The ‘war on terror’ reflects an extraordinarily powerful narrative that motivates and influences individuals and governments through fear. As western nations, particularly the US and France, continue to use the ‘war on terror’ as the premise for intervening in other countries, skepticism over other possible motivations arise. In the article, “Shadow War in the Sahara,” the author questions whether the US and French military presence in Africa, particularly the Sahel, is driven by the ‘war on terror’ or rather, a continuation of colonialism and a struggle to control resources – a “resource war.” The Al Jazeera article suggests that the fight against terrorism is perhaps masking a larger battle. Imam Mahmoud Dicko, president of the Islamic High Council of Mali is quoted, saying, “…It is as though the West lives off wars, as though wars need to be created, for them to justify their power.” In a separate article, “Mali: Politics of Death – France in CAR and Mali,” author Eva Nelson gives a more in depth look at France and the political motivations for France’s presence in both Mali and Central African Republic. Nelson calls France’s counter terrorist efforts and the prominent ‘war on terror’ narrative “a boon for French politicians.” For French president, Hollande, the counterterrorism efforts in Mali yielded positive responses from citizens as they felt their fear of Islamic terrorists was being addressed. But, France’s military presence continues to have devastating effects throughout the region. Similarly, in CAR, Nelson argues that France’s incomplete intervention leaves the country with insufficient help for reconstruction. Nelson states, “…with no interest in discussing colonial wrongs such as ethnic marginalisation and resource exploitation, France’s dialogue with the continent bears little acceptance of what actually fuels conflict in former colonies.”
Recently we posted about the US establishing a drone base in Niger, however, Al Jazeera points out that the US already has drone bases in “Djibouti, Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalis, South Sudan, Burkina Faso and the Seychelles and sent troops to Liberia during the Ebola crisis in 2014.” At the same time, France has said that they will increase their presence of troops in the Sahel. With the increase of militarization throughout Africa, there is a greater demand for critical examinations of the motivations as well as the possible impacts.