JOHANNESBURG – Leading Republican senators say two West African countries in the vast Sahel region are leaning heavily toward Moscow, ordering U.S. troops fighting Islamist terrorism to leave and allowing Russian mercenaries into the country. Opposing the Biden administration’s foreign policy, one of them called: It’s a “disaster”.
“President Biden’s foreign policy has been a disaster on every continent, and Africa is no exception,” Sen. Tim Scott (RS.C.) told FOX News Digital.
The senator continued, “While Russia and China are working overtime to drive the United States out of a region that will soon be home to a quarter of the Earth’s population, the Biden administration continues to fumble and confuse our nation’s strategy with African countries.” “It is undermining the interests of the public.” partner. ”
Scott continued, “The outcome of the November election will have a huge impact not only on whether Americans continue to put up with Bidennomics and the rising cost of gas and groceries, but also on the decline in our country’s global standing.” It’s clear that it will have an impact,” he added.
US withdraws troops from Chad, Niger as African countries question counter-terrorism role
People stand next to Russian and Nigerian flags as hundreds of coup supporters gather outside the parliament in Niamey, Niger, on July 27, 2023. (Reuters/Barima Boureima)
Niger’s military junta ordered 1,000 U.S. military personnel and contractors to leave town, while allowing Russian Wagner mercenaries to move into the same air base where American soldiers are being held. . Some of the 100 U.S. military personnel in Chad were also ordered to leave.
In West Africa in particular, Russia is gaining influence, often claimed to be at the expense of the United States.
Marine Corps Gen. Michael E. Langley, commander of U.S. Africa Command, recently said terrorism is crushing African lives and planting “the seeds of violent extremism and Russian exploitation across the continent.”
Sen. James Risch (R-Idaho) told Fox News Digital, “The United States is not fighting for influence in Africa, but despite its efforts, Russia is “We haven’t been able to capture the hearts of people,” he said. Risch, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said: “Simplifying the situation in this way is an attempt by Russia and others who are exploiting economic, political and security challenges for their own gain.” “Despite the rapid growth of this government,” he added. Despite rhetoric about success in Africa, the continent is not the primary focus of foreign policy — the administration’s actions, budget, and policies demonstrate that. ”
He continued, “The United States has the power to quickly reverse the current trend toward anti-Western views in African countries. By working with Africans and taking stronger policy actions, we can “We can have an immediate impact and reverse these trends.” ”
“The United States is now effectively kicked out of Chad, Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, creating more room for Russia and China,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. spoke in the Senate on May 2nd. For two years, the regime has behaved more like an ostrich than a superpower. ”
Russia and the US support all of Africa
The U.S. and Niger flags are flown side by side at a base camp for Air Force and other personnel supporting the construction of Niger Air Base 201 in Agadez, Niger, April 16, 2018. The United States is trying to conclude a new military agreement with Niger. Niger will allow Niger to remain in the country, two Western officials told The Associated Press on Friday, April 19, 2024, weeks after the military government announced its presence there was no longer justified. (AP Photo/Carly Petesch)
Regarding the 54 countries that make up the African continent, a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital: “Secretary Blinken is making clear the United States’ commitment to deepening and expanding our partnerships with African countries, institutions, and peoples. ” he said. The United States’ strategy for Africa is based on the belief that democracy, good governance, development, and stability are interconnected, and we will work with our regional partners to promote democracy and promote sustainable development. is committed to cooperating with African countries. Combat terrorism and strengthen public security. ”
“We remain concerned about the rise in violence and worsening humanitarian trends across the Sahel region. The only long-term solution to the scourge of terrorism is the rule of law, respect for human rights and social cohesion. “Over-reliance on military-only approaches to instability and inadequate efforts to protect civilians from human rights abuses and human rights abuses contribute to the structure of instability.” This will only further entrench the negative factors. ”
Although the U.S. government has publicly vowed to withdraw troops from Niger, 1,000 personnel remain in the country, and a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital last week that officials are “in open discussions with Niger authorities.” I’m going,” he said.
Nigerians gather in the streets to protest the US military presence in Niamey, Niger, on April 13, 2024. (Reuters/Mahamadou Hamidou/File photo)
At a State Department briefing on Tuesday, Spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters that discussions with Niger’s new government (CNSP) “were unable to reach an understanding that would allow the United States to maintain a military presence in Niger.” he said. We are currently working with the CNSP to withdraw U.S. forces in an orderly and responsible manner. ”
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) said in a statement provided to FOX News Digital by his office that the U.S. military is coming to Washington to seek permission to overflight military and medical personnel in Niger. He claimed that he was being used as a “pawn” by the government. “Today, more than 1,000 personnel have not been adequately supplied since March after the coup.”
