Concerns over terrorism resurgence amid U.S. AFRICOM’s exit

General Michael Langley, the commander of AFRICOM and the top general for the continent, has voiced serious concerns about the resurgence of attacks in Nigeria and throughout the Sahel as the United States considers merging AFRICOM, which became a separate geographical command in 2008, with the U.S. command in Europe in an effort to reduce bureaucracy.

Speaking at the end of the Africa Chiefs of Defense Conference in Kenya, Langley stated that the U.S. withdrawal from Niger has led to an increase in terrorist activity in the Sahel, calling the region the "epicenter of terrorism on the globe."

At the 2025 African Chiefs of Defense Conference, Africa's primary platform for military leaders to discuss the continent's most pressing security issues, Langley made the revelation at a virtual press briefing.

He brought attention to a deteriorating security situation that not only endangers the impacted African nations but also raises possible threats to international security, including that of the United States.

Since our departure from the Niger Republic in September of last year, we have noticed an increase in attacks by violent extremist groups, not only in Niger but also throughout the Sahel, including Nigeria, and even into Burkina Faso and Mali. Now, this increases – is measurable by both frequency and complexity of these attacks driven by persistent and socioeconomic grievances and the proliferation of weapons and increased capable terrorist groups across the board. So unfortunately with our withdrawal from the region, we have lost our ability to monitor these terrorist groups closely but continue to liaison with partners to provide what support we can.

“The scale and brutality of some of the recent attacks in Nigeria and across the Sahel are really troubling. So we’re monitoring this closely and offering to share intel with the Nigerian and regional partners in the area. We are committed to supporting one of the most capable militaries in the region, in Nigeria. Unfortunately, with our withdrawal out of the region, though, we have lost some of our ability to monitor terrorist attacks closely, but we continue to liaison with our partners to provide what support we can.”

When asked why U.S. AFRICOM is not helping Nigeria to combat Boko Haram and ISWAP, as well as pirates in the Gulf of Guinea, the general replied: “We respect nation sovereignty and only go where we’re asked as long as it aligns with U.S. national security objectives. I was just in Nigeria back in November, where I got to see firsthand how we actively work with and support Nigerian defense objectives. During my entire command, I’ve been on a campaign of learning, and when I was in Nigeria, I sat across from our Nigerian partners to hear how we can assist. Because again, the United States, we act with our partners, and in this particular case with Nigeria, we work together to combat Boko Haram and ISIS West Africa to promote regional security.

“Nigeria is a strategic African partner, and we have a long history of providing critical material and training support to Nigeria. It extends across from military sales, excess defense articles, and also training to go along with the foreign military sales. That’s a great example of how the law of armed conflict education goes with military training, and also, we’ve also had some intel sharing with them. So Nigeria is a leading supporter and previous host of Obangame Express as well, highlighting their role as a leader in the region.”