From New Frontier to New Normal: Counter-Terrorism Operations In
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
From Operation Serval to Barkhane
same year, Hollande sent French troops to From Operation Serval the Central African Republic (CAR) to curb ethno-religious warfare. During a visit to to Barkhane three African nations in the summer of 2014, the French president announced Understanding France’s Operation Barkhane, a reorganization of Increased Involvement in troops in the region into a counter-terrorism Africa in the Context of force of 3,000 soldiers. In light of this, what is one to make Françafrique and Post- of Hollande’s promise to break with colonialism tradition concerning France’s African policy? To what extent has he actively Carmen Cuesta Roca pursued the fulfillment of this promise, and does continued French involvement in Africa constitute success or failure in this rançois Hollande did not enter office regard? France has a complex relationship amid expectations that he would with Africa, and these ties cannot be easily become a foreign policy president. F cut. This paper does not seek to provide a His 2012 presidential campaign carefully critique of President Hollande’s policy focused on domestic issues. Much like toward France’s former African colonies. Nicolas Sarkozy and many of his Rather, it uses the current president’s predecessors, Hollande had declared, “I will decisions and behavior to explain why break away from Françafrique by proposing a France will not be able to distance itself relationship based on equality, trust, and 1 from its former colonies anytime soon. solidarity.” After his election on May 6, It is first necessary to outline a brief 2012, Hollande took steps to fulfill this history of France’s involvement in Africa, promise. -
The Making of Terrorists: Anthropology and the Alternative Truth of America’S ‘War on Terror’ in the Sahara
The making of terrorists: Anthropology and the alternative truth of America’s ‘War on Terror’ in the Sahara Jeremy Keenan Abstract: This article, based on almost eight years of continuous anthropological research amongst the Tuareg people of the Sahara and Sahel, suggests that the launch by the US and its main regional ally, Algeria, in 2002–2003 of a ‘new’,‘sec- ond’,or ‘Saharan’ Front in the ‘War on Terror’ was largely a fabrication on the part of the US and Algerian military intelligence services. The ‘official truth’,embodied in an estimated 3,000 articles and reports of one sort or another, is largely disin- formation. The article summarizes how and why this deception was effected and examines briefly its implications for both the region and its people as well as the future of US international relations and especially its global pursuance of an in- creasingly suspect ‘War on Terror’. Keywords: Algeria, disinformation, Sahara, Tuareg, ‘War on Terror’ I first undertook anthropological fieldwork Sahara following its effective closure to the out- amongst the Tuareg of the Central Sahara, side world during the eight-year period of civil mostly amongst the Kel Ahaggar of southern conflict that followed the Algerian army’s annul- Algeria, during the period 1964–1971.1 It was ment of the 1991–1992 elections that would have a period of tumultuous change, following the brought to power the world’s first ever demo- recent independence of Algeria (1962), during cratically elected Islamist government. I was thus which a number of pressures, notably successive able to witness an entire society, in one of the drought years and a number of ideologically world’s most isolated and remote regions, re- driven government policies, led to some 50 per- enter and begin to catch up, as it were, with the cent of the Kel Ahaggar being more or less sed- modern world. -
Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Program
“For the sake of peace and justice, let us move toward a world in which all people are at last free to determine their own destiny.” —Ronald Reagan “Like so many other things, democracy has to be nurtured. It has to be cultivated and people have to be given the opportunity to see that it is in their best interests. And so we have come to the conclusion after a long struggle that there must be ways other than with the use of military power, economic tools, and other diplomatic resources, to encourage people to help themselves to the fruits of freedom. This is what the National Endowment for Democracy is all about.” —Dante Fascell 1025 F Street, N.W., Suite 800, Washington, D.C. 20004 202.378.9700 | www.NED.org | [email protected] www.ned.org/fellowships/reagan-fascell-democracy-fellows-program 10years 2 | Leading Testimonials 4 | Programmatic Highlights 37 | Behind the Scenes Democrats at Risk | 20 Fellowship Experience | 6 The Reagan-Fascell Democ- Learning, networking, and international solidarity racy Fellows Program is an international exchange visitor program based at the National Fall 2003 Endowment for Democracy Shahin Abbasov (Azerbaijan) Zainab Bangura (Sierra Leone) (NED), a private, nonprofit Anahit Bayandur (Armenia) Anne Mugisha (Uganda) foundation dedicated to the Albino Okeny (Sudan) growth and strengthening of Tomás Pojar (Czech Republic) Aqil Shah (Pakistan) democratic institutions around Vladimir Tismaneanu (U.S.) 2003 2004 Francisco Villagrán (Guatemala) the world. Each year, NED makes more than 1,000 grants Fall 2004 Ilyas Akhmadov (Russia) to support the projects of non- Dragan Djuric (Montenegro) Abiodun Kolawole (Nigeria) governmental groups abroad Chingiz Mammadov (Azerbaijan) who are working for demo- James Ng’ombe (Malawi) Akintola Olaniyan (Nigeria) cratic goals in more than 90 Yulia Savchenko (Kyrgyzstan) Vitali Silitski (Belarus) countries. -
