U.S. Africa commander highlights terror growth in Sahel and competition with China for influence
Gen. Michael Langley, the four-star Marine General who leads U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), said the Sahel region of the continent is now the "flashpoint of prolonged conflict and growing instability. It is the epicenter of terrorism on the globe."
Several terror groups have expanded drastically in the last three years. Al-Qaeda in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, is three times the size it was in 2022, he said, and has spread across Mali, Burkina Faso, and parts of Niger, which the U.S. military pulled out of last year.
Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin, a faction affiliated with Al-Qaeda, is now four times the size it was in 2022, expanding mainly in Burkina Faso.
"We're keeping a good eye on this because they could have the capacity to attack the homeland," Langley said in a call with reporters.
"Throughout my travels across West Africa and through dialog here at the conference, the concerns shared by my peers match my own," he added. "One of the terrorist's key goals now is access to the west coast of Africa. If they gain access to the vast coastline, they can diversify their revenue streams and evolve their tactics, more easily exporting terrorism to American shores."
He noted that the terror groups engage in illicit activity like smuggling, human trafficking and arms trading, which fund their nefarious actions and destabilize the region.
U.S. forces over the weekend conducted an airstrike against the al Qaeda-linked al-Shabab in Somalia. The East African country has been wracked for decades by attacks and insurgency from Islamist terrorists, both from ISIS and al-Shabab.
The U.S. is in a race with China and Russia to gain influence and trust with the local governments of several African nations to help protect citizens from terror groups.
Langley said there is an increasing concern about the number of African soldiers going to Beijing for military training and replicating a U.S. International Military Education and Training (IMET) program.
"They're trying to replicate what we do best in our IMET program," said Langley. "And then they also said they're going to increase security and training in a number of countries. So, they're trying to replicate what we do."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News24
an hour ago
- News24
MKP vs Ramaphosa; How Emma Powell rattled the DA: Today's top 7 stories in 7 minutes
News24 brings you the top 7 stories of the day. News24 brings you the top stories of the day, summarised into neat little packages. Read through quickly or listen to the articles via our customised text-to-speech feature. Slain Ekurhuleni auditors probed R4bn toilet, waste contracts; third one wounded - Auditor Mpho Mafole was murdered while auditing R4 billion in municipal contracts in Ekurhuleni, following the murder of Simnikiwe Mapini and an attack on CFO Kagiso Lerutla. - Mafole was investigating mobile chemical toilets and waste contracts, electricity and water vending contracts, and the refurbishment of the SAAME building, which had ballooned in cost. - Auditors in Ekurhuleni face increasing violence and political pressure to suppress adverse findings, highlighting the risks of investigating corruption in the municipality. MKP vs Ramaphosa: Second round of court battles looms over appointment of police minister - Jacob Zuma is threatening legal action against President Cyril Ramaphosa over the appointment of a new police minister and the establishment of an inquiry into criminal links within the police service. - Zuma has sent a list of questions to Ramaphosa and called for his resignation, accusing him of violating his oath of office. - This follows the Constitutional Court's dismissal of the MK Party's challenge to Mchunu's leave, appointment of an acting police minister and the establishment of the commission of inquiry. 10 cops arrested for allegedly ransacking store in Edenvale - Ten South African Police Service and Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department officers were arrested for alleged corruption. - The officers are accused of stealing confiscated cigarettes, cash and other items. - Independent Police Investigative Directorate investigators arrested the officers at the Edenvale police station. SA making progress in pivoting to new markets, but can't just open 'floodgates' to China, says Tau - South Africa has made progress in opening new markets like China and Thailand, securing vital protocols for agricultural products. - SA is continuing negotiations with the US to secure a more favourable trade deal, despite potential tariffs on local imports. - While pursuing trade with China, SA is cautious about opening the 'floodgates' and is carefully considering the implications for its own markets and industries. How Emma Powell rattled the DA and intelligence services - DA MP Emma Powell resigned as spokesperson on international relations due to clashes with DA leader John Steenhuisen over foreign policy, particularly regarding Taiwan, Russia, and MTN's operations in Iran. - Powell's activities and connections, especially her association with controversial figure Andre Pienaar, raised concerns for South African intelligence services and government departments, who believed she was projecting a negative image of South Africa internationally. - Pienaar, a venture capitalist with ties to intelligence services, is accused of influencing the DA's foreign policy and potentially damaging relations between South Africa and the US, though he denies these allegations. Boks: Eben poised for giddy climb up ranks of global caps leaders - Eben Etzebeth is on the verge of entering the top 10 list of most-capped rugby internationals and could potentially reach fifth place by the end of 2025. - Etzebeth currently has 133 caps, placing him joint 11th globally, and his participation in the upcoming Rugby Championship will elevate him into the top 10. - Depending on his game time and the performances of other players, Etzebeth could surpass several players on the list, potentially reaching as high as fifth place by the end of the year.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
