First appearance on FOX – The number of Islamic jihadist terrorists in Africa has increased tenfold, the commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) told Fox News Digital. Marine Gen. Michael Langley, commander of AFRICOM, spoke to Fox News Digital in an exclusive online interview on Sunday ahead of this week’s African Defense Ministers’ Meeting in Gaborone, Botswana.
In a wide-ranging interview, Langley addressed threats from China, Russia and Iran and commented on the apparent shift in U.S. military policy in West Africa, particularly after Niger ordered the withdrawal of 1,000 U.S. personnel.
On Islamic terrorism, the general said, “We have been monitoring and identifying the signs and warnings for years. Statistically, in 2008, only 4 percent of the world’s Islamic jihadists were on the African continent. Today, that number is 40 percent. So, carrying out the mission of African armies to raise, monitor and respond to signs and warnings is all in the interest of protecting the homeland.”
He said AFRICOM was “responsible for carrying out a wide range of missions across the continent, from deterring threats to gaining access and influence, to responding to crises.”
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U.S. Marine Gen. Michael Langley (right), commander of U.S. Africa Command, prepares for the 2024 African Defense Ministers’ Meeting in Gaborone, Botswana, June 23, 2024. (Photo by Cpl. Addisyn Tovar)
Langley spoke to Fox News Digital about specific concerns about Chinese activity in Africa: “We are focused on the threat posed by the People’s Republic of China and we know that they will likely intervene across the African continent, first through their Belt and Road Initiative, and then exploit and coerce if necessary.”
“But sometimes they have ambitions for military power and capabilities. They already have a base in Doraleh, Djibouti. Time will tell what their overall ambitions are. Will it be power projection or defensive air interdiction? We don’t know. For now, they say it’s counter-piracy. So we are constantly monitoring what China’s overall global intentions are in strategic areas.”
The Africa Commander then turned his attention to Russia: “Indeed, over the last few years, we have seen Wagner infiltrate many African countries, sowing disinformation and trying to become a preferred security partner in many countries, from the Sahel to the Central African Republic and north of Libya.”
U.S. and Nigerien flags fly side by side at the base camp for airmen and other personnel supporting construction of Niger Air Base 201 in Agadez, Niger, April 16, 2018. (AP Photo/Carly Petesch)
“Through their disinformation campaign, which evolved into supporting the Russian Ministry of Defense after the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, we are seeing it and are monitoring it across the board to determine what the overall strategic needs and aspirations of the Russian Federation are,” the general continued.
He believes Russia is using disinformation heavily on the African front to strengthen its position on the continent, and says this needs to be countered: “What the U.S. needs to do is strengthen its information operations. We need capabilities that match our assurance efforts, particularly a ‘whole of government’ approach. We need to be able to work with our African partners to address some of the challenges that range from climate change to violent extremist organizations, and demonstrate that we have a holistic value proposition by being able to leverage our shared values and shared objectives of stability and security.”
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U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley (right), commander of U.S. Africa Command, in Gaborone, Botswana, June 23, 2024. (Photo by Corporal Addisyn Tovar)
“I think that our assurance efforts and what we provide holistically across the Department of State and diplomacy, the U.S. Agency for International Development and development, the Department of Defense and cooperation and capacity building with other security forces, is a holistic and durable solution, particularly when we’re talking about extremist organizations.”
When asked about Iran, which has reportedly been active in various countries, including Niger and Sudan, particularly in mining, Langley would only say that he is “closely monitoring Iranian activities.” There have been recent reports that Iran has been exporting or preparing to export uranium from Niger. Uranium can be used for peaceful nuclear power generation, but is better known as a key ingredient in the manufacture of nuclear weapons.
The U.S. military was told earlier this year by Niger’s pro-Russian military government to withdraw about 1,000 troops from the country, where it has two air bases and whose manned and drone aircraft conduct operations against Nigeria’s Boko Haram and other terrorist groups.
Hundreds of people in support of the coup rally in front of the parliament building in Niamey, Niger’s capital, on July 27, 2023, standing next to Russian and Nigerien flags. (REUTERS/Balimah Boureima)
After months of reportedly heated negotiations, the Pentagon agreed that all U.S. military personnel in the country would withdraw. “We remain on track with regards to Niger and with regards to transferring and relocating equipment and assets out of the country this year,” Langley said. “We are confident that we will continue to meet those benchmarks going forward.”
A Department of Defense (DOD) official confirmed to Fox News Digital that U.S. personnel will be withdrawn from Base 101, located outside Niger’s capital, Niamey, by mid-July. The official added that U.S. personnel are also scheduled to be removed from the larger Base 201 in Agadez by September 15.
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Al-Shabaab fighters conduct a military exercise in the Skahoraha district north of Mogadishu, Somalia, Sunday, September 5, 2010. (AP Photo/Fala Abdi Warsameh, File)
In Niger, “the safety of our forces is our number one priority,” he stressed, and Langley looked forward to “a responsible and orderly withdrawal, agreed to by both the US government and the transitional government of the CNSP (Niger’s military junta).”
On May 19, the Department of Defense confirmed in a statement that the United States and Niger had “established procedures to facilitate the entry and exit of U.S. personnel into and out of the country, including permitting military aircraft to overfly and land.”
U.S. Marine Gen. Michael Langley, commander of U.S. Africa Command, testifies during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing examining the posture of U.S. Central Command and U.S. Africa Command, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, March 16, 2023. U.S. troops plan to return to Chad within a month to discuss revisions to an agreement that would allow them to keep troops in the country, an American general said Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Maryam Zuhaib)
Asked where U.S. personnel and manned and unmanned aircraft would be moving from Niger, he appeared to emphasize the change in policy: “You know, what was at 201st Air Base or 101st Air Base was based on the needs of the last 10 years.”
“What our strategy calls for is to strengthen security cooperation activities, whether that be the Security Force Assistance Brigades, the National Partnership Program or any of the exercises we do to build partnerships and capabilities.”
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Chinese President Xi Jinping (center) speaks as South African President Cyril Ramaphosa (left) and Equatorial Guinea President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo look on during the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation on April 4, 2018. (Photo: LINTAO ZHANG/AFP via Getty Images)
Offering apparent new details about the future US military strategy in Africa, Langley added: “In terms of the overall alignment of the strategy, our strategy will be across the Sahel and into West Africa because it’s based on the threat. We all know this is going to be African-led, so that’s specified.”
This week, Langley is in Botswana for the African Defense Ministers’ Conference, which brings together about 35 countries and is co-hosted by the United States with Botswana. “This conference represents an African-led, U.S.-backed effort to address the major challenges and security issues in the Sahel, as well as other parts of the continent,” he said. “I’m on a listening tour, and they’ll be making recommendations and putting them up for discussion.”
