Hommam Al Nassim 
The American presence on the African continent took on new dimensions after the events of September 11, 2001, as terrorism became a phenomenon that justified expanding Washington’s influence and entering into an international geopolitical competition to control the African continent.
The United States was not far from intervening in most African countries, especially in the context of supporting rebellions or encouraging military coups, but after leading a military campaign to remove military forces from Kuwait, its intervention became direct, which is what it did in Somalia in Operation “Restore Hope.” Between 1992 and 1993, but the tragic end of this intervention after the Battle of Mogadishu, in which 18 American soldiers were killed, restored the state of isolation in the 1990s, when American attention was focused on arranging the European situation following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Backgrounds of the American presence in Africa
The events of September 11, 2001, were a turning point as the United States declared war on terrorism and began expanding its military influence in various regions of the world, including Africa. Washington initially focused on regions such as Somalia and the African Sahel, where groups such as Al-Shabaab and Al-Qaeda are active. In the Islamic Maghreb, but in recent years it has shifted towards Niger, which has become a center for US operations in West Africa.
The political and military transformations in Mali and Burkina Faso prompted the US administration to move its regional operations center to Niger and relied on drone bases to monitor the activities of these groups and support local forces during combat operations. However, the use of Niger’s territory carries geopolitical dimensions for Washington, against the backdrop of enhancing security and stability and combating… Terrorism The United States seeks to achieve two things:
- The first: Containing Russian and Chinese influence, which has clearly developed since the beginning of the new millennium. Russia and China have increased their influence in Niger over the past two decades by dealing with the economic and military sectors. China plays a greater role in infrastructure and development, while Russia focuses on military and security support, but at the same time invests in the mining and energy sectors, and the following chart shows the development of Chinese and Russian influence within Niger:
- The second is to create investments that justify to the major American economic groups the nature of the intervention. The United States invests in infrastructure projects, green energy, and industrial development in Africa. These investments are considered part of its strategy to enhance its economic influence, and the degree of current American political frustration as a result of the military coup in Niger (2023) can be read. Via the following chart:
The graph shows the extent of what the American administration has put in place in Niger to confront Chinese and Russian influence. It has opened the “umbrella” of combating terrorism and devoted many dimensions within all of Niger’s military and economic sectors, including donations and loans that stopped after the 2023 coup.
Political and security repercussions
Stability remained fragile despite the American presence in Niger. Terrorism clearly expanded at a time when many African countries witnessed internal wars. The issue of combating terrorism turned into military fronts after it had been active cells, at a time when financial aid and security coordination did not lead to reducing the presence of armed groups. Certainly, the American administration knew in advance that the issue of the war on terrorism is much more complex than direct military intervention. It is an issue linked to the political system of African countries and their relationship with the international system as a whole. Terrorism has become an international issue with the global system becoming “unipolar.”
In practice, “terrorism” existed throughout the second half of the twentieth century, but it did not turn into a global phenomenon until after the United States relied on religious extremism in its conflict with the Soviet Union in Afghanistan in the first place, which led to the spread of this phenomenon at the global level, and the graph depicts The development of terrorist operations in Niger since the American intervention in 2013:
The American intervention was only a violation of national sovereignty, whether in Niger, Burkina Faso, or Mali, where the United States carries out military operations without clear approval from local governments, and without taking into account the social nature of the conflict areas or even dealing with the depth of the terrorism crisis that has spread in Africa in general as a result of factors Primarily ethnic or tribal, it developed as a result of the fragile policies of countries and not as a result of the lack of development in security capabilities, and this is what made Washington face diplomatic challenges in dealing with the governments of the region.
Niger has become a major hub for the American military presence in West Africa, as the United States has two drone bases in central and southern Niger. These bases constitute an essential part of American efforts to monitor and confront armed groups in the region, despite the reduction in the military presence from 1,100 soldiers to about 650. Soldier, Washington continued to maintain its presence in Niger and partially resumed its operations from air bases in the country, amid political instability, as West Africa witnessed eight military coups during the past four years.
The American presence in Niger and Africa in general has become extremely exposed, and it not only arouses dissatisfaction with the new governments, but also exacerbates crises because it uses its war on terrorism to escalate its geopolitical competition with other international powers, most notably Russia and China. Its main battle appears to be in opening new markets and creating dynamics within… The continent is opposed to any economic or security activity outside Washington’s policy, which seeks to monopolize the presence in Africa.
Written by Mazen Bilal
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