U.S government commits $200m to counterterrorism in Sahel, West Africa Sub-Regions

The United States has committed $200 million to counterterrorism efforts in the Sahel region and parts of the West Africa Sub-region since 2018, a senior US official announced in Abuja on Friday.

Gregory LoGerfo, the Deputy Coordinator for the Bureau of Counterterrorism overseeing Regional and Multilateral Affairs, who led a delegation of US counterterrorism officials to Nigeria, said that the United States is a “premier partner” of Nigeria, especially in civilian security.

“We consult with the Nigerian government on the full range of the security issues that they face, including banditry, oil smuggling, and secessionist movements,” he said.

“Each country has its unique challenges and its unique security situation, and we are trying to make sure that our partnership helps them to address their specific circumstances.”

He said that the areas of partnership with various Nigerian government agencies include border security management, rule of law, aviation security, and illicit drug trafficking.

“Our goal here is to emphasize the importance of our partnership in moving forward together in our shared security challenges,” LoGerfo said adding, “We are focused on what we do together on our shared security interest.

He emphasized that Security is also related to economic empowerment, and “We want to make sure that good governance and economic empowerment are delivered to the citizens of the continent and the Nigerian people.”

Eric Meyer, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Africa and the Middle East, said that the United States is also working with Nigeria to counter the financing of terrorism, anti-money laundering, and other avenues for corruption.

He said, “We are partnering with the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Ministry of Finance, and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit on how to safeguard Nigeria’s financial system and make sure it’s not being used and cannot be used by illicit actors to support terrorism”.

“Nigeria has a robust banking services system that is very important for its economy and for the region and has important linkages to the US financial system. Nigeria also has a robust financial technology sector, and we want to make sure that it remains safe and secure”.

Also speaking, David Galbraith, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary from the State Department INL Bureau, said that the United States is working with Nigeria to fight the trafficking of illicit drugs and improve surveillance security.

“We have a number of partnerships with the Nigeria criminal justice system, including the Nigerian Police, High Courts and Magistrate Courts, and the Nigerian Correctional Services”, he said.

He continued, “We have programmes that work with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons to fight these crimes.

“The Bureau supports the Nigeria Police Complaint Response Unit, several virtual courtrooms, and technologies to track detainees at the correctional centres with the hope that justice is applied to everyone in real-time.”

“The partnership between the United States and Nigeria on counterterrorism is of particular importance. Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and a major economic power.

“It is also a key player in regional security efforts. The United States’ support for Nigeria’s counterterrorism efforts will help to strengthen the country’s ability to combat terrorism and extremism and to protect its citizens and its interests.

In addition to the areas of cooperation mentioned, the US officials said the United States and Nigeria are also working together on a number of other counterterrorism initiatives, including training and equipping Nigerian security forces, sharing intelligence and information, supporting efforts to combat radicalization and recruitment and promoting economic development and good governance.

The United States is also working with other countries in the Sahel region to combat terrorism and extremism. The US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS is active in the region, and the United States is also providing bilateral assistance to countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.