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New York PostNov 25, 2022
US-Led International Military Exercises Begin in Kenya
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Image copyright: Kevin Dietsch/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images (Feb 7, 2024)
The 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.
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.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
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
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.
