US Amentum's covert operations in Libya under investigation

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: RFI
19 Mar 2024 20:24
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Amid escalating geopolitical tensions, American security firm Amentum's role in Libya raises questions about its objectives and implications for the country's security landscape.

In this Monday, March 7, 2016 photo, men loyal to Libyan armed forces stand alert during confrontations with Islamic State group militants west of Benghazi, Libya. (AP)

In a move signaling heightened international engagement in Libya, American security company Amentum has emerged as a key player in the North African nation's security landscape, according to a report by RFI.

Established in 2020, Amentum has swiftly established itself as a successor to the military firm DynCorp, renowned for its work with the US Departments of State and Defense, including training security forces in conflict zones like Iraq and Afghanistan.

Amentum's recent activities have garnered attention, particularly regarding its involvement in Africa. While officially indicating its presence in Somalia and Benin, Amentum's operations in Libya have remained less transparent.

In a news piece on the company's website, Amentum revealed that it was awarded $165 million in contracts by the US DoS to "improve national security in Africa." In that piece, the company highlighted its presence in Somalia and Benin but failed to make any mention of its activities in Libya's Tripoli.

Nonetheless, RFI noted that reports suggest that Amentum operates in Libya under a contract with the National Unity government headed by Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, positioning its personnel at the Maitigua military base in Tripoli, "now cleared of militia presence."

Observers speculate that Amentum's engagement in Libya is intertwined with broader geopolitical dynamics. Some experts, according to RFI, believe that the company's intensified activities in Tripoli serve as a strategic countermeasure against "Russian influence" in eastern Libya. This perspective, alleged RFI, aligns with the views of Libyan presidential candidate Abdelhakim Bayou and other local analysts, who perceive American involvement as an effort to bolster influence in the region and shape the political landscape ahead of a new government's formation.

Pentagon misled Congress about size, scope of US airbases in Africa

Experts believe AFRICOM chief Gen. Michael Langley misled Congress by undermining the size of the US footprint in Africa as at least 18 outposts, in addition to Camp Lemonnier and Ascension Island, exist in AFRICOM’s “posture” on the continent, according to AFRICOM’s secret 2022 theater posture plan, as seen by The Intercept.

A US official familiar with the current footprint on the continent confirmed that the same 20 bases are operating, while another two locations in Somalia and Ghana were “under evaluation".

It was revealed in September 2023 that over 1,000 US troops have been stationed in their Nigerien outposts after the coup in Niger broke out, not to mention being at the US largest drone base in the region, Air Base 201 in Agadez.

The base, having cost a total of $250 million since its construction in 2016, represents a significant surveillance hub for the US in West Africa, but Langley claimed in his testimony before the House and Senate Armed Services Committees in March that it was “minimal” and “low cost".

He described two “enduring” US forward operating sites in Africa: Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti and a longtime logistics hub on Ascension Island in the South Atlantic Ocean. “The Command also operates out of 12 other posture locations throughout Africa,” he said, adding, “These locations have minimal permanent U.S. presence and have low-cost facilities and limited supplies for these dedicated Americans to perform critical missions and quickly respond to emergencies.”