Video: Why is the US training African coup leaders? | Responsible Statecraft

Follow us on social

google cta

google cta

google cta

The military coup in Gabon this summer marked the eighth such revolt in Africa since 2020, a shocking number that is raising questions about the role and impact of US military training in these countries.

While each coup has many local dynamics and political actors, a Responsible Statecraft article by Nick Turse found that since 2008, at least 15 U.S.-trained officers have been involved in coups in West Africa and the Sahel.

Evidence suggests that Washington’s counter-terrorism, military first, strategy in West Africa and the Sahel is actually weakening African states and failing to serve African or American interests on the continent. Isn’t it time for a serious reassessment of U.S. military assistance in Africa and a change in policy that shows civilians that the U.S. can make their lives better?

(Video production by Khody Akhavi)

From Your Site Articles

Related Articles Around the Web

Gerald Ford strike carrier group

Top photo credit: Sailors assigned to the first-in-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) air department, line up spotting dollys on the flight deck, March 24, 2023. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jennifer A. Newsome)

The top US military contractors cashing in on Caribbean operations

Military Industrial Complex

As fears mount that U.S. strikes against so-called “narco-terrorists” in the Caribbean could escalate into full-scale war with Venezuela, weapons makers are well positioned to benefit from the unprecedented U.S. military build-up in the region, not seen on such a scale in decades, and continues unabated.

Currently, key naval vessels such as guided-missile destroyers equipped with the Aegis combat weapons command and control system — including the USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham, and the USS Stockdale — the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, and the littoral combat ship USS Wichita, are deployed around the Caribbean. The USS Newport News (SSN-750), a nuclear-powered attack submarine which can launch Tomahawk missiles, is also present.

keep readingShow less

CELAC Petro

Top photo credit: Colombian President Gustavo Petro and European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and European Commission Vice-President Kaja Kallas at EU-CELAC summit in Santa Marta, Colombia, November 9, 2025. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez

US strikes are blowing up more than just boats in LatAm

Latin American and European leaders convened in the coastal Caribbean city of Santa Marta, Colombia this weekend to discuss trade, energy and security, yet regional polarization over the Trump administration’s lethal strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean overshadowed the regional agenda and significantly depressed turnout.

Last week, Bloomberg reported that EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and other European and Latin American leaders were skipping the IV EU-CELAC Summit, a biannual gathering of heads of state that represents nearly a third of the world’s countries and a quarter of global GDP, over tensions between Washington and the host government of Gustavo Petro.

keep readingShow less

google cta

Want more of our stories on Google?
Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

LATEST

QIOSK