By David Lewis
DIFFA, Niger (Reuters) - On a
dusty training ground in Niger, U.S. Special Forces teach local troops
to deal with suspects who resist arrest. "Speed, aggression, surprise!"
an instructor barks as two Nigeriens wrestle a U.S. adviser out of a
car.
The drill in the border
town of Diffa is part of Exercise Flintlock, a counter-terrorism
exercise for nations on the Sahara's southern flanks that the United
States organizes each year. Washington's aim is to tackle Islamist
militants in the Sahel region while keeping its military presence in
Africa light.
A growing
number of European nations taking part shows their increasing concern
about security in West Africa. Central to the international effort is a
blossoming relationship between the United States and France, the former
colonial power and traditional "policeman" of the turbulent region.
When Paris deployed 4,000 troops
to fight Islamist militants in neighboring Mali last year, the U.S.
military lent a hand by airlifting French soldiers and equipment,
providing intelligence and training African forces to join the
operation.
French troops are
stretched by hunting the militants in Mali and tackling religious
violence in Central African Republic, so only a handful participated in
Flintlock. Nevertheless, they welcomed their new partnership with
Washington.
"The Americans want to get
involved in Africa. That's good for us. We know that with the Americans
it will be more efficient," said a French Special Forces officer, who
asked not to be named. "We use American logistics - that's what we are
missing. On the other hand, we provide the local knowledge."
The United States fast-tracked the sale of 12 Reaper drones to France
last year, the first two of which started operating in Niger in January
alongside U.S. drones already there.
In a reminder of the
partnership, a drone quietly taxied past troops and dignitaries at
Flintlock's closing ceremony in the capital of Niamey before taking off
to scour the Sahara.
U.S. FACING BUDGET CUTS
Military experts say direct U.S. military action in Africa is limited
to short raids on "high-value" targets in places such as Somalia and
Libya, while French troops take on longer, bigger operations.
J. Peter Pham, director of
the Africa Center at the U.S.-based Atlantic Council, said this
arrangement suited U.S. military planners who face budget cuts and a
diminished American appetite for combat after conflicts in Iraq and
Afghanistan.
However, he
warned that the French military was at the limit of its ability to
strike militants hard. "If the French are not able to provide that blunt
instrument, is the U.S. willing to do so?"
Nine years after the Flintlock exercises began, the enemy has evolved
from a group of Algerian-dominated fighters focused on northern Mali and
now threatens nations across the Sahara and the arid Sahel belt to the
south.
For most of 2012, militants
occupied northern Mali, a desert zone the size of France. Scattered by a
French offensive last year, many are believed to be regrouping in
southern Libya.
Hundreds of
people are being killed every month in clashes with Boko Haram militants
in northern Nigeria. Many in Niger fear this conflict could spill over
the border and the government in Niamey has appealed for more military
support.
"Instability in
neighboring states has given everybody a new incentive," General James
Linder, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command Africa, told
Reuters while visiting Niger
This year's three-week Flintlock exercise - involving over 1,000 troops
from 18 nations - was the biggest yet and runs alongside more permanent
training by U.S. Special Forces in Niger, Mauritania, Senegal and Chad.
Training in Diffa, only a few kilometers from where Boko Haram
militants are fighting the Nigerian army across the border, ranged from
basic patrolling skills and setting up checkpoints to sharing
intelligence and providing medical care.
In a region where armies often
lack basics such as ammunition for target practice and fuel for
vehicles, the quality and tempo of the U.S.-sponsored exercise eclipses
the training most soldiers in the region receive in a year.
Colonel Mounkaila Sofiani, the local Niger commander, said Flintlock
and other U.S. initiatives helped his country to tackle threats from the
west, north and south better. "Little by little people are being
trained," he said. "Once there are enough, they'll form the spine of a
reliable force."
Training is meant to build
up coordination between armies but Sofiani said just finding radio
equipment compatible between nations is difficult. In the field,
officers exchange mobile phone numbers to bypass blockages in official
channels.
A lack of trust
between governments also hinders responses. At a recent meeting of
intelligence chiefs, the Nigerien and Libyan representatives argued over
the risk of instability spreading from Libya's lawless south, a
diplomat told Reuters.
Coups in Mauritania, Niger and
Mali since the Flintlock exercises began also halted cooperation until
civilian rule was restored. Mali's 2012 coup, led by a captain with U.S.
training, opened the door to the Islamist takeover of the north,
prompting questions about what the years of exercises had achieved.
Pham said better military capabilities had not been matched by
improvements in governance, citing a failure by Mali to tackle
corruption. Chad's military, however, has won praise for leading the
charge alongside French troops in flushing out the militants from Mali's
desolate northern mountains.
U.S. officials stress the exercise is African-led and are wary about
people reading too much into U.S. troops being on the ground near
African conflicts. But the show of foreign support is popular in Diffa.
"It sends a message to Boko Haram and others," said Inoussa Saouna, the
central government's representative in Diffa. "Before Mali, we thought
terrorism was a problem for whites but now we've experienced it
ourselves."
(This version of the story was refiled to correct title of drills to Exercise Flintlock)
(Editing by Daniel Flynn and David Stamp)
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