As American hysteria over events in the Middle East rises, news about whatever grim video the Islamic State (IS) has just released jostles for attention with U.S. bombing runs in Iraq, prospective ones in Syria, and endless confusing statements out of Washington about what the next seat-of-the-pants version of its strategy might be. These days, such things are endlessly on the American radar screen. On the other hand, the U.S. military has been moving into Africa big time for years and just about nobody seems to notice. The Pentagon's Africa Command (AFRICOM) now annually engages in one kind of activity or another with 49 of that continent's 54 countries. Yet Americans know next to nothing about Washington's "pivot" to a continent significant parts of which seem to be in a slow-motion process of destabilization that may be linked, at least in part, to U.S. military moves there.
Nearly everywhere in Africa, the U.S. military is in action. However, except in rare cases, like the recent announcement of an "Ebola surge" in Liberia, you would never know it. At the moment, for instance, according to the Associated Press, AFRICOM is "preparing to launch a 'major' border security program to help Nigeria and its neighbors combat the increasing number and scope of attacks by Islamic extremists." We're talking, of course, about the other "caliphate," the one in northern Nigeria announced by Boko Haram, an outfit that makes the militants of IS look moderate. But that's news you're unlikely to read in this country, not at least until, at some future moment, things start to go really, really wrong. Similarly, U.S. drone bases are slowly spreading in Africa, but you'd have to have an eagle eye to notice it. Earlier this month, the Washington Post reported that the "Pentagon is preparing to open a drone base in one of the remotest places on Earth." Tucked away, far from prying eyes, in the middle of the Sahara desert, the U.S. will now be cleared to fly drones out of "the mud-walled desert city of Agadez."
It was typically incisive coverage of the shadowy doings of AFRICOM by Craig Whitlock, the one mainstream reporter who seems to keep an eye on American military moves there. Other media outlets from Reuters to Air Force Times followed up with versions of the same story, but it all passed like a blip in the night. If it caught your attention, I'd be surprised.
Still, if you're a TomDispatch reader, Washington's pivot to Africa and the expansion of U.S. air operations there won't surprise you greatly. After all, back in April, this site's managing editor, Nick Turse, who's had his eye on U.S. military operations in Africa for years, reported that, during a meeting for defense contractors, AFRICOM's Rick Cook spoke about a future U.S. facility in Niger. That country, Cook said, "is in a nice strategic location that allows us to get to many other places reasonably quickly, so we are working very hard with the Nigeriens to come up with, I wouldn't necessarily call it a base, but a place we can operate out of on a frequent basis." Cook offered no information on the possible location of the facility, but Turse reported that contracting documents he had examined indicated that "the U.S. Air Force is seeking to purchase large quantities of jet fuel to be delivered to Niger's Mano Dayak International Airport." And just where is Mano Dayak International Airport located? You guessed it: Agadez, Niger.
By the way, it's not just boots on the continent and drones over it these days. For the U.S. military, it's also ships off the coast. But let Nick Turse tell you the rest in his latest piece, "Pirates of the Gulf of Guinea."