The U.S. is returning Special Forces troops to Chad after leaving at the country’s request nearly five months ago.
Maj. General Kenneth Ekman, who oversaw the recent U.S. withdrawal from Niger at the request of U.S. Africa Command chief Gen. Michael Langley, told VOA in an exclusive interview Thursday that the United States and Chad have reached an understanding on the return of a limited number of Special Forces personnel.
"It was a presidential decision by [Chadian] President [Mahamat] Deby, but the decision is made, and now we're working through the specifics on how we return," he added.
In April, the U.S. pulled out some 70 Special Forces personnel from Chad ahead of the nation’s presidential election. Deby won that election and ultimately decided to allow U.S. forces to return, a decision that was only recently relayed to U.S. Africa Command.
Ekman told VOA the U.S. military plans a smaller operation than the headquarters that forces previously maintained in Chad, whose 11,000-member counterterror force is fighting a growing number of Boko Haram and Islamic State militants around Lake Chad.
"The direction of approach from Chad is immensely important," Ekman said, especially following the U.S. military withdrawal from Niger that officially ended on Sunday with his departure from Niamey. "If our presence in Niger allowed us to go inside out, relative to the Sahelian-based VEO [violent extremist organization] threat, we now have to revert to going outside in."
The head of U.S. Africa Command, General Michael Langley, has said his forces are starting to "reset and recalibrate" in the region.
Before coups in Niger, the U.S. had hundreds of forces in two bases that served as major counterterrorism hubs. Burkina Faso and Mali also hosted U.S. Special Forces teams prior to coups in their countries that strained their relationship with the United States and ultimately cut off U.S. military access to prime locations from which to monitor terror groups and train local partners.
U.S. law restricts some direct military-to-military cooperation following coups.
Now, countries such as Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Ghana, Benin and Chad will determine the U.S. counterterror strategy and force strength in West Africa.
"Each partner has their own unique security concerns. They also have their own respective tolerance and willingness to abide the presence of U.S. forces," Ekman said.
Ghana and Nigeria have made it clear to the U.S. that they are not interested in hosting U.S. forces, according to Ekman.
But as the violent militant threat spreads primarily southwest from the Sahel, some West African nations along the coast are asking for more U.S. capabilities. Even before the coup in Niger, the U.S. started refurbishing an airfield in Benin to accommodate U.S. military aircraft.
After the coup in Niger, the U.S. moved Special Forces into Ivory Coast as well, Ekman told VOA. Any decision to establish a larger military presence like the one the U.S. built up in Niger will ultimately be a policy decision.
"I don’t think you’re going to see another Air Base 201," said a senior U.S. military official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing negotiations, referring to the $100 million drone base that the U.S. built in the Nigerien desert.
Instead, the U.S. will likely try to work from within partner force garrisons through strengthening base fortifications and capabilities, but the U.S. has not made this type of agreement with any West African partners since the withdrawal from Niger.
"We're not there yet," Ekman said.
Diminished access
Since U.S. counterterror operations were halted in Niger, Ekman cautions that the region has become "more opaque" as U.S. partnerships and access have "diminished." It is more difficult to monitor the terror threat in West Africa, which hurts the U.S. ability to counter it.
Officials admit the U.S. is now "soul searching," its confidence shaken from broken partnerships and regional approaches that have failed to tamp down the terrorists.
The U.S military has been tasked with "treating the symptom: terrorism," the senior military official said, acknowledging that diplomatic and economic approaches are what is needed to counter terrorism’s root causes on the continent.
The U.S. military’s withdrawal appears to be a net loss for Niger, the United States and other regional partners who had benefited from U.S. intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities available through its bases in Niger.
Since the July 2023 coup, extremist attacks have become more lethal as Niger has lost resources and partners.
"They’re absolutely feeling [those losses]," the senior military official said.
Ekman said he believes that the U.S. and Niger’s shared security objectives will continue to link the two nations even without American forces on the ground.
"How we will pursue [those objectives], either together or apart, as a consequence of the withdrawal remains to be seen, but we wanted to make sure we kept all options on the table," he said.
Editor’s Note: After VOA published its report early Friday, U.S. AFRICOM clarified in an email that while Maj. General Ekman used the word “agreement” when speaking to VOA about U.S. special forces returning to Chad, he meant it in the “context that an understanding for our presence was established post the President’s request.” One line regarding US law also has been clarified. VOA has updated the story to reflect this additional information.
