During his first trip to North Africa since taking command of U.S. Africa Command, U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley visited Morocco, Tunisia, and the USNS Trenton from October 17-19, 2022. (Credit: africom.mil)
By Gary Raynaldo – DIPLOMATIC TIMES
U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley visited Morocco and Tunisia, Oct. 17-19, on his first trip to North Africa since taking command of U.S. Africa Command on Aug. 9, 2022. The command Senior Enlisted Advisor, U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Richard Thresher accompanied Langley on the three-day trip which included stops to meet with host nation military leaders, U.S. Chiefs of Mission, and U.S. Navy sailors currently in the region.
“Our partnerships in North Africa help support regional security, and maritime security in the waters off NATO’s southern flank. We’re grateful for our strong partnerships here, and look forward to continued cooperation that helps strengthen peace, security and prosperity in the region for years to come.”
-Gen. Langley, Commander of U.S. Africa Command
U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley, commander of U.S. AFRICOM greets General Belkhir El Farouk, inspector general of the Moroccan Armed Forces and commander of the Southern Zone to discuss shared security interests and future areas of cooperation in Rabat, Morocco October 17, 2022. (Credit:africom.mil)
During the stop in Rabat, Morocco, Langley and the U.S. Embassy team met with Mr. Abdellatif Loudiyi, the Moroccan Minister Delegate to the Head of Government, in charge of the National Defense Administration, to discuss shared security interests and future areas of potential cooperation.
U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley, commander of U.S. AFRICOM walks with Moroccan leadership during visit to Rabat, Morocco to discuss shared security interests and future areas of cooperation in Rabat, Morocco Oct 17, 2022. (Credit:africom.mil)
At a visit to the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces headquarters, Langley had an Honor Guard Pass and Review before holding meetings with the Inspector General of the Moroccan Armed Forces and Commander of Southern Zone, General Belkhir El Farouk; and Inspectors General of the Royal Moroccan Air Force and Navy, General de Division Alaoui Bouhamid and Vice-Admiral Mostafa El Amai, among others. While at the headquarters, Langley visited the Directorate of Military History in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of Vichy French North Africa during World War II.
U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley, commander of U.S. AFRICOM and command Senior Enlisted Advisor, U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Richard Thresher laid a wreath at the North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial in Carthage, Tunisia to honor the final resting place for 2,841 American soldiers who served during World War II. (Credit: africom.mil)
In Tunisia, Langley and U.S. Embassy Chargée d’Affaires Natasha Franceschi met with the Tunisian Minister of National Defense Imed Memmiche to underscore the importance of the U.S.-Tunisia longstanding military partnership and participated in a roundtable with Tunisian Service Chiefs. Langley also laid a wreath at the North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial in Carthage, Tunisia, the final resting place for 2,841 American soldiers who served during World War II.
“It was an honor and privilege to be a part of the wreath laying at the North Africa American Cemetery in Tunisia,” Thresher said. “It is humbling to stand amongst the 2,841 American heroes buried here and even more humanizing to see the names of 3,724 Americans missing in action. Without their dedication and ultimate sacrifice in this critical area, the world could look much different. We must never forget!”
Langley became AFRICOM’s Sixth Commander
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. Langley visited Niger and Chad, Sept. 18-21, 2022, on his second trip to Africa.
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)
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.
