Military officials from across Africa kicked off a conference co-hosted by the United States aimed at boosting cooperation between countries fighting extremist groups.
The conference is geared at bringing force chiefs from across Africa for candid dialogue to improve security and enhance cooperation amongst themselves as well as with the United States which is a greater partner in the campaigns.
Military leaders from almost every country on the continent — including Angola, Cameroon, Egypt, Kenya, and Rwanda — were in Nigeria’s capital of Abuja to exchange notes on threats in Africa, from Al-Shabaab in the east to Boko Haram in the west.
Under former president Barack Obama, the United States took the fight against rising Islamist extremism to Africa and stepped up its military presence in several countries. President Donald Trump has continued to prioritize security on the continent.
The Sahel region is host to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) in Mali and Boko Haram in Nigeria while East Africa fights the Al Shabaab headquartered in Somalia.
