African countries have watched with mounting angst as President Donald Trump has taken a hatchet to foreign aid and slapped tariffs on some of the world¡¯s poorest nations. Now they¡¯re concerned that U.S. military cooperation that¡¯s aided the fight against terrorists and rebellions may be next.
"We¡¯re really worried they will remove the assistance, just like any other country at the moment,¡± said Maj. Gen. Abou Issa, chief of army staff for Benin¡¯s defense forces.
The U.S. has supplied the tiny West African nation with training, helicopters and intelligence in a bid to prevent Islamist fighters from the Sahel region from threatening shipping routes off the Gulf of Guinea. Without that aid, the fight to secure the country¡¯s north would be "tough,¡± Issa said.
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