US begins Exercise Flintock in Côte d'Ivoire
The United States has begun training African troops in Côte d'Ivoire. In the framework of Operation Flintlock, some thirty African countries are receiving military training with the aim of fighting terrorism at a time when the jihadist threat is more present than ever.
Special Operations Command Africa, which focuses on operating in the G5 countries, is working with US and NATO special operations forces to counter Islamic extremism and violence.
The training programme, for more than 400 soldiers from West African countries, will seek to further strengthen the military's ability to deal with the attacks it continues to face from terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda and Daesh.
To this end, the Operation's operational members are undergoing training in which they conduct exercises related to hand-to-hand combat, shooting manoeuvres, mounted and dismounted movement, reconnaissance, intelligence sharing and hostage rescue in small-unit tactics.
According to the commander of US Special Operations Command Africa, Admiral Jamie Sands, one of the most important aspects of the exercise "is information sharing" because "if we can't communicate, we can't work together".
In this way, Flintock was created as an exercise that aims to strengthen the defence capabilities of both African governments and regional organisations in order to curb all threats that jeopardise regional security in the area. The military exercise also opens up an important trade and economic investment opportunity that directly benefits the citizens of the region.
In 2020, Exercise Flintock was hosted by Mauritania, with an external station in Senegal, with which it was possible to emphasise the strengthening of the West's commitment to African countries in matters of security and defence.
Last February, Spain participated through the Special Operations Force (FOE), made up of the Army's Special Operations Command, the Navy's Special Naval Warfare Force, the Air Force's Parachute Sapper Squadron and the Civil Guard's Rapid Action Group.
In this context, Spain has been participating in Flintock since 2006 with the objectives of training military personnel from African countries so that they have sufficient capacity to operate independently against the predominant Jihadism in the Sahel region. Specifically, Spain was able to operate alongside Portuguese forces in Cape Verde, Chad, Mauritania and Senegal.
Africa is entering a period marked by the rise of jihadism and insecurity, challenges that the continent has been facing for several years but has not yet managed to eradicate.
Dividing the continent into parts, North Africa is more stable than the rest of Africa, despite its extremely serious political and social crises. Libya is one such example. On the verge of being considered a failed state, the country faces a complex situation in terms of political stability. Libya's tribal society, together with civil strife and the impunity for war crimes committed by the same people, make Libya a bleak scenario.
Last December, Libya was due to hold elections that were finally postponed, which affected the political and social crisis the country has been going through since the overthrow and death of Gaddafi. The misnamed Arab Springs plunged the country into a decade of darkness, with civilians bearing the brunt, as in all conflicts. Some analysts point out that even if an electoral process can be held, the country still has open wounds that are difficult to heal, but unsustainable over time.
On the other hand, moving into West Africa and the Sahel, the region has experienced a series of coups d'état in a very short period of time that have brought instability and a certain paralysis in political processes. This insecurity has been the perfect framework for jihadist groups, which were still operating in the area, to become stronger.
Taking advantage of the withdrawal of Western troops from the Sahel and the end of Operation Bharkane, jihadism can take advantage of this military vacuum to continue attacking and ravaging the region.
Climate change is also worsening existing problems such as poverty, migration and land degradation, which directly affects agriculture, especially in the most unstable countries.
Alongside this, in the East African region, we are witnessing a number of refugee crises resulting from armed conflicts in Somalia or even more recently in Sudan, which was the scene of a military coup d'état last October.
In addition, Ethiopia continues to fight a civil conflict in which more than 50,000 civilians have lost their lives. This conflict has also witnessed countless war crimes and destabilised the strategic enclave that is the Horn of Africa for trade and international relations.
On the other hand, Southern Africa is home to one of the world's fastest growing economies. However, this growth is not keeping up with poverty, as the number of people living below the poverty line continues to grow.
In this region of the world, a high percentage of the young population is unable to access the labour market, forcing them to migrate in search of a future. In addition, 65% of the population is still directly dependent on agriculture, a sector which in turn depends on climatic conditions.
Despite these scenarios, cooperation between African countries and the West continues to be active in order to tackle the continent's most important problems. Recently at the EU-AU Summit, Europe approved an ambitious Africa-Europe investment package that also aims to curb China's already evident role in the continent.
In this regard, Beijing is implementing its 'New Silk Road', an Africa-wide investment project that includes the construction of roads, infrastructure, industry and media, as well as promoting international trade between African countries and China.
Americas Coordinator: José Antonio Sierra
