China and Russia could still be the biggest rivals of American interests especially in Africa, a public assessment of threats to Washington shows, The report compiled by the American intelligence community names the expected enemies: China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. But it also lists Hizbullah & Houthis and the conflict in Gaza among threats to watch out…
The 2024 Annual Threat Assessment report published last week is a summation of threats seen from January to date, which means it reflects the most recent incidents on global scale like the Israel-Hamas war, Russia-Ukraine war, Sudan war as well as trouble in the Red Sea.
The US further identified Africa’s vulnerability to terrorism as a threat to its own interests, It says “terrorists will maintain an interest in conducting attacks using chemical, biological and radioactive materials against US persons, allies and interests worldwide.” They can take advantage of ongoing wars to procure these deadly weapons, it warns.
In the Horn of Africa, militants allied to Al Qaeda such as Al Shabaab as well as those allied to ISIS, could utilise the lawlessness as well as mobilise fighters using unregulated social media, the report argues, Russia will rely on private military and security companies (PSMSCs) and paramilitary groups to achieve its objectives, it says. Primarily, this is to be witnesses on the battlefield in Ukraine but will also be used “to hide Moscow’s hand in sensitive operations, and to project influence and power in the Middle East and Africa.”
China is seen as mainly targeting to spread its influence in Africa using various tools including propaganda. The Chinese military — People’s Liberation Army— has been spreading tentacles too, first starting with Djibouti’s Ream Naval Base in Africa and now reaching out to others. The US is also concerned that China has conducted orbital technology demonstrations, which prove China’s ability to operate future space-based weapons.
