For African Anti-Terrorism, Region Must Lead, but U.S. Is Helping
Porous borders and weak security institutions have heightened the threat posed by violent groups in East and West Africa, and the US is working with countries in both regions to counter the threats,not only by empowering security forces, but also by promoting better governance, human rights practices and economic opportunities.
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/For-African-Ant...
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Don Yamamoto said African countries affected by groups such as al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and the Lord’s Resistance Army must lead the response to terrorism in a statement to a House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on 25 April, reports IPP Digital.
“Our regional partners have consistently emphasized that Africa’s security is the responsibility of the Africans themselves and it is vital that the United States and other partners maintain supporting roles,” he said.
“We will help them stave off legitimate terrorists but will avoid the trap of ‘Americanising' or 'westernising’ these
counterterrorism fights,” and thereby prevent extremists from bolstering “their own legitimacy by attempting to draw us into the conflict,” Yamamoto said.
This report from IPP Digital of Mr Yamamoto's statement to the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee is illuminating in its description of US policy on counterterrorism in Africa.The US is not alone in not wanting to be drawn in to the regional conflicts and falling into the trap ofbecoming the focus of the terrorists actions. The Bush era of direct US military engagement is definitely over and the same goes for the EU.
The trouble is that some force has to be responsible for directly engaging the terrorists and this is complicated by the diversity of different terrorist and ethnic groups as is the case in Mali where the task has proved beyond the current capabilities of the army in Mali.
Niger has reason to fear being drawn into any conflict in neighbouring Mali where a rebel liberation force( the MNLA) also has terrorists mixed in with their forces.. It would seem that regional organisations such as Ecowas, the African Union and the United Nations must take up this task. The UN and AU forces are already engaged in Somalia against All Shabaab .
“Our regional partners have consistently emphasized that Africa’s security is the responsibility of the Africans themselves and it is vital that the United States and other partners maintain supporting roles,” he said.
“We will help them stave off legitimate terrorists but will avoid the trap of ‘Americanising' or 'westernising’ these
counterterrorism fights,” and thereby prevent extremists from bolstering “their own legitimacy by attempting to draw us into the conflict,” Yamamoto said.
This report from IPP Digital of Mr Yamamoto's statement to the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee is illuminating in its description of US policy on counterterrorism in Africa.The US is not alone in not wanting to be drawn in to the regional conflicts and falling into the trap ofbecoming the focus of the terrorists actions. The Bush era of direct US military engagement is definitely over and the same goes for the EU.
The trouble is that some force has to be responsible for directly engaging the terrorists and this is complicated by the diversity of different terrorist and ethnic groups as is the case in Mali where the task has proved beyond the current capabilities of the army in Mali.
Niger has reason to fear being drawn into any conflict in neighbouring Mali where a rebel liberation force( the MNLA) also has terrorists mixed in with their forces.. It would seem that regional organisations such as Ecowas, the African Union and the United Nations must take up this task. The UN and AU forces are already engaged in Somalia against All Shabaab .
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/For-African-Ant...