Rising extremist violence threatens W’Africa, US warns

The United States has warned that the recent withdrawal of its forces from the Niger Republic has left a security vacuum in West Africa, a region already plagued by escalating extremist violence.

The Department of Defense West Africa Coordination Element Lead, U.S. Africa Command, Major General Kenneth Ekman, expressed concern at a press briefing in Abuja on Friday, stressing that regional security is rapidly deteriorating.

In March 2024, Niger said it was revoking its military cooperation deal with the U.S, ordering 1,000 American armed forces personnel to leave the country and throwing the United States’ strategy in the region into disarray.

The announcement by the West African nation’s military junta came after a delegation from Washington and the top U.S. commander for Africa, Gen. Michael E. Langley.

Ekman acknowledged that while the logistical aspect of the withdrawal had been successful, the strategic implications were dire.

He said he had been in Niamey “Since April to coordinate the complete withdrawal of U.S. forces from Niger. We are almost done. We have achieved together with our Nigerien partners, the safe, orderly, and responsible withdrawal of U.S. forces.

“The good news is that the withdrawal went well. The bad news is that regional security is not going well.”

He expressed deep concern that the absence of U.S. forces in Niger has exacerbated the vulnerability of the region, making it a more fertile ground for terrorist activities.

This comes at a time when the Sahel is witnessing a surge in attacks by militant groups linked to ISIS and al-Qaeda, raising alarms among security experts and local governments alike.

“Concurrent with the coordination on the withdrawal, we have been working with regional military partners on how to address the growing violent extremist organisation security problem that comes out of the Sahel. While our objectives have not changed, they have become harder to achieve.

“The key concern is what happens to regional security with the departure of U.S. forces from Niger and what spills over across the northern border as a result,” he stated.