US-Led International Military Exercises Begin in Kenya

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Facts

  • The US-led 'Justified Accord' military exercises began Monday in Kenya. The 11-day exercise will include over 20 countries and focus on peacekeeping missions, crisis response, and humanitarian assistance.1
  • While the main venue will be Nairobi and Isiolo in Kenya, exercises between the 23 countries will also take place in Uganda, Rwanda, Botswana, and Djibouti. Other participating countries include Somalia and Tanzania.2
  • US forces, including the Massachusetts National Guard alongside Army Reserve units, will work with the UK's 11th SFAB (Irish Guards) to teach their African counterparts tactical skills such as using M4 carbine rifles and non-lethal weapons.3
  • Among the 1K personnel involved in Justified Accord, which the US described as its 'largest exercise in East Africa,' will be dozens of US-trained Somali commandos. The US has conducted similar East African exercises in recent years to help combat the al-Shabab insurgency.1
  • Ties between US-led armed forces and the region have endured for years. For example, the Massachusetts National Guard has maintained a relationship with troops in Kenya since 2015.3

Sources: 1Mozambique, 2BNN and 3U.S. Army.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by U.S. Army. Justified Accord is an unprecedented international mission to boost security and the rule of law in East Africa. As terrorism wreaks havoc in the region, troops from Western states like the US, Italy, Holland, and the UK will help train their African allies to defend their homelands. Military legal analysts will also use this project to better understand the causes of coups and how to prevent them.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Teen Vogue. The cynical goal of Western powers is to train African soldiers to do the dirty work once conducted by Americans. Since the US Africa Command was established in 2007, these training programs have only further destabilized the region and even resulted in coups led by African special forces soldiers trained by the US. Since the US can't justify an official invasion of Africa, it's instead creating proxies to maintain Western hegemony over one of the world's largest mineral reserves and growing economies.

Predictions