Heavy Gunfire Reported at Burkina Faso Military Base
TimeAPR 2022
Is US training in West Africa preparing the next authoritarian coup leader? Burkina Faso and Mali both have new military regimes, whose leaders learned their craft well in Flintlock. With their American-acquired skills, these leaders have done more than fight IS: they've alienated France, tilted to Russia, and rolled back democracy in the region.
The West should step up in Africa, drive a wedge between Russian and Chinese influence, and work to better the lives of millions on the continent. Right now, Russia is sweeping in and capitalizing on waning French and American power. African states are frustrated by the West's bumbling counterterrorism policies, and Russia brings weapons, contractors and autocrat-friendly business dealings to the table.
ISIS-affiliated groups are preying on the entire continent. The nations of Sub-Saharan Africa must rise up together to fight instability, extremism, and poverty. Foreign powers are no help and only make matters worse.