Ghana Among Coastal West African Countries Being Considered To Host New U.S. Military Base
- The Commander of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) says Ghana is one of several West African countries being considered to host a new U.S. military base
- This is after the U.S. military forces in Niger were given a September deadline to pack out by the new military junta
- Marine Corps General Michael Langley said the rise of violent extremism is a matter of grave concern to West African countries and the United States
Marine Corps General Michael E. Langley, Commander of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), says Ghana is one of several coastal West African countries being considered to host a U.S. military base.
This follows the U.S. military base in Niger being ordered to leave by the military government there following the overthrow of President Mohammed Bazoum’s government in 2023.
Source: Getty Images
The U.S. military, which was stationed in Niger to monitor regional violent extremism, has until September 15, 2024, to entirely withdraw all of its forces from the West African country.
In a virtual news conference after a meeting of African Chiefs of Defense Staff in Gaborone, Botswana, General Langley noted that the rise of extremist organisations in the West African sub-region has left much of West Africa in a very dire situation.
He noted that these extremist organisations are thriving on regional instability to grow their territory.
He said that to ensure these extremist organisations do not gain any more ground, AFRICOM intends to engage with coastal West African countries to identify their needs and provide enduring solutions to defend their territories and citizenry.
He noted that these solutions would take the form of a whole government approach to address the issues holistically.
He added that following the order to leave Niger, he has been on a tour of some West African countries where the new U.S. military base could be located. These countries include Ghana, Benin and Ivory Coast.
He noted that he settled on these countries due to the genuine threat they face due to their proximity to other countries with very active terrorist organisations.
General Langley stressed that AFRICOM was just as concerned about the growing threat in West Africa and its impact on partner countries in the region and the United states.
He stated that AFRICOM would engage civil society, communities, and governments to implement an effective strategy that would serve as an enduring solution to terrorism in the near future.
Security expert reacts to US military base possibly coming to Ghana
Foreign policy and security analyst Adib Saani says the U.S. military establishing a base in Ghana or some other West African coastal state would inure to the security benefits of the sub-region due to the constant threat of terrorism.
He noted that while this may at first be a good thing for a country like Ghana, it poses an equal measure of risk to the country.
He pointed out that U.S. military operations within Ghanaian territory could easily make Ghana a target to these well-organised terrorist groups, further threatening the country's security.
"So it makes us illegitimate targets. I mean, JNIN and other ISIS, Al Qaeda affiliated groups operating in the Sahel have their eyes on Ghana.
But before the terrorist attack, they look for the motive and the means and opportunity. So their motive would be that Ghana is housing or hosting the US, where they are flying their drones to come to attack us [the terrorists].
"So they may come after Ghana. All right. And the question is, are we ready? How robust is our security?
"In my opinion, I don't think we are ready enough, so far as security arrangement is concerned, to counter the threat of terrorism in Ghana," he explained.
Akufo-Addo expresses worry about withdrawal of Sahelian states from ECOWAS
President Akufo-Addo has expressed grave concern about the withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger from ECOWAS and its impact on the Accra Initiative.
He said without the participation of the Sahelian countries, the Accra Initiative would be significantly undermined, and it could lead to the rise of violent extremism in the region.
He has urged member states to actively engage in dialogue with the Sahelian states to rejoin the fold.
Niger enters military alliance with Burkina Faso and Mali
YEN.com.gh reported that the Niger coup leaders entered a coalition with Burkina Faso and Mali, which are under the control of coup leaders.
The alliance came after ECOWAS imposed several sanctions on Niger while mounting pressure on the junta leader to step down and embrace democracy.
Proofread by Edwina N.K Quarcoo, journalist and copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
