The US 2026 Counterterrorism Strategy has been commended for its focus on disrupting terrorist networks across Africa, especially in the Sahel.
In a paper
titled: The US 2026 Counterterrorism Strategy and Its Implications for Nigeria
and the Sahel, a security expert, Lieutenant Colonel Freddie Grounds (Retired),
said the move represents a significant development in American security policy,
reflecting both lessons learned from past interventions and the current and rapidly
shifting geography of global extremist threats.
He said
rather than relying on previously favoured large-scale deployments, the revised
U.S. strategy emphasises partnerships, intelligence-driven operations, and
capacity-building.
He stated: "Africa, particularly Nigeria and the Sahel, has emerged as a central focus, given the persistence of violent extremist organisations such as Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and al-Qaeda affiliates that exploit fragile governance and porous borders across the region."
He said the
US, in demonstrating its commitment to Africa, deployed in early 2026 some 200
U.S. military personnel to Nigeria to carry out intelligence sharing, training
and advisory capacity building operations, under Nigerian command
authority.
He added:
"In early May, Nigeria’s National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu
Ribadu, undertook a three-day working visit to the United States. During
the visit, the NSA held a series of high-level engagements with senior officials
of the U.S. government, further reinforcing the partnership between the two
nations. Meanwhile, the three-week-long ‘Exercise African Lion 2026’, an
annual US-led multinational military exercise in Africa, involving over 5,600
troops from more than 40 nations, including African partners, NATO allies, and
US forces, focusing on multi-domain operations across North and West Africa,
has recently concluded."
According to
the expert, at the heart of the new US Counterterrorism Strategy is a deeper
commitment to intelligence sharing and partner-force development.
Hear him:
"The US Government seeks to provide actionable intelligence to African
governments, enabling them to disrupt extremist networks before they can
establish operational bases in their countries. This approach reflects a
recognition that local African ownership and sustainability are critical to
long-term success. The US also pledges to protect vulnerable communities,
including Christians and other groups frequently targeted by extremist
violence, emphasising the critical but often overlooked human rights element of
counterterrorism."
He said
Nigeria occupies a pivotal role in this new strategy.
"As a
frontline state in the Lake Chad Basin, Nigeria faces persistent threats from
Boko Haram and ISWAP, whose operations extend into Niger, Chad, and
Cameroon. The US has deepened cooperation with Nigeria since 2025, as
illustrated by recent high-level meetings between Nigerian officials and
American leadership. This partnership has already produced measurable
results, including US airstrikes against ISWAP in late December 2025, which were
assessed to have killed between 150-200 militants and destroyed several Islamic
State-linked camps in Sokoto State, and was acknowledged as the first American
combat action inside Nigeria. Beyond military collaboration, Nigeria has
adopted a whole-of-government approach, combining kinetic operations with
community engagement, deradicalisation programs, and economic initiatives aimed
at addressing the root causes of extremism."
Grounds said
the Counterterrorism Strategy also links Nigeria’s efforts to the broader
Sahel, where continued regional instability in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger
has created fertile ground for extremist expansion.
He commended
the Nigeria-US Joint Working Group, a bilateral security and governance
framework established in late 2025, which seeks to coordinate intelligence,
border security, and counterterrorism aid across the region, recognising that
insurgencies in the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin are interconnected and that such
extremist groups exploit weak governance, corruption, and marginalised
communities, blurring the lines between terrorism and organised crime. He
said this overlap with transnational crime, including arms trafficking and
smuggling, complicates security responses and requires a regional approach.
The paper
reads: "The outcomes of the Africa Forward Summit 2026, which concluded in
Kenya this week, provide an important complement to the new Counterterrorism
Strategy. African leaders from across the continent pledged to intensify
efforts against terrorism, cybercrime, arms trafficking, and organised crime,
precisely the same threats which are identified in the US Strategy. The
Summit’s emphasis on sustainable financing for AU peace operations and stronger
UN-AU cooperation under Resolution 2719 aligns well with Washington’s push for
burden-sharing and regional ownership. Calls for UN Security Council reform
highlight Africa’s determination to shape global governance structures,
ensuring that the continent’s counterterrorism strategies are not imposed by
external actors but co-designed and implemented in partnership with African states.
"Equally
significant are African-led regional mechanisms such as the Nouakchott Process,
launched in 2013, which has created a framework for intelligence-sharing and
joint operations among Sahelian states, helping to counter cross-border
extremist movements.
"Similarly,
the Accra Initiative in West Africa has strengthened cooperation among
coastal states like Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and Benin to prevent the spillover of
Sahelian insurgencies. These initiatives clearly demonstrate Africa’s
capacity to build its own security architecture, complementing US efforts and
reinforcing the Africa Forward Summit’s call for African-led solutions.
"Despite
these advances, challenges remain. Analysts warn of sovereignty concerns,
cautioning that Nigeria must balance cooperation with the US against risks of
subordinating its strategic autonomy to US calculations. While American
support strengthens Nigeria’s capacity, it also raises questions about
dependency and the long-term sustainability of external assistance.
Moreover, governance deficits across the Sahel undermine counterterrorism
efforts and without reforms that enhance legitimacy, accountability, and
resilience, military gains risk being temporary.
"In
summary, the US 2026 Counterterrorism Strategy represents a pragmatic,
recalibrated approach to global security, recognising that instability in
Nigeria and the Sahel carries consequences that extend far beyond the region,
from refugee flows to the spread of extremist ideology. Emphasising intelligence,
partnership-driven security, and local capacity-building, the strategy
positions Nigeria as a frontline state central to stabilising West Africa,
while acknowledging that the interconnected nature of Sahelian instability
demands regional solutions. Its effectiveness will depend not only on military
cooperation but also on governance reforms, sustainable financing, and the
ability of local governments to deliver tangible improvements in security and
development goals reinforced by the Africa Forward Summit outcomes and embedded
within African-led frameworks such as the Nouakchott Process and Accra
Initiative, which lend the strategy both depth and legitimacy."
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