The Commander of United States Africa Command, Gen Michael Langley, has raised the alarm over growing efforts by extremist groups and terrorists in the Sahel to gain access to West Africa’s coastline.
Describing recent attacks in Nigeria, the wider Sahel, and the Lake Chad Basin as deeply troubling, Langley warned that terrorist access to the coast would significantly boost their capacity for smuggling and arms trafficking, further saying that access into west Africa’s coastline will not only endanger African nations but also raise the threat level to American interests.
However, Langley said that across the continent, joint military exercises were now geared toward building independence, interoperability, and crisis response capacity among African forces.
