and Manda Bay, Kenya, August 28-31.
U.S. Air Force Maj. Joseph M. Cortez, 409 Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron commander, explains base defense postures to U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley, Commander of U.S. Africa Command during his Nigerien Airbase 201, Niger visit Sept. 18, 2022. (Credit: Africom.mil)
During his stop in Niger, Langley visited troops at operational sites to witness ongoing training efforts, and assess security and force protection measures. He also met with U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Susan N’Garnim and Major General Salifou Mody, Niger Armed Forces Chief of Defense, to discuss the strong U.S.-Niger security partnership and shared priorities.
In Chad, Langley visited U.S. Ambassador Alexander Laskaris and Chad’s Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces, General Abakar Abdelkarim Daoud to discuss regional security priorities. During his meetings, Langley stressed that respect for democracy and human rights enhance resilience and stability and make societies less susceptible to extremist movements. Additionally, he met with U.S. troops to observe training, equipping and capacity building efforts.
Militant Islamist Violence in Africa Surges
Since the withdraw of military personnel from Somalia in 2020, U.S. forces have been conducting periodic engagements to train and advise Somali partners, but U.S. and partner efforts to disrupt and degrade al-Shabaab have not achieved the desired success. Militant Islamist violence in Africa has risen continuously over the past decade, doubling in just the past 3 years, according to a recent report by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies. Roughly 95 percent of the increase in militant Islamist violence on the continent since 2019 comes from two theaters—the western Sahel and Somalia, the ACSS reports. Fatalities linked to militant Islamist groups have also been on the rise, reaching 14,635 in the past year—a nearly 50-percent increase since 2019.
U.S. Africa Command, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, is one of 11 U.S. Department of Defense combatant commands, each with a geographic or functional mission that provides command and control of military forces in peace and war.
