Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz this week questioned General Michael Langley, head of the US Africa Command (AFRICOM), about the number of African soldiers who received US military training and went on to lead coups.
To specify who he was referring to, Gaetz cited the example of Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, a highly qualified Guinean military official who was training with the US Army just months before the September 2021 storming of the presidential palace and the overthrow of Guinea’s President Alpha Condé Special Forces, also known as “Green Berets”.
“Have we trained and equipped him? In Guinea?Congressman Langley asked as he showed him a photograph of Doumbouya, to which the general replied that he could not identify him by name.
“It’s that guy in the middle, the one in the big red hat; this is him with a group of American military personnel outside our embassy, and just months after this photo was taken in 2021, he led a coup in Guinea and ousted the leader. Does that worry you?” he persisted.
However, Langley maintained that all soldiers trained by the US Army are taught “core values.” “Do we share these values with Colonel Doumbouya?”asked Gaetz.
“Absolutely”answered Langley. “We did it. He led a coup,” the Republican reminded him, to which the general replied: “In our curriculum we have done that.”
However, the congressman was quick to present the case of another coup plotter, this time from Burkina Faso. “Do we share core values with the leader we trained there who led a coup?” he said in a veiled reference to Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba.
Sandaogo Damiba orchestrated a coup d’état in Burkina Faso in January 2022, deposing the country’s president-elect, Roch Marc Christian Kaboré.
This is another highly qualified soldier who has participated in at least six U.S. training exercises, according to U.S. Africa Command.
How many coup plotters has the US trained?
Langley noted this in his remarks the US Army trained “at least” about 50,000 African soldiers and when asked what percentage of them “eventually took part in uprisings or coups d’etat”, he stated that it is “a very small number, (…) probably less than 1%”.
“And what data set does he follow to conclude that ‘less than 1% of the 50,000 or so we trained took part in coups’? Because it would be about 500, so 1% of 50,000‘ the congressman asked, after which the general admitted he had no information on the matter.
Likewise, Gaetz emphasized that “if two governments were overthrown”,how many still need to be deactivated of “People we train before understanding that our core values may not resonate with everyone?” “Five countries? Ten?” he asked.
“Why should US taxpayers pay to educate the people who will lead coups in Africa?asked Gaetz.
“I think we could be using our resources much more effectively than we are,” the Republican concluded.
US offensive against Africa
US Vice President Kamala Harris will be leaving for a trip to Africa next week, visiting Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia, reports Bloomberg. His tour follows that of Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Foreign Secretary Antony Blinken.
According to the outlet, these visits by US politicians aim to do just that Strengthening Washington’s influence in the context of growing competition from China and Russia.
Beijing is the largest trading partner and investor in Africa, which also implements infrastructure projects in countries on the continent, while Moscow cooperates with several African countries on security, sends military equipment and conducts joint exercises.
Additionally, in August 2022, the White House released a new Sub-Saharan Africa strategy aimed at advancing US national security interests on the continent “to expose and highlight the risks of the negative activities of the PRC and Russia,” the document said.
US officials “They won’t say they compete with China or Russia in Africa”said Cameron Hudson, analyst for the Africa program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Nevertheless, Washington is striving to solve several tasks of a competitive character.
First, the US is seeking support for Ukraine among African countries, most of which prefer to remain neutral and continue to maintain economic and trade ties with Moscow.
Second, Washington is increasing its lending to Africa. Last December, the Biden administration pledged to provide $55 billion to African countries over three years, including $21 billion to low- and middle-income countries through the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Third, as part of the green transition, the development of electric vehicles and defense electronics, The US wants access to metals such as lithium, cobalt and copper, which have reserves in African countries.
In February, the Mineral Safety Association, which includes the United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Japan and other countries including Australia and South Korea, held a meeting with representatives from several African nations to discuss issues of extraction, processing and… to discuss the recycling of mineral rare earths.
The US is particularly concerned about China’s large lithium and cobalt reserves, which Washington could easily lose access to if relations with Beijing deteriorate.
(Taken from RT in Spanish)
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The US announces a strategic plan for Africa to counter the “encroachment of China and Russia”.