The top US general in Africa warned Friday that terror groups in the Sahel region are “thriving” and may eventually pose a threat to the homeland.
Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley described the Sahel region, which includes Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, as “the epicenter of terrorism” in a press briefing at the African Chiefs of Defense Conference in Nairobi, Kenya.
“They’re in crisis,” Langley, who heads US Africa Command, said of the three central African nations.
“The terrorist networks affiliated with ISIS and al-Qaida are thriving, particularly in Burkina Faso, where the government has lost control of wide swaths of territory across their sovereign nation,” the general continued.
“Attacks are resurging in the Lake Chad region as well, and extremist groups are growing more aggressive.”
Terror groups in the region, which include ISIS-Sahel and al Qaeda-aligned Jama’at Nusrat ul Islam wa al Muslimin (JNIM), have recently set their sights on expanding westward, the general explained, which could provide them easier access to the US.
“One of the terrorists’ new objectives is gaining access to West Africa coasts,” Langley said. “If they secure access to the coastline, they can finance their operations through smuggling, human trafficking, and arms trading.
“This puts not just African nations at risk, but also increases the chance of threats reaching the US shores.”
Langley noted that JNIM, which has expanded “fourfold” since 2022, is of particular concern to the US.
“We’re keeping a good eye on this, because they could have the capacity to attack the homeland,” he said of the group.
In a massive blow to counterterrorism operations, the US military withdrew from Niger last year after the governing junta ended an agreement that had allowed American troops to operate out of the country.
Langley indicated that in the months since the withdrawal, the US has not been able to keep as close an eye on the terror groups in the region.
“Unfortunately, with our withdrawal from the region, we have lost our ability to monitor these terrorist groups closely but continue to liaison with partners to provide what support we can,” the general said.
“Since we’ve left Niger … we’re observing a rise in attacks by violent extremist organizations, not only in Niger but across the Sahel,” Langley said, noting that attacks are growing in both “frequency and complexity.”
“The scale and brutality of some of these incidents are really troubling.”
To counter the terror surge, Langley said the US is pursuing “opportunities to collaborate” with Sahel-region nations, including Burkina Faso and Nigeria.
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