Visit to the Horn

CG of AFRICOM visits the region

Is the strategy of the United States towards the Horn of Africa evolving soon? A recent mission to the region by Marine General Michale Langley the Commanding General of the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) has garnered some interest from the stops that were made.

The quick visit made just two stops. The first stop was in Hargesia. This is the capital of Somaliland. It is defined as either a breakaway region of the country or a self-governing region that is seeking independence from a struggling Central Government in Mogadishu.

This phase of the visit stands out for a couple of reasons. First Richard Riley accompanied Gen. Langley on this visit. Later this summer when the State Department rolls out its restructured look the U.S. Embassy in Mogadishus is rumored to be one of six embassies that will be closed. It has been reported that most of the functions will be moving to Hargesia while others will be relocating to Nairobi.

This means that the One Somalia strategy that was implemented by the Biden Administration is coming towards an end. However the policy of continued Airstrikes in support of the Somali National Army is still continuing with two strikes announced by AFRICOM in recent weeks.

Another action that has been taken is the reintroduction of a Republic of Somaliland Independence Act by Congressman Scott Perry of Pennsylvania who is a key ally of President Trump in the House of Representatives. The Congressman previously introduced a similar piece of legislation towards the end of the 118th Congress without any action being taken. Therefore it has to be reintroduced. This iteration of the Bill will have to be tracked to determine.

The second stop on the trip was to Addis Ababa. During this stop General Langley met with embattled Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and discussed the regional threats posed by both Al-Shabaab and ISIS. He also met with Field Marshal Berhanu Jula the current Chief of Staff of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces and discussed bilateral cooperation on Peace and Security.

One aspect that hasn’t made the news cycle in recent week are the tensions with Eritrea. It was just a month ago when there were persistent reports of war breaking out between the two neighbors. The root of the tensions are the unresolved issue from the Tigray Conflict from a couple of years ago and the spread into the neighboring Amhara regions which gets very little attention at all.

There are no indications if this was a topic of discussion during the recent visit. It should have considering how tensions are in the region and potentially could be exploited by a third party.

Now a few words regarding Kenya

This is a country that is a close partner of the United States. It is also reported to be negotiating a Free Trade deal with the U.S. as well.

Not many have discussed the fact that when Kenyan President William Ruto travelled to Beijing and met with President Xi they discussed creating a joint world order. Last week the investigative outlet Bellingcat published a scathing report about Kenya.

An exhaustive and detailed investigation concluded that Kenya has been sending Munitions to support the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan. The basis for the investigation was photos showing crates that had Kenyan Markings as part of weapons and materials that were displayed after the Sudanese Army recaptured a post around Khartoum.

Earlier this year Hemeti the leader of the RSF did make a High Profile visit to Nairobi to encourage what the Kenyans called “a dialogue”. Groups that have been in opposition to General Burhan the leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces even tried to form a Unity Government earlier this year in Khartoum.

Wonder if Kenya will receive the same scrutiny as the UAE for their role in the Sudan conflict??