And there's countries that we're already working with in West Africa," Brown told reporters traveling with him.Building on those relationships may "provide opportunities for us to posture some of the capability we had in Niger in some other locations," he added.Brown declined to say which countries were under consideration. "We do not expect a large military construction announcement or a significant new base to appear anywhere," the second official said.POLITICAL UPHEAVALThe changing political landscape in West and Central Africa presents a dilemma for the United States. "The U.S. had solid partners in the region," said Catherine Nzuki at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. "The second U.S. official acknowledged that the U.S. military was taking stock of the rapid changes. And so I don't know if the door is completely closed," Brown said.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 24, 2024 15:35 UTC