Trump shift the emphasis in east Africa

US President Donald Trump has approved a mission proposal from the Pentagon that will allow the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) to provide additional support for the African Union mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and the Somali Government forces as they strive to defeat Islamist al-Shabaab – a fundamentalist Salafist jihadist terrorist organisation that has pledged allegiance to Al Qaeda.
The president signed a directive designating part of southern Somalia as an “area of active hostilities” for the next six months. This will allow AFRICOM greater freedom of action in its operations in this area, including more aggressive air strikes.
President Trump is understood to have reacted to a request by General Thomas Waldhauser, the head of AFRICOM, who reportedly requested additional authority in giving the command greater flexibility, autonomy and timeliness when making decisions to prosecute targets, allowing commanders to conduct operations without having to consult the White House for each mission.
US Forces are also expected to step up the scope, scale and intensity of their operations against Al Shabaab, moving further away from the Obama administration’s policy of only allowing defensive operations, and missions in support of AMISOM. Some see this as an indication that the US has finally overcome its reluctance to intervene in Somalia, following the 1993 battle of Mogadishu (immortalised in the book and movie ‘Black Hawk Down’), which saw the loss of multiple UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and 19 US dead, and a humiliating early withdrawal by the remaining US force in March 1994.