Miles Charles
168 posts
@mileslcharles
Learning and sharing West African geopolitics and security Rt, follow, comment ≠ endorsement
Breaking: US President Donald Trump announces that US-Nigerian forces conducted a "complex mission" to assassinate senior ISWAP leader "Abu Bilal al-Mainuki". Trump appears to be very poorly informed as al-Mainuki is the second-in-command of ISWAP, not IS global, secondly he seems to think he is not African because he is "hiding in Africa", Abu Bilal (aka Abu Ali as well) is from the town of Mainuk in Borno State. Nevertheless this is likely the most significant loss of leadership from jihadists in Nigeria since the death of Shekau, Abu Ali al-Mainuki was a very close associate to Abu Musab al-Barnawi and at some point was believed to be governor of the Libya province, along with being the head of the al-Furqan office which oversees the Sahel, Libya and West Africa provinces.
This is kind of an iffy one but I think I geolocated the footage here: 13.3820361, 13.4828694 maps.app.goo.gl/GZB9iPY7PjGxJZ… Any thoughts are welcome.
NEW | The United States has a new opportunity to make inroads in West Africa, but the same circumstances creating this opening should serve as a cautionary tale for American officials. A recent major offensive from Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), a West African Al-Qaeda affiliate, has given the group and its partners control over significant portions of northern Mali. The moment could be a chance for the United States to advance counterterror cooperation with the Malian authorities, diminish malignant Russian influence, and gain access to critical minerals. As enticing as this opportunity seems, US officials should tread with caution. The recent offensive and Russia’s failures in the Sahel illustrate the major challenges the United States will face in trying to form deep partnerships in the region. Instead, the US should focus on targeted cooperation built squarely around protecting American citizens and businesses in the region, which can secure these immediate aims and form the basis of a potential long term partnership, without binding the US to the region’s latest lost cause or sacrificing opportunities for cooperation with more effective partners in the region or with any new leaders that come to power. Read more of CTP Africa Team Lead’s latest op ed for The National Interest, linked below.
Over the last year, Spirit of America has been working alongside our U.S. military partners, @StratStability, and the Beninese Army (FAB) in Benin to facilitate trust with the local population through #OperationMirador. Civil-military cooperation helps to chip away at the foundations that terrorist groups depend on to operate and survive: social grievances, disenfranchisement, and economic isolation. Providing solutions to the needs identified jointly by the community and military improves coordination — and more importantly, trust — between civilians and the state, and encourages civic engagement and joint governance in fragile areas. In Cobly, a town in northwest Benin, we funded the roof rehabilitation for a 3-room schoolhouse benefitting 150 students, and the construction of a borehole at the Tapoga health center, increasing access to clean water for the nearly 7,000 patients the center serves annually, as well as the full population of the village. 🔨🚰 As this activity was implemented by the military, it helped restore the image of the government in the people's eyes while also directly addressing some of their most urgent needs quickly. Projects like these have given the FAB a long-term platform for collaboration and coordination directly with civilian populations, helping to stop the spread of extremism in West Africa and debunk false narratives that armed groups spread.
À propos de la situation actuelle en République du Mali: Au cours des deux derniers jours le @TheAfricaCorps des forces armées russes, en coordination avec @DirpaFa , a continué de mener des opérations incluant la recherche de groupes terroristes, des patrouilles dans les zones habitées, l'escorte de convois et la livraison de cargaisons. Les membres du groupe JNIM continuent de tenter, en petits groupes, d'établir des obstacles pour le passage des véhicules de transport lourd et léger à Bamako. Les patrouilles du #AfricaCorps, avec les unités des #FAMA, arrivent rapidement sur les lieux où la présence terroriste est détectée; cependant, ces derniers évitent tout affrontement direct. Les militaires du Corps apportent leur soutien aux populations locales pour le déblaiement des axes routiers et escortent les convois civils vers leurs destinations.
