Publications /
Opinion

Back
The Engagement of the United States in the Sahel
May 4, 2021

The Sahelian states of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso continue to face unprecedented violence arising from multidimensional conflicts. According to the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (2019), “the Sahel has experienced the most rapid increase in activity by militant groups of any region in Africa in recent years. Violent events involving extremist groups in the region have doubled every year since 2015”. In addition to the presence of multiple violent extremist organizations (VEOs) affiliated to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, all three countries are seeing increased ethnic-based violence. This alarming situation has occurred despite increased security measures implemented by international and national actors.

barkhane base mali

The United States continues to focus on developing the capacity of local forces in the region through train-and-equip programs, which have been running since the early 2000s. Also, since 2013, the U.S. has provided logistical and intelligence support to France’s intervention in the Sahel. From embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, to 9/11, to instability in the Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin, U.S. foreign policy towards Africa in general has been shaped by historical events. This attitude, including towards the Sahel, will most likely persist despite changes in the White House.

The Sahel region does not appear to be a top priority for U.S. foreign policy but is not necessarily absent. In terms of security efforts, the current administration will continue to participate and to support its partners in the region, but at a small scale compared to other African regions. For instance, small U.S. Task Force conducted a joint counterterrorism exercise with French forces in Timbuktu, Mali, on April 16, 2021. A month earlier, similar exercises took place in Gao and Timbuktu. Simultaneously, the U.S. continues to monitor the security situation in northern Mali, where it does not have boots on the ground. This could explain the key role the U.S. played in tracking and killing the head of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) in June 2020 in northern Mali. The most notable presence of U.S. forces in the Sahel is in Niger, with a special focus on the Tillabéri region and Lake Chad Basin. Both zones face threats from VEOs, notably from Islamic State affiliated groups, in addition to the threat of ethnic-based violence.

Other than its counterterrorism and security efforts, the U.S. remains a major aid and United Nations (UN) peacekeeping donor. The U.S. is the largest contributor to UN peacekeeping missions, including the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). Simultaneously, the U.S. provides training and equipment to contributing partners. The Trump Administration repeatedly called for the number of UN peacekeeping troops in Mali to be cut and for alternative approach to stabilize the country to be developed. However this alternative approach did not materialize and MINUSMA continues to play a crucial role. Furthermore, the newly appointed U.S. representative to the UN has reiterated the U.S.’s support for the mission. However, the representative, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, also called for accountability and investigations into the wrongdoings of local and regional security forces, which have increased distrust of the state among local communities. The U.S. is the major aid donor to the Sahel and this also unlikely to change. On March 19, 2021, the U.S. announced more than $80 million in humanitarian assistance to the Sahel G5 countries.

There have been significant efforts to stabilize the region since early 2000s by the U.S. and allies. However, the threat posed by extremist groups remains serious, and Sahel countries have been immersed in a rapidly evolving security situation that goes beyond terrorism. Sahel countries face many challenges, including poverty, corruption, lack of economic development, drug trafficking and criminality, and political instability. Therefore, in addition to counterterrorism efforts, the U.S., and other international parties should take a broader and more politically inclusive approach that will assist Sahelian states in addressing the root causes of conflicts. For instance, the region would benefit more from initiatives and tools that respond to non-security challenges. Also work should be done to strengthen cooperation and coordination between the G5 Sahel states in their development efforts. The spread of violence into West Africa’s coastal states is a legitimate concern, and the development and prevention efforts of the U.S., in collaboration with regional initiatives, should aim quickly to create an environment that does not allow al-Qaeda and Islamic State affiliates to establish themselves.

 

This article was originally published on Formiche Magazine n•169.

