In March, Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) spoke of two coups in West Africa perpetrated by US-trained soldiers in his bid to remove the American presence from Somalia. Now, Rep. Gaetz is introducing an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) demanding the tracking of US-trained soldiers involved in coups.
The Intercept reached Rep. Gaetz for comment, where he blasted the Department of Defense (DOD) for not keeping any data on these men, 15 of whom were involved in at least twelve coups and uprisings across West Africa, including the countries of Burkina Faso, Mali, Chad, Guinea, and Niger.
In the case of Niger, five US-trained leaders of the recent coup appointed another five of their fellow US-trained troops to serve as governors.
But why has Africa Command (AFRICOM) not been keeping tabs?
Gaetz believed the lack of data on African soldiers using US assistance for their own ends was to keep AFRICOM's presence in the area justified, saying if aiding these countries in maintaining their borders and military strength was the desired goal, "we would definitely follow who broke bad," and that staying there for its own sake is "a betrayal of our national interest."
"If the true desired end state was really to strengthen national borders and national capabilities, we would definitely follow who broke bad. But that isn’t the desired end state. Just being there is the desired end state — which is a betrayal of our national interest," Gaetz told The Intercept.
As a result, the amendment introduced by Gaetz for the NDAA would require the Secretary of Defense to report not only every country that has received or is receiving American assistance for military purposes but also every time these foreign armies attempted or succeeded in overthrowing their governments.
Shortly after The Intercept's article was published, Gaetz pointed out another coup had occurred in Gabon, calling the United States' strategy in Africa "a hot mess."
"Literally as this story was being published, there was another African coup, led by people the US trained. This time in Gabon. Our Africa Strategy is a hot mess," Gaetz tweeted.
Literally as this story was being published, there was another African coup, led by people the US trained.
This time in Gabon.
Our Africa Strategy is a hot mess. https://t.co/E57siAoJlk
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) August 30, 2023