Great Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel Initiative
Great Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel initiative The African wall An African partnership to tackle desertification and land degradation Desertification affects millions of the most vulnerable people in Africa, where two-thirds of the land cover consists of drylands and deserts. Contrary to popular perception, desertification is not the loss of land to the desert or through sand-dune movement. Desertification refers to land degradation in arid, semi-arid and sub-humid areas resulting from factors such as human pressure on fragile eco-systems, deforestation and climate change. Desertification and land degradation have a strong negative impact on the food security and livelihoods of the local communities in Africa’s drylands, home to the world’s poorest populations. In 2007, African Heads of State and Government endorsed the Great Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel Initiative with the objective of tackling the detrimental social, economic and environmental impacts of land degradation and desertification in the region. The initiative aims to support the efforts of local communities in the sustainable management and use of forests, rangelands and other natural resources in drylands. It also seeks to contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation, as well improve the food security and livelihoods of the people in the Sahel and the Sahara. From the initial idea of a line of trees from east to west through the African desert, the vision for a Great Green Wall has evolved into that of a mosaic of interventions addressing the challenges facing the people in the Sahel and Sahara. The overall goal of the Great Green Wall initiative is to strengthen the resilience of the region’s people and natural systems with sound ecosystems’ management, sustainable development of land resources, the protection of rural heritage and the improvement of the living conditions of the local population. -
PRISM Vol 3, No 1
PRISM❖ Vol. 3, no. 1 12/2011 PRISM Vol. 3, no. 1 3, no. Vol. ❖ 12/2011 www.ndu.edu A JOURNAL OF THE CENTER FOR COMPLEX OPERATIONS PRISM ABOUT CENTER FOR COMPLEX OPERATIONS (CCO) CCO WAS ESTABLISHED TO: PRISM is published by the National Defense University Press for the Center for ❖❖ Serve as an information clearinghouse and knowledge Enhancing the U.S. Government’s Ability to manager for complex operations training and education, PUBLISHER Complex Operations. PRISM is a security studies journal chartered to inform members of U.S. Federal agencies, allies, and other partners on complex and Prepare for Complex Operations acting as a central repository for information on areas Dr. Hans Binnendijk integrated national security operations; reconstruction and nation-building; such as training and curricula, training and education pro- CCO, a center within the Institute for National Strategic relevant policy and strategy; lessons learned; and developments in training and vider institutions, complex operations events, and subject EDITOR AND RESEARCH DIRECTOR Studies at National Defense University, links U.S. education to transform America’s security and development apparatus to meet matter experts Government education and training institutions, including Michael Miklaucic tomorrow’s challenges better while promoting freedom today. related centers of excellence, lessons learned programs, ❖❖ Develop a complex operations training and education com- and academia, to foster unity of effort in reconstruction munity of practice to catalyze innovation and development DEVELOPMENTAL EDITOR and stability operations, counterinsurgency, and irregular of new knowledge, connect members for networking, share Melanne A. Civic, Esq. COMMUNICATIONS warfare—collectively called “complex operations.” existing knowledge, and cultivate foundations of trust and The Department of Defense, with support from the habits of collaboration across the community Constructive comments and contributions are important to us. -
Youth, Peace and Security Challenges in the Sahel
A Demographic, Threat? YOUTH, PEACE AND SECURITY CHALLENGES IN THE SAHEL Bintu Zahara Sakor | Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO)* Disclaimer for the DPS Book or Working Paper This Demography, Peace and Security in the Sahel document is one of the working papers commissioned by UNFPA WCAR to shed light on critical challenges with data and evidence and inform interventions towards a more conducive environment for security and development in the Sahel. Its content does not necessarily reflect the views of UNFPA. * Bintu Zahara Sakor is a Research Assistant at PRIO Contact author:[email protected] To request copies of the paper or for more information on the book/working paper, please contact UNFPA WCARO. Papers are also available on UNFPA’s website: Demography, Peace and Security in the Sahel UNFPA, West and Central Africa Regional Office Immeuble Wolle Ndiaye, Almadies BP: 21090 Dakar-Ponty SENEGAL Fax : +221 33 820 17 31 Website: http://wcaro.unfpa.org Email : [email protected] TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................4 2 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................6 3 LITERATURE REVIEW: DemOGRApHY, PEACE & SECURITY .............................................................9 1.1 Demography and Security Challenges: Empirical Evidence ...............................................................9 1.2 Theoretical Framework: Youth -
Transforming Agriculture in the Sahel What Would It Take?
