US Defense Secretary to Visit North Africa, Reaffirming Ties Amid Regional Challenges

On the agenda in Tunisia, on Wednesday, bilateral talks with President Kais Saied and his Defense Minister Ibrahim Bartagi; a speech at the American military cemetery in Carthage, where American soldiers who fell in North Africa during World War II are buried.

The two parties will also discuss extremist organizations such as the Islamic State (IS) group or al-Qaeda that pose threats to the country; as well as "regional instability exacerbated by the pernicious activities of China and Russia on the African" continent, said a senior US military official.

In Algiers on Thursday, Mark Esper will have talks with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who combines the functions of army chief and defense minister. The two men will discuss key regional security issues, such as the threat posed by extremist groups, the same source said.

It is in Rabat that the American minister will end his visit to the Maghreb, with on the agenda, the strengthening of "already close" security relations. Morocco hosts the annual African Lion military exercise, under the aegis of the US military command for Africa (Africom). Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the exercise will not take place this year. The senior military official did not specify whether Esper would be received by King Mohammed VI.