RELATED CONTENT

  • July 20, 2022
    2021 was a year of global geopolitical disruption and geo-economic upheaval. As events gather momentum, the world enters a period of geopolitical and geo-economic transition; the end of one historical cycle foreshadowing the uncertain prospects of a new one. We are henceforth, in presen...
  • Authors
    November 9, 2021
    Events in the Sahel, and Mali especially, are taking an uncertain and worrying turn. Mali witnessed two coups d’état in less than a year, while the West African Sahel went through its most violent year yet and there are no signs that the violence is slowing down. In the midst of this unprecedented instability, recent developments involving Mali’s transitional government and the international community, France in particular, provide no assurances that things are likely to improve any ...
  • Authors
    Pascal Chaigneau
    Eugène Berg
    Rodolphe Monnet
    Jacques Gravereau
    Jérémy Ghez
    Olivier Tramond
    Niagalé Bagayoko
    Alain Oudot de Dainville
    Jérôme Evrard
    Coordination de l’ouvrage: Imane Lahrich
    Fatine Cherkaoui
    October 28, 2021
    Depuis l’accession au trône du Roi Mohammed VI, l’Afrique s’est transformée en priorité de la diplomatie marocaine. Sur le plan économique, l’Afrique est devenue le prolongement naturel du Maroc en termes d’investissements et d’implantations. Pascal Chaigneau s’attarde sur les relations affaiblies Europe-Afrique, l’ambitieuse relation Chine-Afrique ainsi que les relations entre la Russie, les Etats-Unis, la Turquie ou encore les pays du Golf et l’Afrique. Ce chapitre traite égalemen ...
  • October 15, 2021
    La bande sahélo-saharienne connaît, depuis quelques années, une instabilité liée à plusieurs facteurs: le terrorisme, les effets du changement climatique, les tensions ethniques et commun ...
  • Authors
    Noamane Cherkaoui
    Youssef Tobi
    October 6, 2021
    The Sahel has become more prominent in policymaking circles because of its strategic importance and the urgent nature of the dangers that have become rife in the region. Unfortunately, countries in the Maghreb have been relatively sidelined in recent years despite their potential sizable role in stabilizing the region and spurring economic development. Therefore, the focus of this brief is to analyze the Maghreb’s outlook towards the Sahel, namely from the perspective of Morocco, Al ...
  • Authors
    Sous la direction de
    Joseph Alain Sissao
    Yazid Benhadda
    Hanae Bezad
    Afua Boatemaa Yakohene
    Salma Daoudi
    Hajar El Alaoui
    Souha Majidi
    Alioune Ndiaye
    Jo Ann Takyiwah Sackey
    June 23, 2021
    Cette édition du Rapport géopolitique de l’Afrique, la quatrième, s’inscrit dans la droite ligne de la philosophie et de l’esprit du Policy Center for the New South, qui milite pour une Afrique partie intégrante du Sud global et acteur, en devenir, dans les affaires mondiales. L’Afrique comme continent et comme espace est le théâtre où se déploient les actions des Africains pour réagir et interagir avec les conjonctures internationales, et l’Afrique comme populations et institutions ...
  • May 4, 2021
    The Sahelian states of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso continue to face unprecedented violence arising from multidimensional conflicts. According to the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (2019), “the Sahel has experienced the most rapid increase in activity by militant groups of any region in Africa in recent years. Violent events involving extremist groups in the region have doubled every year since 2015”. In addition to the presence of multiple violent extremist organizations (VEO ...
  • Authors
    Sabine Cessou
    January 4, 2021
    Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso… L’insécurité fait tache d’huile au Sahel, menaçant de s’étendre aux pays du Golfe de Guinée. Le terrorisme a entraîné la formation de milices d’auto-défense communautaires, et ainsi créé des « friches » sécuritaires dans tout le Sahel, du Bassin du lac Tchad à la région du Liptako-Gourma. Les budgets consacrés à la défense augmentent, contrairement à ceux qui soutiennent le capital humain, santé et éducation. Dans un contexte de croissance démographique so ...
  • December 16, 2020
    President Trump may not enact his threatened US drawdown of troops from the Sahel, but President Biden will still face pressure to end America’s “forever wars” and reduce the number of American lives and treasure lost to fighting terrorism in Africa. If the United States pulls back from...