Morocco Joins US-Led Flintlock Military Exercise in West Africa

The Moroccan army is training alongside the armies of other African countries such as Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Libya, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Togo and Tunisia, but also countries like the United States, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, the Czech Republic, and the United Kingdom, as part of the Flintlock military exercise initiated by the US army since 2005. Flintlock 2023 sees the participation of 1,300 soldiers.

In an AFRICOM press release, the US Navy Rear Admiral stated that Flintlock "offers essential training opportunities for US, African and international special operations forces." "Together, we are working to share best practices to address security challenges in the Sahel and West Africa," he added. "Flintlock will allow all participating countries to demonstrate their talents by working collectively to solve the security problems that threaten the region," the Deputy Commander of USOC-Africa (U.S. Special Operations Command Africa), Colonel Robert Zyla, will say during a joint press conference on January 13, 2023 in Accra.

And he added: "Violent extremism threatens not only the stability of Africa, but also that of our partners around the world. A safer and more secure Africa will translate into a more prosperous global society and security environment."