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Meeting with Djiboutian and U.S. leadership

(Sept. 1, 2025) — U.S. Air Force Gen. Dagvin Anderson, commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), poses for a photo with U.S. Ambassador Cynthia Kierscht, Djiboutian Minister of Defense Hassan Omar Mohamed, and Djiboutian Chief of Defense Gen. Zakaria Cheikh Ibrahim during a meeting in Djibouti City. The engagement marked Anderson’s first official meeting with Djiboutian and U.S. leadership on the continent since assuming command of AFRICOM.

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Photo by: U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs 

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Gen. Dagvin Anderson meets with Ambassador El Hadji Ibrahima Diene “Boly”

U.S. Air Force Gen. Dagvin Anderson, commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), meets with Ambassador El Hadji Ibrahima Diene “Boly,” the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia and Head of the African Union Support Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), U.S. Ambassador to Somalia Jonathan Riley, and senior AUSSOM troop-contributing nation military and police leaders in Mogadishu. The engagement took place during Gen. Anderson’s first visit to Somalia since assuming command of AFRICOM.

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Photo by: U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs 

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Gen. Dagvin Anderson walks with Ambassador El Hadji Ibrahima Diene “Boly”

U.S. Air Force Gen. Dagvin Anderson, commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), walks with Ambassador El Hadji Ibrahima Diene “Boly,” the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia and Head of the African Union Support Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM). A veteran Senegalese air commando and fighter pilot, Boly hosted the engagement in Mogadishu, which marked Gen. Anderson’s first visit to Somalia since assuming command of AFRICOM.

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Photo by: U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs 

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Gen. Dagvin Anderson meets with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud

U.S. Air Force Gen. Dagvin Anderson, commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), meets with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, U.S. Ambassador to Somalia Jonathan Riley, and senior Somali military leaders at the Somalia Security Directorate’s Joint Operations Coordination Center (JOCC). The engagement marked Gen. Anderson’s first trip to Somalia since assuming command of AFRICOM.

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Photo by: U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs 

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Gen. Dagvin Anderson meets with Kenyan President William Ruto

U.S. Air Force Gen. Dagvin Anderson, commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), meets with Kenyan President William Ruto at the State House in Nairobi. The meeting took place during Anderson’s first trip to Kenya as the new AFRICOM commander.

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Photo by: U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs 

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U.S. Air Force Gen. Dagvin Anderson presents a gift to Gen. Charles Muriu Kahariri

U.S. Air Force Gen. Dagvin Anderson, commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), presents a gift to Gen. Charles Muriu Kahariri, Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces, during an office call at the Kenyan Ministry of Defense Headquarters. The meeting highlighted the strong U.S.–Kenya defense partnership and marked Anderson’s first visit to Kenya since assuming command of AFRICOM.

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Photo by: U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs 

U.S. Africa Command’s new commander, Gen. Dagvin Anderson, visited East Africa this week to meet with political and defense leaders and U.S. embassy country teams and to engage with U.S. servicemembers stationed there.

Anderson traveled to Djibouti City and Camp Lemmonier, Djibouti; Mogadishu, Somalia; and Nairobi, Kenya, Aug. 31 to Sept. 3.

In Djibouti, Anderson met with Djiboutian Minister of Defense Hassan Omar Mohamed and Chief of Defense General Zakaria Cheik Ibrahim to discuss key security issues, including the threat posed by terrorist groups in Somalia and Yemen. They also shared their vision for a safe and secure Horn of Africa and emphasized the importance of the enduring U.S.-Djibouti security partnership. 

“My job is to provide for the safety and security of the American people,” Anderson stated. “Part of that is working with our partners when we have a common threat, to address that and protect all our homelands.”

During his engagements in Mogadishu, Gen. Anderson met with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, U.S. Ambassador to Somalia Jonathan Riley, and senior Somali security officials at the Joint Operations Coordination Center. 

“I came to East Africa first because of the importance of this region, it sits at the crossroads of the world,” Anderson said. “There are incredible opportunities [and] incredible challenges here and you know them well. We have terrorist threats from al Shabaab, which is an al Qaeda affiliate who is cooperating with the Houthis. [And we] have ISIS up in the north – not just in the Golis Mountains, but [they’re] spreading across Africa.”

He also met with Ambassador El Hadji Ibrahima Diene, the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia and Head of the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia-AUSSOM, along with AUSSOM troop-contributing nation leaders.

Gen. Anderson highlighted how AFRICOM’s support efforts in enabling partner operational independence and shared goals of a secure and prosperous Somalia are essential to success in defeating terrorism. And he recognized that while the United States provides a wide range of support to Somalia and AUSSOM, it is African troops who are taking the fight to the enemy.

“We share a common threat [that] we need to enable all the partners, the African partners to address ,” Anderson said. “Recently in the Golis Mountains, where ISIS is, we worked with our partners in Puntland to provide intelligence targeting and selected air strikes. [Alongside this] we enabled the partner who had the will to go up into those mountains, go after the terrorists, and hold territory so they couldn't come back. When we can find common ground, we can have success together, and we can enable African partners to protect and provide security for their people.”

In Kenya, the general met with President William Ruto and Chief of the Kenyan Defence Forces General Charles Kahariri, and visited Manda Bay where American servicemembers are stationed as part of a partnership with the Kenyan military to enhance regional security and support counterterrorism efforts in East Africa.

AFRICOM’s mission remains focused on working with African and international partners to counter transnational threats, strengthen security forces, and respond to crises in order to advance U.S. national interests and promote regional stability and prosperity.