Chad’s military leader wins disputed presidential election
Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) meets with Chad’s interim president Bryce Mahamat Idriss Deby at the Kremlin in Moscow on January 24, 2024. (Photo by Mikhail Metzel/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
Gaetz continued, “Biden has two options: Resupply the U.S. military or send them home as soon as possible. Direct the health conditions of the U.S. military to third world thugs we trained. “The idea that we’re allowing them to do that is furthering Biden’s foreignness.” It’s a disgrace to the policy. ”
There has also been controversy in neighboring Chad, where the country’s military government has said it wants U.S. troops to leave the country. About 100 personnel are stationed in Washington to fight terrorism. Some withdrew during last week’s presidential election, but officials suggested the withdrawal was “temporary.”
Enter the Kremlin. In contrast, Niger is hosting up to 100 military personnel, believed to be Wagner Group mercenaries, and preparing for operations from hangars at the same air base where U.S. military personnel are being held.
The potential withdrawal of U.S. forces from Niger and Chad is “a victory for President Putin,” said Rebecca Koffler, a strategic military intelligence analyst and diplomatic consultant for Fox News Digital. “Military equipment left behind will be picked up by the Russians, who are always on the lookout for American weapons dropped on the battlefield or abandoned on military bases. Those combat systems will be acquired, inspected and “Countermeasures will be reverse engineered or countermeasures constructed” within Russian weapons systems to reduce the effectiveness of U.S. weapons. ”
Marchers gather in support of Wagner PMC in Kaga Bandoro, Central African Republic, December 2023. (East 2 West)
“The United States clearly faces challenges in maintaining its position in West Africa,” Gustavo de Carvalho, senior fellow in African governance and diplomacy at the South African Institute of International Affairs, told FOX News Digital. “But this is somehow a chicken-and-egg dilemma: are Russia and China actively working to displace the West, or are China and Russia filling the void while Are Western countries losing influence?
“In the case of West Africa,” De Carvalho added. “I think this is more of a case of the West losing influence and Russia filling the gap for certain security needs.Recently, relations between the West and the Sahel government have become very fractured. Russia took advantage of the vacuum left.
Koffler said Russia’s strategic goals are clear. “To expand its influence in Africa, defeat the US in Africa, reduce US/Western influence, and compete with China. This is part of President Putin’s ‘multipolar world’ initiative.”
Koffler added that the Kremlin also has “sensible” diplomatic goals, trying to get more African countries to vote for Russia at the United Nations. “Africa has a large voting bloc within the United Nations,” Koffler said. “Therefore, the Russian government wants to position these governments to favor Russia’s policy agenda so that they vote in line with Russia’s interests rather than those of the West. Many African countries already They feel their voices are not being heard in international institutions, and Russia is exploiting these anti-Western sentiments.”
Jihadists and nuclear threats African countries tell us to leave while Russia and Iran profit
Wagner mercenaries in Mali, December 2023. (East 2 West)
Mr. de Carvalho agreed that Africa is becoming more important as a priority in Russia’s foreign policy. “They have so far taken advantage of the long-standing decline in interest in Africa by Western countries, including the United States, taking advantage of the fact that Western narratives and motives are increasingly viewed with distrust. It has been extremely successful.”
Please enter China. “From an economic perspective, the United States is not losing the battle in Africa to Russia, but it is losing to China,” Koffler declared this week. Koffler argued that China, with its One Belt, One Road trade initiative, trades with Africa worth $254 billion annually, compared to $64 billion for the United States and $18 billion for Russia.
Mr. de Carvalho stressed that China’s objectives are not military, but added, “It is important to note that China’s presence does not necessarily equate to domination. “They tend to be more concerned with securing economic benefits and market access than with using it as a tool.” For the containment of the West. ”
De Carvalho noted that he believes Washington needs to change its focus, not on what it sees, but how it sees it. “If the United States wants to increase its influence, it needs to approach Africa on its own merits, not just as a counter to the role of China and Russia. Africa has an important role in global affairs,” he said. “There is a long history of them being used as proxies.” Conflict, and the rhetoric that reinforces it, is actually counterproductive, and that is a challenge the United States needs to address. ”
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“To address its declining position, the U.S. administration will forge truer partnerships with African countries, prioritizing investment, economic development, and security cooperation, and addressing common challenges such as climate change and public health. “They should engage with African countries.” But for this to happen, a narrative, an approach that makes the continent the direct focus, rather than the site of geopolitical conflict. , behavioral changes will be required. ”
