Morocco and the northern Africa region are making giant steps towards beefing up the security in war-torn zones. War and never-ending conflicts inflicted upon innocent civilians have attracted foreign aid to protect people from these parts of Africa. The Islamists terror groups have been a significant cause for disturbance in more significant African continent parts. This is in connection with other rising terror groups like the Moroccan Islamist combatant group (GCIM) disturbing the peace of the Moroccans. However, the United States has been at the forefront in northern Africa, making lucrative deals to enforce security measures in the burdened states.
The US-Morocco tour
The United States Secretary of Defense, Mark Esper, has been busy trying to close the agreements with different countries in the Northern Africa region. On Friday, he visited Morocco in Rabat to sign a 10-year deal with the government for military co-operation. He was in Tunisia two days earlier before rerouting to Morocco, where he also signed a similar deal. His timing to visit was impeccable as the Libyan rivals were set for meeting the same Friday in Bouznika near Rabat. The same place they got the military support deal.
The US and the North African country relations
According to Morocco’s foreign minister, Nasser Bourita, the two nations share a good rapport. Their relations date back to the 20th century to date. Nasser affirms that the two have stood the taste of time and have emerged more robust and better in the 21st century. The US also attests to the positive remarks uttered by Minister Nasser.
Esper confirms that Morocco has been a great ally in the fight against terrorism in the region. He also added that the current partnership and alliance are essential to bringing forth joint efforts to eradicate counterterrorism. Together they are looking forward to putting an end to transnational threats to regional stability and forge broader strategic plans to address various challenges.
The major reason for visiting
Esper’s visit was mainly to reinforce mutual co-operation between the two nations. A US-Morocco joint military exercise by the name “African Lion” is already in play in Morocco. The military training is marked to be the largest in Africa. This year’s plans were canceled because of the novel COVID-19. The northern and Saharan regions deserve some peace and rest from these wars. The signed deals are a significant head start towards achieving a peaceful western Africa.
More:
- Sudan to Strike Peace Deal with Rebels after Many Years of Conflicts
- The Peaceful Negotiations: Ethiopia Eritrea Peace Summit
- How a peaceful protest changed a violent country
