Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin emphasized the importance of civilian control of the military during his trip to Africa, a continent that has been hit with a wave of military uprisings.
Several African countries, most recently Gabon, Niger, and Sudan, have experienced military uprisings in recent months, the latest in a series of them dating back a couple of years and includes nine coups in West Africa, Central Africa, and the Sahel region, which have destabilized the continent.
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"Across the continent, we've seen autocrats undermine free and fair elections and blocked peaceful transitions of power," Austin, who characterized this time as a "profound challenge for democracy in Africa," said during a press conference on Wednesday in Angola. "Now as some of you may know, and you heard the ambassador say, I had a brief 41-year career in the U.S. Army uniform. And every day of those 41 years taught me the importance of civilian control of the military. So let me be blunt. When generals overturn the will of the people, and put their own ambitions above the rule of law, security suffers, and democracy dies."
Austin met with defense leaders in Djibouti, Kenya, and Angola on his first trip to the continent as secretary.
"As a Biden administration strategy for sub-Saharan Africa notes, effective, legitimate, and accountable militaries and other security forces are essential to support open, democratic, and resilient societies and to counter destabilizing threats," he added. "Or to put it more bluntly, militaries exist to defend their people and not to defy them. And Africa needs militaries that serve their citizens and not the other way around."
The U.S. has an important base in Niger, but the political upheaval has prevented U.S. forces from conducting counterterrorism strikes in the region. U.S. troops have long fought terrorism in Africa as it metastasizes in ungoverned or unstable regions, though the military uprisings threaten their ability to maintain the fight.
This week, France agreed to withdraw its troops and ambassador from the country following an extended standoff, while Austin maintained earlier this week that the administration wants this solved through diplomatic channels and that the U.S. will “continue to evaluate for any future steps that would prioritize both our democratic and our security goals.”
Other military leaders have seized power in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Chad in recent years.
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Russia, China, and the U.S. have all sought to develop partnerships with the more than 50 nations in Africa with varying degrees of success. The Wagner Group, a private paramilitary group, has done much of Russia's bidding in the region and has done so brutally.
"In terms of Wagner's presence and their impact on Sudan or other places in the region, we've seen that wherever Wagner has operated, it's been problematic," Austin noted in Angola. "They don't necessarily abide by any rules and don't respect the law very much. And so because of that, the effects that they have in the region have not been lasting effects. I think some of the countries that have operated with them, probably will not seek to do so going forward there. But we'll see what happens. Wagner still has a substantial presence on the continent, as you know, and where that goes from here is left to be seen."
Prior to departing for this trip, Austin met with Mozambique President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, with both leaders expressing "their dedication to deepening" the defense and security relationship between the two countries.