The Foreign Military Presence in the Horn of Africa Region, written by Neil Melvin

What is it about?

The foreign military forces in the Horn of Africa are national and multilateral missions which are primarily made-up of forces outside the region. Most of the missions are started in the name of counter terrorism, anti-piracy, supporting peace operations, training local forces (in particular Somalia) and escorting commercial and humanitarian ships. However, there are strategic interests that the foreign forces have in the Horn region. These are manifested by the fact that these forces, though not all, extended their period of lease and/or expand area of base/s and change the lease from regular to permanent. Most importantly, new forces are coming to the region. In this regard, the striking development in regional military affairs have included the rising importance of first-time overseas bases established by Asian powers, such as Japan and China. Since, the external military deployments to the Horn are driven by geopolitical, commercial and military competition, often with negative effects for regional stability, the author concludes by emphasizing as it is imperative to improve regional cooperation in order to manage the emerging tensions and competition, particularly those resulting from the presence of foreign forces.

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