Transforming Agriculture in the Sahel What Would It Take? Transforming Agriculture in the Sahel: What Would It Take?1 1. Agriculture Risk: New Normal The Sahel sub-region, owing to its climatic, institutional, livelihood, economic, and environmental context, is one of the most vulnerable regions of the world. Poverty is pervasive, and the countries in the Sahel (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal) rank low on almost all of the human development indicators. Agriculture is the most important sector and is the principle source of livelihood for majority of the people. The performance of the agricultural sector, however, due to its high exposure to risks, is very volatile. Land pressures from rapid population growth, food price volatility combined with deteriorating and ever more extreme climate conditions leading to repeated cycles of droughts, desertification, and localized floods are principle risks. The region has experienced multiple shocks, largely induced by agricultural risks over the past 30 years, which impose high welfare cost in terms of food availability, food affordability, and malnutrition. In 2012, approximately 17 million people in the Sahel faced food insecurity due to a combination of drought, poor accessibility to food, high grain prices, environmental degradation, displacement, and conflict. Figure 1. Impacts in the Sahel: Booms and Busts Risks are inherent, ubiquitous, and varied in agricultural systems, perhaps more so than in any other area of economic endeavor. They enforce poverty traps and pose serious consequences for all stakeholders. Adverse movements in agricultural commodity and input prices, together with production-related shocks (from weather, pests, and diseases), not only impact farmers and firms active in the agricultural sector, but may also put severe strains on a government’s fiscal position. -
Juniper Shield (Ojs)
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 President’s Budget Justification for Component Contingency Operations the Overseas Contingency Operation Transfer Fund (OCOTF) June 2018 The estimated cost of this report or study for the Department of Defense is approximately $35,000 for the 2018 Fiscal Year. This includes $2,550 in expenses and $33,000 in DoD labor. Generated on 2018Jun25 RefID: 6-0315D50 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DOD) SUMMARY .......................................................... 1 DESCRIPTION OF OPERATIONS FINANCED ......................................................... 1 CONTINGENCY OPERATIONS SUMMARY ............................................................. 3 II. OVERSEAS CONTINGENCY OPERATIONS TRANSFER FUND (OCOTF) ......................................... 12 III. CONTINGENCY OPERATIONS PROGRAM ............................................................ 13 CONTINGENCY OPERATIONS SUMMARY BY DOD COMPONENT ............................................. 13 BOSNIA OPERATIONS .............................................................. 14 KOSOVO OPERATIONS .............................................................. 15 JOINT TASK FORCE - BRAVO (HONDURAS) ............................................ 16 OPERATION JUNIPER SHIELD (OJS) ................................................. 17 OPERATION NOBLE EAGLE .......................................................... 18 IV. CONTINGENCY OPERATIONS DOD COMPONENT DETAILS .......................................... 19 ARMY CONTINGENCY OPERATIONS -
Operation Serval. Analyzing the French Strategy Against Jihadists in Mali
ASPJ Africa & Francophonie - 3rd Quarter 2015 Operation Serval Analyzing the French Strategy against Jihadists in Mali LT COL STÉPHANE SPET, FRENCH AIR FORCE* imilar to the events that occurred two years earlier in Benghazi, the crews of the four Mirage 2000Ds that took off on the evening of 11 January 2013 from Chad inbound for Kona in central Mali knew that they were about to conduct a mis- sion that needed to stop the jihadist offensive to secure Bamako, the capital of Mali, and its population. This time, they were not alone because French special forces Swere already on the battlefield, ready to bring their firepower to bear. French military forces intended to prevent jihadist fighters from creating a caliphate in Mali. They also knew that suppressing any jihadist activity there would be another challenge—a more political one intended to remove the arrows from the jihadists’ hands. By answering the call for assistance from the Malian president to prevent jihadists from raiding Bamako and creating a radical Islamist state, French president François Hollande consented to engage his country in the Sahel to fight jihadists. Within a week, Operation Serval had put together a joint force that stopped the jihadist offensive and retook the initiative. Within two months, the French-led coalition had liberated the en- tire Malian territory after destruction of jihadist strongholds in the Adrar des Ifoghas by displaying a strategy that surprised both the coalition’s enemies and its allies. On 31 July 2014, this first chapter of the war on terror in the Sahel officially closed with a victory and the attainment of all objectives at that time. -
AQIM's Blueprint for Securing Control of Northern Mali
