By Pearl Matibe, DefenceOctober 1, 2024
African nations are facing complex and layered threats to their stability and security, with significant headwinds across the continent, according to General Michael Langley, Commander of the US military’s Africa Command (AFRICOM).
In an exclusive interview with White House Correspondent Pearl Matibe on 17 September, Langley discussed the challenges facing African peace and security, amongst other topics, including AFRICOM’s evolving strategies under Langley’s command, focusing on strengthening partnerships with African countries and advancing both US strategic interests and regional stability across the African continent.
“When I first took command, I thought it would be a matter of executing a well-defined campaign with various milestones. However, I quickly encountered significant headwinds across the African continent — complex, layered threats that our African partners face as they pursue stability and security. These factors are crucial because stability and security are key to fostering prosperity in civil society,” Langley said of these shared challenges.
The prevalence of terror groups is a particular concern for African nations as well as AFRICOM, particularly Al Shabaab in Somalia, and Islamic State (ISIS) and its affiliates across the continent. “We often think of ISIS as emanating out of the Levant—Iraq and Syria—but ISIS is present on the continent now,” Langley said. “You have ISIS West Africa and ISIS Sahel metastasizing across greater parts of West Africa, approaching some coastal West African countries. There’s also ISIS in Somalia itself, in the north, and as you move down, you have ISIS in Mozambique, in Cabo Delgado. SADC deserves a lot of credit for addressing that. The Southern African Development Community, including South Africa, has been very successful at pushing back against ISIS, which has caused population displacement and killed civilians.”
With regard to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), there has been a significant increase in conflict there this year, with rebel groups and terrorist-affiliated organisations amongst the many malign actors in the mix. “We’re watching that as well,” Langley said. “We’re assessing it and working collectively with our African partners in that region, especially SADC. The EAC [East African Community] has also contributed measures. Holistically, I’d say the enduring solution to terrorism is a whole-of-government approach. SADC, Rwanda’s efforts, and President Lourenço of Angola are helping to stabilise the region. This mainly addresses the conflict between Rwanda and DRC, but the broader instability—especially population displacement—is a result of ISIS activities. The long-term solution isn’t just kinetic operations but a whole-of-government approach.”
Langley affirmed that AFRICOM’s overall strategy in West Africa remains in play. “The approach will be partner-led, but there’s a prerequisite: the US government requires that we engage with like-minded, democratic value-driven countries. We’re closely monitoring the situation in West Africa, as the threat is starting to metastasize across the northern borders of several countries. These democracies invite us to help them tackle terrorism using enduring, whole-of-government solutions that build institutional capacity—not just in security but across the government. That’s the way forward, still under the broader national security strategy of African-led initiatives with US support. We’re in talks with these countries to see what they need to holistically address terrorism.”
Pearl Matibe is a Washington, DC-based foreign correspondent, and media commentator with expertise on US foreign policy and international security. You may follow her on Twitter (X): @PearlMatibe
