Human tragedy
Crisis in West Africa demands U.S. leadership
In recent years American foreign policy has focused largely on Asia and the Middle East. However, a growing crisis in West Africa demands American assistance and leadership.
The formerly peaceful countries of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, which rank among the world’s poorest, have become scenes of violence and terror. Armed militias and radical factions affiliated with ISIS killed at least 500 civilians and wounded thousands last year in Mali alone, according to Human Rights Watch.
The heaviest impact of the violence is on children. Thousands of schools have been forced to close, leaving over 8 million children in the region with no education. UNICEF also reports that 1 million people have been displaced from their homes, the majority of them in Burkina Faso.
What allowed radical factions to gain a foothold and carry out deadly attacks on soldiers and civilians? One factor is the removal of dictators who previously kept the peace with an iron hand. The fall of Moammar Gadhafi in Libya in 2011 opened a flow of arms into West Africa.
Likewise, the ouster of Blaise Compaoré, the autocratic president of Burkina Faso, in 2014 helped open that country to extremist groups. There is also a longstanding conflict between subsistence farmers and herders of animals in the region, a conflict that has been exploited by the militants.
The number of violent attacks in these countries has increased fivefold since 2016, according to the United Nations. Since the attackers have not been held to account, there are fears that violence will expand to other parts of Africa and beyond.
The U.S. maintains troops in the region and has recently opened a military base in Niger. However, Defense Secretary Mark Esper is considering proposals for a major reduction of forces in Africa. Given the humanitarian crisis and the risk to other countries, the U.S. should maintain its military presence.
The United States needs to stop “nation building” and endless futile wars. That does not mean we should be isolationists and indifferent to suffering in the world. We cannot and must not be fortress America.
That is because this nation was designed to be a beacon of human rights and compassion. We should use our considerable moral, diplomatic and economic power to bring humanitarian aid to West Africa, and whatever political stability is possible there. We should engage the interest and assistance of our allies. But, first, we must engage.