17 people executed in Saudi Arabia, mostly for drug crimes
Saudi authorities put two people to death on Monday to reach 17 executions in three days, state media said, as the conservative kingdom accelerated toward a record number of executions this year. Two Saudis were executed for "terrorist crimes," the official Saudi Press Agency said, after 15 people, mostly foreigners, were put to death for drug offenses on Saturday and Sunday. It is the quickest pace of capital punishment since March 2022, when 81 people were executed in a single day for terrorism-related offenses, sparking widespread condemnation. In 2016, Saudi Arabia executed 47 people in what had been the country's largest mass execution since 1980. Thirteen of those put to death on Saturday and Sunday were convicted of smuggling hashish, and another for smuggling cocaine. Saudi Arabia, one of the world's most prolific users of the death penalty, has carried out 239 executions so far this year. The conservative country is on course to outstrip last year's 338 — the highest since public records first documented cases in the early 1990s. This year's executions include 161 for drug offenses and 136 foreigners, according to an AFP tally of official data. Jeed Basyouni of the Reprieve rights group last week signaled a "significant rise in executions for hashish-related drug offenses, with foreign nationals making up most of these executions." "This is particularly concerning given the global trend toward decriminalizing the possession and use of hashish," she told AFP. Analysts link the spike to the kingdom's "war on drugs" launched in 2023, with many of those first arrested now being executed following legal proceedings. Saudi Arabia resumed executions for drug offenses at the end of 2022, after suspending the practice for around three years. It says it only carries out death sentences after defendants have exhausted all avenues of appeal, and that executions are aimed at ensuring security and deterring drugs. The country executed 46 people in June alone, mostly foreign nationals, including 37 for drug-related crimes, which is an average of more than one drug-related execution each day, according to an Amnesty International report released last month. Last year, Saudi Arabia carried out a record 345 executions, the group said. "We are witnessing a truly horrifying trend, with foreign nationals being put to death at a startling rate for crimes that should never carry the death penalty," Kristine Beckerle, Amnesty International's deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, said in a statement. Activists say the continued embrace of capital punishment undermines the image of a more welcoming society that is central to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 reform agenda. How safe is our Social Security safety net? Russia downplays Trump's announcement about nuclear submarines Former Trump prosecutor under investigation for potential Hatch Act violations
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Despite tariff reprieve, Lesotho says it is already hurting
By Sisipho Skweyiya MASERU (Reuters) -A reprieve from a 50% U.S. tariff on goods from Lesotho has come too late to prevent damage to the tiny African kingdom's textiles industry, which has been hit hard by months of trade uncertainty, officials and industry players said. Lesotho's tariff rate was slashed to 15% in last week's executive order by U.S. President Donald Trump, down from the level of 50% tariff threatened in April - which was the highest of any U.S. trading partner. Textile industry players in the country - which produces jeans and other garments for popular U.S. brands such as Levi's and Walmart - said the uncertainty around tariffs over the past few months had already devastated the sector, with orders cancelled and jobs cut. "We were on the verge of building (our) American market," Teboho Kobeli, founder and managing director of Afri-Expo Textiles, told Reuters at his factory in Maseru. He said the U.S. market made up 10% of his company's production - about $1 million a year - and that he had to lay off 200 workers, or 40% of his workforce, after the announcement in April as orders dried up. "That is a lot lost," he said. Lesotho, which Trump had ridiculed in March as a country "nobody has ever heard of", is a poor and landlocked country with a gross domestic product of just over $2 billion. Trade Minister Mokhethi Shelile said that Lesotho would struggle to compete against other African textile manufacturers such as Kenya and Eswatini, which got a lower U.S. tariff rate of 10%. "We have close to 12,000 jobs that are directly on the firing line because of this tariff," he told Reuters. The sector, which is the country's leading export industry and biggest private employer, was heavily dependent on the Africa Growth and Opportunities Act, a U.S. trade initiative granting duty-free access to qualifying African nations. It employs around 40,000 people and accounts for roughly 90% of manufacturing exports, according to Oxford Economics. One of the people affected by the uncertainty is Matsoso Lepau, a 48-year-old who lost his job at protective outerwear maker Leo Garments in April. "I have a big problem because the money that I was making is not there anymore," he said, adding he used to earn the equivalent of $167 a month. "Now that Mr Trump has lowered the tariffs, I am still hoping that we will get our jobs back." Kobeli, the head of Afri-Expo Textiles, said he was confident he could get his business back on track now that the reduced 15% rate has been set, noting the uncertainty over U.S. trade policy had weighed on investors' and retailers' decisions globally. "It was a global problem, even the buyers in America were stagnant as they did not know where to go... Now with the 15% we are starting to talk, it's not like we were affected alone," he said. (Writing by Tim Cocks; Editing by Alex Richardson)
