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WASHINGTON — The United States on Wednesday completed its last major troop withdrawal to meet a Sept. 15 deadline set by the military junta. About 1,000 troops were stationed in Niger before the ruling leadership ordered the withdrawal.
Niger’s Ministry of Defense and the U.S. military issued a joint statement saying that personnel and equipment at the base have been withdrawn and coordination will continue in the coming weeks to ensure that the evacuation is complete.
“Effective cooperation and communication between the U.S. and Nigerien armed forces ensured that this handover was completed ahead of schedule and smoothly.”
In an interview with VOA’s Anthony Labruto, Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, detailed how the United States is reassessing its military presence in light of the withdrawal plan and recent challenges to its broader security initiatives on the African continent.
This conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Voice of America: What role does the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) play on the African continent? What roles do AFRICOM’s teams serve in different African countries? How does it help stabilize democracy?
U.S. Congressman Michael McCaul: I just met with AFRICOM. They briefed me. So, this is a very timely interview. They are primarily military people. That’s why I introduced the Global Fragility Act in 2019. … As you said, it forces (AFRICOM) to be more than just a military organization. It forces them to coordinate with countries and USAID on the continent, which is very helpful if they collaborate rather than do their own missions independently. When I was at AFRICOM, they talked about this a lot, saying that this act really changed the way they operate.
Voice of America: I noted that the commander of Africa Command mentioned in his testimony before your committee that a military presence in Africa should be in sync with diplomatic and aid efforts on the continent. Could you elaborate on how these different elements are coordinated and their overall impact on the region?
McCall: Look, the military is important. But you can’t win with the military alone, right? I mean, when you have economic ties, they strengthen our alliances, and I think the DFC can help with that.
Of course, you know, USAID provides humanitarian aid. I passed the branding bill, requiring that it have to have the American flag on it, so they know where the aid is coming from, because before that, they didn’t know where the aid was coming from. Now, if China is brought into the (diplomatic) system, their flag is everywhere, so now USAID has the American flag. They know where the aid is coming from. It really helps with diplomacy.
I’ll also mention trade. If we can re-sign some of the trade deals, which, frankly, we haven’t signed under this administration. Of course, we need the military. They provide the security umbrella, they provide soft power – diplomacy and economic assistance.
Voice of America: What is the U.S. military’s strategy for addressing threats in countries like Somalia and Kenya? How do these efforts support and fit into aid programs in the region?
McCall: We have counterterrorism operations, and that’s where AFRICOM comes in, but they’re overstretched and overburdened. Their role, in coordination with the State Department and USAID, is to provide security. … But when Niger kicked us out, there was nothing we could do. We couldn’t operate in the country.
Look at Somalia, I mean our presence there… That embassy, frankly, is so dangerous, you can’t even drive there, you have to take a plane. That’s probably the most dangerous embassy in the world right now. Now, with the Houthi rebels joining forces with Al-Shabaab, it’s even worse. I’m really worried about that embassy. … They have a lot of security there, it’s probably the safest embassy in the world, but still. I mean, what’s the point of being there if you can’t actually operate abroad?
Voice of America: Given the magnitude of the challenges facing the U.S. military or Africa Command, will the United States reconsider its military or aid policies on the continent?
McCall: They (are being challenged), it’s a resource issue; it’s a continent. If the country doesn’t welcome us, there’s not much we can do. They pushed the French out of Mali, and in the Sahel, they’ve disappeared.
Their anti-colonial attitudes go back to France, which I understand, and they probably have a similar view of us in some ways. We want them to see us as liberators, not occupiers, but there is a sense that, ‘Oh, the colonizers are back,’ certainly with the French, maybe not as much with the Americans, but we still have that problem.
AFRICOM General Michael Langley warned that the loss of U.S. bases in the Sahel “would reduce our ability to conduct active surveillance and early warning, including homeland defense capabilities.” At the moment, terrorist groups in Africa are more focused on Africa itself than on external operations, but we have to keep in mind that any terrorist operation could go external if they want to go in that direction. At this point, I’m not sure they necessarily have the ability to conduct external operations here, but we have to continue to pay attention to that.
This Q&A is from the VOA English Africa Service.
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