from HERMINIO SILVES in Praia, Cape Verde
PRAIA, (CAJ News) – LACK of transparency is characterising the United States’ military footprint expansion in Africa.
Policy advisers of the administration of President Joe Biden, in office since January this year, are advocating to maintain the US military presence, as well as to ramp up its presence on the African continent to protect American commercial and other interests.
According to Pangea-Risk, while the US is pledging to reinvigorate economic and commercial engagements with Africa, a planned drawdown of American troops on the continent is unlikely to proceed
Instead, the US military is spending extensively on operational bases and formulating longer-term strategic plans to maintain its footprint in Africa.
These schemes include often controversial deals signed with small and economically dependent states such as Cape Verde and Djibouti.
The expansion of US military interests has attracted growing criticism from activist groups and Africa’s political opposition, particularly over a lack of accountability and transparency in such deployments.
“While (the) US military operations in East Africa are well-publicised, its growing activities in West Africa are under-reported, while some West African governments have not been transparent in their agreements with the US,” Pangea-Risk noted.
The Cape Verdean government has attempted to amend the constitution to allow for the full implementation of the US Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA).
US military personnel are already deployed in Cape Verde where they are often spotted concealing arms while dressed in civilian outfits.
The ongoing controversy over the presence of US military personnel in Cape Verde and the ongoing debate surrounding the SOFA relate to Cape Verde’s broader erosion of judicial institutions.
Pangea-Risk is a specialist intelligence firm providing analysis and forecasts on political, security, and economic risk in Africa and the Middle East.
– CAJ News