US looking to Ivory Coast, Ghana, Benin in pivot to ‘like-minded countries with democratic values’

The United States is grappling with an escalating misinformation campaign in the Sahel as Russia and China intensify efforts to undermine American influence and disrupt regional stability, the top US military general for Africa said on Thursday.

US Africa Command (AFRICOM) Commander Gen. Michael Langley highlighted the growing challenges faced by the country, which is confronting false narratives and geopolitical competition from Moscow and Beijing. The US is also now looking for new partners in Africa after being forced to withdraw troops from certain capitals.

Nevertheless, according to the US general, the US is not giving these African countries an ultimatum of who to choose for a security partner.

“A lot of my efforts to be able to come in alignment with some of these [African] countries on how we’re going to approach the challenges have been distorted through misinformation or disinformation… untruths of what US Africa Command (AFRICOM) was trying to do with a particular country,” Gen. Michael Langley told Al Arabiya English during a call with reporters.

Gen. Langley said the campaigns by Russia and China were stoking a lot of instability across civil society and some of the militaries in Africa.

“We have a value proposition going forward, but also, we want a complete understanding, and we want… our partners to have a complete understanding of our initiatives and how we can work together to achieve shared objectives,” he added.

Gen. Langley pointed to the Sahel region and the fight against terrorism, which was being distorted by Russian activities in the information space “to be able to effect false-type ideologies in civil society as far as the clear intent of what AFRICOM was trying to do to fight terrorism with them, collectively.” He criticized the negative impact of this particular Russian activity in the Central African Republic “all the way into Libya and across the Sahel.”

As for China, Gen. Langley said: “They have been known to put out misinformation and disinformation across the continent as well.”

US efforts to fight terrorism in Africa took a big hit this year after the Nigerien ruling junta, which took over in a coup last year, ordered the US to withdraw all of its troops from the country. That embarrassing withdrawal was completed in August. After vacating a base in the Nigerien capital, the remaining US troops left the Agadez drone base. Russian forces quickly deployed to the base in Niamey.

The Agadez drone base is estimated to have cost around $100 million and was a key asset for gathering information and intelligence on terrorist groups operating from Africa.

Despite their exit, US officials have said there will be some sort of bilateral relationship going forward. Shortly after the withdrawal, a senior US defense official told reporters: “This is not a good outcome in total that we’re leaving Niger after significant investment and a lot of time invested in the partnership.”
New African partners being sought out

After the withdrawal from Niger, the US has had to adjust its force posture in Africa and look to make up for lost ground and capabilities in the fight against terrorism.

But the way forward depends on any new alliance or coalition that may be formed between Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali. “That’s to be determined,” Gen. Langley said. The three countries have increasingly turned toward Russia following consecutive military coups from 2021 to 2023.

Gen. Langley said the State Department would ultimately decide the depth or breadth of new relationships.

“But in the interim, yes, we are pivoting to some degree of like-minded countries with democratic values and shared objectives and shared challenges across coastal West Africa,” he said, singling out the Ivory Coast, Ghana and Benin.

He stressed that all activities and the partnership-centric approach should be “African-led and US-enabled.” Langley added: “We follow those first principles in any engagement with African militaries across the continent.”
Somalia-Houthi links

In addition to the recent uptick in ISIS attacks across the Middle East and Africa, the Iran-backed Houthis have been attacking commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea since the start of the Gaza war.

In July, the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said that ISIS was on pace to more than double the total of attacks they claimed in 2023.

However, the growing threat of the Houthis has been on display over the last several months. They have also targeted US military ships and downed multiple MQ-9 Reaper drones belonging to the US.

Reports have suggested that Somalia’s al-Shabaab terror group has started to increase cooperation with the Houthis.

🚨FAKE: This memo is fake and clearly designed to deceive the Libyan people at an important moment.

Our official press release can be found here: https://t.co/kNrNopwCTE

🧵1/3 pic.twitter.com/v1Fq9L8bXm
— U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) (@USAfricaCommand) September 3, 2024

On Thursday, Gen. Langley said he was concerned about these growing ties and the different threats starting to emanate from the Red Sea and Yemen.

“We’re watching it closely and stand ready to work with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and advise him where he needs it to be able to address some of these new challenges across all of his territories across the Somali country,” Gen. Langley said.

He met with Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud last week in Mogadishu. Gen. Langley also made stops in Algeria, Tunisia and Libya in recent weeks. “This is all about unity – unity of effort – because we know that on the global stage, there’s other pressures across the Maghreb and a possibility of a startup again of violent extremist organizations. Each one of those countries had different types of challenges,” he said.

He was in Kenya during Thursday’s call, where he also pointed out that the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) will be coming to an end later this year.

Gen. Langley said the US would continue working to help Somalia build its military. “It’s like flying a plane while still building it,” Gen. Langley said, voicing optimism about the future capabilities of the army.