The U.S. government has warned that JNIM and ISIS-West Africa, ISIS-Sahel, and AQIM terrorists are metastasizing and moving towards Ghana and Benin, Nigeria’s neighbours.
In a digital press briefing on Thursday, the U.S. Africa Command noted the operations of the terror groups in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger Republic.
At the briefing, U.S. AFRICOM commander Michael Langley spoke about the command’s new strategy and military and counterterrorism cooperation on the continent.
Mr Langley was responding to an enquiry about how AFRICOM has adapted its force posture in Western Africa, especially in Benin and Ivory Coast, to deal with the rising terrorism in the region since American troops departed from Niger.
“I knew that that threat of JNIM, al-Shabaab – excuse me, excuse me, JNIM and ISIS-West Africa, ISIS-Sahel, AQIM, were all resident in these countries across the Sahel, and Burkina Faso, and Mali, and Niger,” stated Mr Langley. “But now they were metastasizing and moving towards the northern borders of the coastal West Africa states of Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, and Benin.”
The American commander added, “So I went on a campaign of learning and a listening tour to see how we can partner with them to address these shared challenges because all these constructs, all these violent extremist organisations, do have aspirations of attacking the United States homeland as well.
“So going there and listening as the way forward to address these challenges and to defeat terrorism across their borders was essential.”
Mr Langley assured that while AFRICOM will remain engaged with the Sahelian states, the State Department or national command authorities will dictate the relationship’s depth and breadth.
“In the interim, yes, we are pivoting to some degree of like-minded countries with democratic values, shared objectives, and shared challenges across coastal West Africa.
“So yes, we’re in talks with Cote d’Ivoire and in talks with Ghana and Benin as well, as we start to reset and recalibrate some of our assets,” he added.
