Militant Threats in Africa: Wall Street Journal

Africa is confronting increasing militant threats from extremists, including Al Qaeda, the Islamic State and Boko Haram. However, the United States has reduced its military presence in Africa by cutting 17 percent of personnel over the past two years – actions aligned with an adjustment of its worldwide troop commitment and the Trump administration’s strategy of reducing dispersed actions against terrorists and competing with China and Russia. The security situation in the Sahel, the semiarid belt between Sahara and southern tropical areas, is worsening as Al Qaeda and Islamic State cooperate in their aim to establish a caliphate. The United Nations reported that more than 4,000 civilians and soldiers died in attacks in Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali, a sharp increase from 770 deaths in 2016. To reduce the effect of troop reductions in Africa, the United States presses European allies to fill the gap. According to France’s Defense Minister Florence Parly, the reduced US support will “severely limit” the effectiveness of French military operations in the Sahel. – YaleGlobal