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Africa's COVID-19 Chaos Opens Door for Opportunistic Extremists

Anita Powell

   JOHANNESBURG - As a pandemic rages and weakens fragile societies,
   terrorists lie in wait to pounce on vulnerable people, especially on
   the African continent, says a top U.S. military commander. U.S.
   military officials say their work on the continent has continued
   unabated, but that extremists are actively seeking every opportunity to
   gain a foothold, from Senegal to Somalia.

   Violent extremist organizations, or VEOs, are seizing on Africa's
   coronavirus chaos to advance their goals in vulnerable societies, from
   Nigeria to Mozambique, says the head of U.S. Special Operations Command
   Africa, Maj. Gen. Dagvin Anderson.

   He spoke to reporters via Zoom video conference from AFRICOM
   headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany.

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