Putin using Africa as ‘purse’ for Ukraine war while US faces ‘intelligence black hole’: commander
The commander of U.S. Africa Command warned lawmakers that Africa has become Russian President Vladimir Putin’s "purse" for fueling the war in Ukraine, as a shrinking American military footprint leaves...
By Fox News · Fox News
The commander of U.S. Africa Command warned lawmakers that Africa has become Russian President Vladimir Putin’s "purse" for fueling the war in Ukraine, as a shrinking American military footprint leaves the U.S. facing an "intelligence black hole" across the continent. Gen. Dagvin Anderson told the House Armed Services Committee Tuesday that Russia, China and terrorist groups are rapidly expanding their influence in Africa while the U.S. and allied drawdowns have weakened America’s ability to monitor emerging threats. Anderson warned that Africa has become the "epicenter of global terrorism," with ISIS leadership now concentrated on the continent and al Qaeda affiliates threatening to seize territory and destabilize governments. "With a 75% reduction in our regional posture over the past decade, compounded by the drawdown of our allies, we struggle with an intelligence black hole," Anderson said. "You cannot surge trust," he added, arguing that reduced U.S. presence has damaged long-term relationships and crisis response capabilities across the continent. NIGER FALLOUT UNDER BIDEN LEAVES US TROOPS ‘BLIND’ IN BATTLE WITH TERROR GROUPS Anderson’s testimony painted a picture of adversarial powers and extremist groups exploiting the same instability and governance vacuums across parts of the continent. "Africa also serves as Putin’s purse, where Russia exploits instability to extract resources, including human lives, to fuel its war machine," Anderson said. Russia has framed its growing presence in Africa as a security and anti-terrorism partnership with regional governments, particularly in countries where Western and French forces have withdrawn. Moscow’s Africa Corps, the Kremlin-controlled successor to the Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary organization that expanded Moscow’s influence across Africa through military operations and security partnerships, has increasingly filled security vacuums left after Western and French drawdowns in countries including Mali and Ni…