US military reassesses West Africa strategy as troops exit Niger

GABORONE, Botswana - The forced U.S. troop withdrawals from bases in Niger and Chad, and the potential to shift some troops to other nations in West Africa, will be key issues as the top U.S. military officer meets with his counterparts this week at a chiefs of defense conference.

General CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrived in Botswana on Monday as the U.S. faces a critical inflection point in Africa. Increasingly, military juntas that have overthrown democratic governments in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger are reassessing their ties to the U.S. and the West, and turning instead to mercenaries linked to Russia for security assistance.

Speaking to reporters, Brown said that as the U.S. pulls its 1,000 troops out of Niger, including from a critical counterterrorism and drone base there, other West African nations want to work with the U.S. and may be open to an expanded American presence.

The conference will give Brown a chance to speak with his African counterparts, and listen to their objectives and concerns. He said the U.S. needs to have a dialogue with those nations to see what type and size U.S. military presence they would want.

Brown and other defense officials say the conference is a chance to show African leaders that the U.S. can listen and accept local solutions, rather than imposing external Western ideals. The U.S. has to adjust to the solutions that Africans have identified.

The troop cuts at key bases in Africa's Sahel region raise questions about how to battle the growing tide of violence by extremist groups, including those linked to the Islamic State and al-Qaida. The U.S. is particularly concerned about the spread of extremist activity into coastal West Africa.

The U.S. withdrawal from Niger is about 30% complete and will be finished by September 15th. Soon after, Chad ordered U.S. forces out of a base near N'Djamena. The U.S. has described the Chad pullout as temporary and says it could be revisited.

Some African nations have expressed frustration with the U.S. for forcing issues like democracy and human rights, while having close ties to autocratic leaders elsewhere. Meanwhile, Russia offers security assistance without interfering in politics, making it an appealing partner for military juntas.

Experts say the U.S. needs to recognize that it must calibrate what it asks and expects of African governments and militaries, and be ready to engage with them on their own terms rather than imposing external ideals.