US, France showdown on terrorism plan for Africa
THE US and France are hurtling towards a potential dust-up, as the Trump Administration weighs vetoing a French Security Council resolution empowering an African counter-terrorism force, say US officials and UN-based diplomats.
The dispute hinges on the question of who will help fund the force of 5 000 African soldiers and police in the Sahel, a semi-arid plain that stretches from Senegal to Sudan, and whether French military planners have a workable strategy.
France spearheaded the effort to assemble a five-nation African anti-terror force – the G5 – but the countries taking part are looking to the US, its allies and the UN to share funding and supporting the cross-border operations.
The negotiations have emerged as a test of will between France’s newly elected president Emmanuel Macron, who travelled to Mali days after being sworn in to underscore France’s commitment to battling Islamic terrorists, and US President Donald Trump, who is looking to scale back US funding for multilateral operations.
A breach over the Sahel force could place new strains on US relations with France and other governments just weeks after Trump announced plans to withdraw from the Paris climate pact.
The US, backed by Britain, supports in principle the French and African commitment to take the fight to terrorists. But they have objected to giving the operation a UN seal of approval, saying the troops from Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger, have legal authority to conduct missions.
A US official said concerns went beyond financial. “The recent history of using Security Council resolutions to apply the UN imprimatur to hastily crafted mandates without accountability is not glowing.”
A second US official said American diplomats in New York were still trying to persuade the French to back down, but Paris appeared intent on “ramming it through”.
The official noted the US was weighing whether to use its veto power if the French did not address those concerns. France is betting the US will blink if it faces a counter-terrorism resolution with Security Council support.