Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership Program Act of 2021

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I want to thank the chairman for working with me to bring this to the floor. We passed this the last Congress, and I hope the Senate will pay attention, as this is a very important issue.

In the last year alone, ISIS- and al-Qaida-affiliated terrorist attacks in the Sahel have more than doubled, killing over 4,000 people.

Just two weeks ago, at least 130 civilians were killed in Burkina Faso in an attack reportedly carried out by child soldiers. This was the worst attack in that country in years.

As we speak, ISIS and al-Qaida affiliates are growing in strength, they are increasing in size, they are becoming more violent, and they are pushing further south into coastal West Africa. Innocent civilians are paying the price.

A military solution alone will not stabilize the Sahel. Mali has experienced two coups in a year. This is unacceptable and underscores the importance of U.S. engagement, along with our partners, to address governance challenges in the region.

Without adequate attention to the root causes of extremism, violence, and community grievances, we will never meaningfully address security challenges in the Sahel.

I want to thank my colleague, Representative Keating, for his support of this legislation as well as the chairman. This bill will pass again. It is time for the Senate to pass it and make it into law.

This bill mandates the State Department, the Defense Department, and USAID to coordinate their efforts in the region, very similar to the Global Fragility Act we passed and signed into law.

This will help balance our diplomatic, defense, and development efforts to combat instability and terrorist activity in the Sahel.

The program also works with countries such as Chad, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Nigeria to build their capacity to conduct counterterrorism operations, prevent the spread of violent extremism, and strengthen the rule of law.

We have learned firsthand that terrorists left unchecked and allowed to exploit safe havens will pose great threats to the United States' national security interest.

The situation in the region is dire, and we cannot afford to squander critical taxpayer resources, if they are not achieving results. This really provides for congressional oversight as well of the State Department and the Department of Defense, in terms of how they are monitoring this important program.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairman, again, and Representative Keating for their work. As we have seen around the world, COVID-19 has made an already dire situation worse in this region.

As humanitarian needs are rising, forced displacement has increased and local communities are becoming more vulnerable.

In June, the U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations testified to the U.N. Security Council that terrorist groups are trying to capitalize on the pandemic to undermine and destabilize governments in the Sahel.

This cannot wait. I urge the administration to work with international partners to increase our engagement in the region. It is imperative we address the underlying drivers of extremism in order to truly combat rising terrorist activities.

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