A senior US military commander recently warned of what he termed as “wildfire of terrorism” sweeping across Africa at the conclusion of massive US-led war games in the continent.
The African Lion war games, which lasted nearly two weeks, stretched across Morocco, a US ally, with smaller parts held in Tunisia and Senegal.
The annual drills were skipped last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In trying to justify Washington meddling in Africa, General Stephen Townsend, head of the US Africa Command (AFRICOM), claimed that insecurity in the continent threatens the United States.
Washington is using the often-repeated mantra of combating terrorism to destabilize African countries while pursuing its hegemonic interests.
Currently, the US has about 7,000 military personnel on rotational deployment in Africa. In addition, 2,000 American soldiers are involved in training missions in 40 African countries. American special forces operate across east Africa in so-called forward operation locations in Kenya and Somalia.
The presence of terrorist groups in Africa has been an excuse for global powers to re-enter these countries. This was seen in the French military intervention in Mali and the US military campaign in Somalia.
In April, Townsend warned US lawmakers in Congress that Washington has underestimated the importance of Africa and regional powers like Russia, China and Iran are rapidly increasing their presence in the continent.