APRIL 2014 . VOL 7 . ISSUE 4 Contents Guns, Money and Prayers: FEATURE ARTICLE 1 Guns, Money and Prayers: AQIM’s Blueprint for Securing AQIM’s Blueprint for Securing Control of Northern Mali By Morten Bøås Control of Northern Mali By Morten Bøås REPORTS 6 AQIM’s Threat to Western Interests in the Sahel By Samuel L. Aronson 10 The Saudi Foreign Fighter Presence in Syria By Aaron Y. Zelin 14 Mexico’s Vigilante Militias Rout the Knights Templar Drug Cartel By Ioan Grillo 18 Drug Trafficking, Terrorism, and Civilian Self-Defense in Peru By Steven T. Zech 23 Maritime Piracy on the Rise in West Africa By Stephen Starr 26 Recent Highlights in Political Violence 28 CTC Sentinel Staff & Contacts An Islamist policeman patrolling the streets of Gao in northern Mali on July 16, 2012. - Issouf Sanogo/AFP/Getty Images l-qa`ida in the islamic As a result, even if the recent French Maghreb (AQIM) is military intervention in Mali has occasionally described as pushed back the Islamist rebels and an operational branch of the secured control of the northern cities of Aglobal al-Qa`ida structure. Yet AQIM Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu, a number of should not be viewed as an external al- challenges remain.1 The Islamists have Qa`ida force operating in the Sahel and not been defeated. Apart from the loss of Sahara. For years, AQIM and its offshoots prominent figures such as AQIM senior About the CTC Sentinel have pursued strategies of integration leader Abou Zeid and the reported death The Combating Terrorism Center is an in the region based on a sophisticated of Oumar Ould Hamaha,2 the rest of the independent educational and research reading of the local context. -
Chapter 5 Country Reports
Chapter 5 Country Reports Africa Overview GSPC faction responsible for the kidnapping of 32 Euro- pean tourists in Algeria in the summer of 2003. Al-Para A small number of al-Qa’ida operatives in East Africa, par- took the captives to Mali, where the government was in- ticularly Somalia, continued to pose the most serious threat strumental in securing their release. Members of the GSPC to American interests in the region. It is unclear to what continue to operate in the Sahel region, crossing difficult- extent terrorist groups are present in South Africa, how- to-patrol borders between Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Algeria ever, the activity of al-Qa’ida and affiliated persons or and Chad. With the help of US-funded training, those coun- groups in South Africa and Nigeria, home to Africa’s larg- tries have increasingly cooperated against the GSPC. At est Muslim population, is of growing concern. Hizballah year’s end, al-Para was in Algerian custody. continues to engage in fundraising activities in Africa, par- ticularly in West Africa. Sahel countries Mauritania, Mali, Niger, and Chad are devoting more resources to improve their counterterrorism Though civil conflict and ethnic violence continued in a capabilities. These countries also participate in the US- number of African countries in 2004, there were few sig- sponsored Pan-Sahel Initiative (PSI), a program designed nificant international terrorist incidents in Africa during the to assist those nations in protecting their borders, combat- year. An increase in anti-American and anti-Western rheto- ing terrorism, and enhancing regional stability. ric from a number of Islamic radicals is of growing concern. -
The Regionalisation of Counter-Terrorism Strategies in the Sahel: the G5 As a Challenge for Transatlantic Relations Brice Didier
.18 # 10 JUNE 2018 The regionalisation of counter-terrorism strategies in the Sahel: the G5 as a challenge for transatlantic relations Brice Didier The Sahel has long been characterised by political violence, Executive Summary border permeability, territorial disputes, traffics of all kinds, and ethnic-sectarian violence. Since 2011 and particularly > Established in 2014 to foster concrete responses to following the French military intervention in Mali in 2013, transnational security challenges in the Sahel- instability and insecurity have also been catalysed by the Saharan strip, the G5 Sahel – composed of Burkina resurgence of Islamic terrorist groups. Mixing with Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger – has traffickers networks, separatist movements and other progressively asserted itself as both a regional conflicts, they have transformed the Sahel into a crisis hub. forum and interlocutor on development and This has attracted attention from Europeans and their American allies, as terrorism and related mobility issues security cooperation in the region. directly affect them. However, such a complex social and > While only a second-rate concern for the United territorial environment complicates traditional security States, security in the Sahel has become a priority responses that would contain the threat by of the European Union’s global security agenda, compartmentalising it. Instead, it requires a comprehensive and allowed the EU to assume a leadership role, framework of effective solutions, adapted to the geography with France playing a crucial part. of the region and the fluidity of terrorist and other illegal > Even though the French and EU-sponsored project activities. This has to be supported by a coherent sponsorship at the international level and implemented by of a G5 Sahel Joint Force has been endorsed by the well-coordinated regional, national and local actors at the international community in 2017, difficulties to regional level.