The Pentagon recently failed its 7th audit in a row, failing to account for $824 billion in defence expenditure.
Could one reason be its covert operations in Africa, supposedly to fight terrorism? Yet, terrorism in Africa grew exponentially after the start of US military operations on the continent.
According to a report by the Pentagon’s Africa Center for Strategic Studies, the number of Africans killed by terrorists jumped by an astonishing 100,000% in the last 2 decades since the US embarked on the Global War on Terror in 2001. The report adds that since then, the US has been providing billions of dollars in security assistance, training thousands of African military personnel, setting up military outposts, deploying special service troops on secret missions, creating proxy forces, launching drone strikes, and engaging in ground combat with militants in Africa.
In 2023, fatalities from terrorism in Africa soared to “a record level of lethal violence,” says the Center – 23,322 (versus 19,412 in 2022). Compare that with the 23 deaths blamed on terrorism in 2002-2003.
The two main theatres of US operations, the Horn of Africa and the Sahel, have seen large increases in civilian deaths. The al-Shabaab insurgency in Somalia claimed 7,643 lives in 2023.
With 29 bases across our continent and millions of dollars spent, is AFRICOM (United States Africa Command) – launched in 2007 – good for Africa’s security? Or is it a magnet for malign forces?
Sources:
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/africa-terrorism/
https://breakingdefense.com/2024/11/pentagon-fails-7th-audit-in-a-row-eyes-passing-grade-by-2028/
https://www.twz.com/8008/a-guide-to-the-pentagons-shadowy-network-of-bases-in-africa
https://theintercept.com/2020/02/27/africa-us-military-bases-africom/