AFRICOM

AFRICOM (United States Africa Command) is the US military command responsible for all American military operations, activities, and security cooperation across the African continent. Established in 2007 and headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, AFRICOM oversees approximately 54 countries and works with African partner forces on counter-terrorism, peacekeeping support, and capacity building. Unlike other combatant commands, AFRICOM has never been hosted on African soil; no African country has agreed to base it.

An RFI investigation published 4 April 2026 revealed AFRICOM personnel were stationed at the Misrata Air Force Academy in Libya, alongside Ukrainian, Turkish, Italian, and British intelligence operators. The US presence, in a country where the US Congress never authorised a formal military mission, sits in a legal and political grey zone. The Misrata base was used as a hub for Ukrainian drone operations targeting Russian shipping in the Mediterranean.

AFRICOM's reported presence at Misrata raises substantive questions about the scope of US involvement in the Ukraine war. Congressional oversight of special operations conducted from third countries is notoriously limited. If AFRICOM personnel were coordinating with Ukrainian drone operators targeting Russian ships, the command is operating significantly beyond its nominal counter-terrorism mandate in Africa, and doing so in a country where the legal basis for any US military presence is ambiguous.