A defence pact was struck between the United States and Kenya on Monday with the intention of bolstering counterterrorism initiatives in East Africa and backing Kenya’s initiatives to take the lead in a security mission to Haiti.
The five-year agreement was formally signed on Monday in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, by U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Kenya’s Defence Minister Aden Duale.
According to Austin, the United States is “grateful to Kenya for its leadership in tackling security challenges in the region and around the world” and he complimented it for its willingness to take the helm of a multinational security operation to tackle gang violence in Haiti.
He said that the $100 million in funds that the Biden administration promised for the Haiti mission last week on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly will be secured through cooperation with Congress.
According to him, “the United States stands ready to support that important mission by offering robust financial and logistical assistance.”
Austin asked other countries to follow Kenya’s lead and increase their contributions of manpower, supplies, funds, assistance, and training to the proposed international security operation to Haiti.
Since the killing of Haitian President Jovenel Mose in July 2021, gang violence has increased significantly in Haiti. Kenya has promised to send 1,000 security agents there to combat this. Ariel Henry, the prime minister of Haiti, requested the security mission in October of last year; the request has not yet been authorised by the United Nations Security Council.
Austin emphasised the importance of the U.S. government’s cooperation with Kenya in the regional campaign against al-Shabab.
Austin hailed Somali forces for making “impressive progress” in the fight against al-Shabab while in Djibouti on Sunday, but he also issued a warning that the terrorist organisation may still “export terror from ungoverned spaces.”
In Djibouti, Austin met with the president of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, during his maiden trip to the continent of Africa as defence secretary. Austin had earlier meetings with the president and defence minister of Djibouti, whom he thanked for hosting the US’s main African facility and aiding Somalia in its conflict with extremist organisations.
Austin congratulated American troops at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti before leaving on Monday for Nairobi, praising their “very impressive” participation in the April evacuation of American diplomats from Sudan.
“This building is really significant. After the 9/11 attacks, we established a capacity here to aid in our fight against violent extremist groups, according to Austin.
Since then, we have broadened the types of activities we can perform from this position to include some of the things you recently helped us with, including evacuating our ambassadors from Sudan. This location has not only helped us to do that.
Since the president proclaimed “total war” against the extremists in August 2022, the Somalian army and affiliated clan militias have proceeded to drive al-Shabab fighters out of central Somalia as part of the nation’s military offensive.
However, terrorists continue to target Somali security personnel. On Saturday, a vehicle explosion in the central Somali town of Beledweyne left 21 people dead and 52 others injured. Security personnel were investigating the truck after receiving information about it when it exploded, according to Beledweyne District Commissioner Omar Osman Alasow, speaking to VOA.
One American contractor and a member of a partner force were hurt in a small arms fire attack on a military base in Kulbiyow, Somalia, two days prior to the meeting between Austin and Mohamud, a senior defence official told VOA.
According to a pro-al-Shabab website, the strike injured nine Kenyan soldiers and four members of the U.S. military. That was “overblown,” the senior defence official told VOA, adding that no U.S. service members were hurt and the contractor’s wounds didn’t require medivac.
Due to recent violence, Somali officials are requesting a 90-day postponement of the African Union forces’ planned drawdown in order to take into account “several significant setbacks.”
Austin responded to VOA by saying, “He [President Mohamud] wants to do everything that he can to maintain momentum,” without going into additional detail about the Somalia’s submission to the African Union.
By the end of this month, 3,000 African Union personnel are anticipated to leave Somalia, with the remainder departing by the end of the next year.
Bill Roggio, a former soldier and editor of the Foundation for Defence of Democracies’ Long War Journal, which disseminates news and analysis of international counterterrorism initiatives, warns that withdrawing support for Somalia too soon or failing to devote enough resources to combating Islamic extremists in Africa could allow terror groups to take control of the nation much like the Taliban did when the United States was withdrawing its military forces from Afghanistan.
Roggio told VOA, “We’re fighting these jihadist groups on the fringes, barely keeping them in check.”
Afric Group Wagner
Defence authorities in the United States claim that despite the Wagner Group losing its leader last month, a sizable portion of its forces have not left the country.
On the continent, Wagner still has a large presence, Austin told reporters on Sunday in Djibouti.
According to a senior defence source, the United States has not yet noticed a “decisive shift” in Wagner’s relationship with the Kremlin or indications that Moscow has taken over the group’s operations across Africa more than a month after the murder of Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.
“I think what you’ll see here in the future is probably some competition within the ranks to [see] who’s going to be the next leader,” Austin told reporters on Sunday. Additionally, I believe that the Russian leadership may decide to either use Russian forces to support operations on the continent or replace Wagner with another type of group.
According to Austin, Wagner forces will probably be able to maintain their presence in Africa in the short- to medium-term without assistance from the Russian government.
According to a senior official, other governments have apologised to American officials for allowing Wagner to operate in their nations.
Without going into any detail, U.S. officials added that since military troops took over and deposed the president of Niger in July, there have been indications that Wagner forces are attempting to “exploit” the country’s political climate.
By the end of the year, France will withdraw its ambassador from Niger and stop its military presence there, according to a statement made by French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday. The military junta said France did not recognise the junta as the legitimate rulers of Niger and had repeatedly asked for the ambassador to leave.
The announcement severely harms French policy in Africa. In response to demands from state leaders, France had deployed thousands of troops to the Sahel region to combat jihadi groups, but after coups in nearby Mali and Burkina Faso in recent years, French troops withdrew from those countries.
The U.S. has shifted part of its forces within Niger from a facility in Niamey to a base in Agadez, which is some 1,000 kilometres (621 miles) from the city. The U.S. force posture in Niger has stayed constant at about 1,000 forces since the junta took power in July.
Austin claimed that while counterterrorism activities with Niger’s military forces have not yet resumed, the United States has carried out information, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions to safeguard its soldiers from potential dangers.
VOA’s Harun Maruf and Mohamed Olad Hassan contributed to this report.
