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A6 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 11 March 2023
U.S. trains West African militaries as jihadi threat spreads

By SAM MEDNICK tions Command Africa.
Associated Press While the U.S. isn’t expand-
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — ing the number of its sol-
As extremist violence in diers in West Africa, U.S
West Africa’s Sahel re- special operations forces
gion spreads south to- will continue to conduct
ward coastal states, the joint trainings with partners
United States military has based on their needs and
launched its annual military requests, he said.
training exercise aimed at For the first time at Flintlock
helping armies contain the there is a site dedicated to
jihadi threat. maritime training where mil-
Soldiers from several Afri- itary forces practice search
can countries are being and seizure and other tac-
trained in counter-insur- tics, in order to stave off the
gency tactics as part of the growing threat of piracy in
annual U.S.-led exercise the Gulf of Guinea.
known as Flintlock, that be- Ghanaian military officials
gan this week. say they worry jihadis will
Some 1,300 military person- soon work with the pirates
nel from 29 countries are to make the waters unsafe
training in Ghana and Ivory which would limit econom-
Coast, amid surging jihadi ic activity for the coastal
violence linked to al-Qa- A Ghanaian soldier performs in hook and climb drills during Flintlock 2023 on a Spanish frigate at countries.
ida and the Islamic State Tema port, Ghana, Thursday, March 9, 2023. “We already know that
group that’s killed thou- Associated Press they have intent to link up
sands, displaced millions Ghana had just one violent military cooperation with help African countries stem with piracy and enhance
and plunged countries into incident connected to an France, complaining that the extremist threat before operations,” said Col. Wil-
crises. unidentified armed group the French military pres- it spreads further across the liam Nortey with the Gha-
While most of the extremist in 2021 but that figure rose ence over several years the region. naian army.
activity is concentrated in dramatically to 19 in 2022, has done little to stem the “If the instability gets too As the extremist violence
West Africa’s inland Sahel according to the Armed growth of Jihadi violence. broad or too bad then it spreads south, Ghana is in-
region in Mali, Burkina Faso Conflict Location & Event The military juntas ruling opens the aperture for oth- vesting money to beef up
and Niger, the violence is Data Project. Mali and Burkina Faso are er malign actors to try and security along its border,
rapidly spreading to coast- This year’s U.S. Flintlock, a now getting military sup- influence and try and cor- buying more than 100 ar-
al states like Ghana, which two-week event, is taking port from Russia, and Mali rupt the messaging to gain mored personnel carriers,
is experiencing an upsurge place amid growing anti- is also working with the pri- access to some of these among other equipment,
in attacks by unidentified French sentiment in West vate mercenary outfit, the governments,” said U.S. President Nana Akufo-Ad-
groups, which could have Africa. Mali and Burkina Wagner Group. Col. Rob Zyla, deputy com- do said in his State of the
links to jihadis. Northern Faso have ended their The U.S. says it wants to mander for Special Opera- Nation address this week.q

China accuses Canada of smearing over secret police stations

BEIJING (AP) — China on sationalizing and hyping abiding by international sard, a suburb just south of multi-year campaigns to
Friday accused Canada of the matter and stop attacks law and respecting all the city, he said. bring suspects wanted
smearing its reputation over and smears on China,” For- countries’ judicial sover- The Spanish human rights mostly for economic crimes
allegations China is secretly eign Ministry spokesperson eignty,” Mao said. organization Safeguard back to China, but says its
operating two overseas po- Mao Ning said at a daily The spokesperson did not Defenders says China has agents overseas operate in
lice stations in Quebec. briefing. comment on the existence scores of such stations line with international law.
Canada should “stop sen- “China has been ... strictly of the police stations or across the globe, including U.S. authorities say that has
whether they were operat- in the U.K. and the U.S. not always been the case.
ed by Chinese government In a report last September, The outposts have fueled
authorities. it said the stations were global concerns that the
Canadians of Chinese ori- used to “harass, threaten, ruling Chinese Communist
gin have been victims of intimidate and force tar- Party is seeking control over
activities carried out by the gets to return to China for its citizens abroad, often by
stations, Sgt. Charles Po- persecution.” using threats against their
irier of the Royal Canadian The Chinese Foreign Minis- families and welfare, while
Mounted Police said Thurs- try has previously described undermining democratic
day. the foreign outposts as ser- institutions overseas and
Canada will not tolerate vice stations for Chinese gathering economic and
any type of intimidation, people who are abroad political intelligence.
harassment or targeting of and need help with bu- Canadian Foreign Affairs
diaspora communities, Po- reaucratic tasks such as Minister Melanie Joly said
irier said. renewing their Chinese Thursday concerns over
The RCMP’s Integrated Na- driver’s licenses. Such citi- foreign interference were
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning gestures tional Security Team has zen services are normally behind Canada’s refusal
during a press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in opened investigations into performed by an embassy to issue a diplomatic visa
Beijing, Oct. 13, 2022. the suspected police sta- or consulate. to a political operative for
Associated Press tions in Montreal and Bros- Beijing has launched dual China last fall.q