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As part of the State Department’s budget request for FY 2016 released on February 2, the Obama Administration is requesting a significant jump in security and one type of development aid to the Maghreb and Sahel countries of Africa to “address challenges to U.S. national security emanating” from the two sub-regions. While the released budget document excludes some country-level details for a complete picture, it shows a 63 percent increase in U.S. security and justice aid to Maghreb and Sahel countries from FY 2014 to FY 2016 (see Chart 1 below). There is also a 96 percent increase in one of the development assistance programs, Economic Support Funds, to the sub-regions.

The increase in U.S. aid to countries in the Maghreb and Sahel, which for this analysis includes Algeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Tunisia, comes as threats persist by U.S. designated terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), Boko Haram and Ansar al-Sharia. In the past few months in particular, Boko Haram has engaged in brutal attacks in Nigeria and Cameroon and has launched attacks in Niger. Throughout 2014, there were numerous attacks in Tunisia, especially in Mount Chaambi near the Algerian border, thought to be the work of AQIM and Ansar al-Sharia.

Based on our analysis of the State Department’s budget FY 2016 request, the main reason for the jump in U.S. security and justice assistance to the Sahel and the Maghreb countries is a tripling of U.S. Foreign Military Financing (FMF) from FY 2014 to FY 2016 to Tunisia (see Chart 2). FMF provides grants to foreign countries for the purchase of new U.S. weapons and military equipment and related training. Of the four countries set to receive FMF funding for FY 2016 (Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal and Tunisia), Tunisia accounts for the only increase in FMF funds, moving from $20 million in FY 2014 to $62 million in FY 2016. Nigeria represented the largest decrease in FMF with a 40 percent reduction from FY 2014 ($1 million) to FY 2016 ($600,000) (see Chart 3).

A 30 percent jump in International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement (INCLE)* aid, which provides equipment and training to foreign countries for items such as counternarcotics, anti-crime, governance and judicial reform, accounts for the remaining increase in U.S. security and justice aid to Maghreb and Sahel countries. Similar to Foreign Military Financing above, Tunisia represents the largest increase in INCLE funding from FY 2014 ($9 million) to FY 2016 ($12 million). There was also a doubling of INCLE funding to the Trans-Saharan Counterterrorism Partnership (TSCTP) initiative, which is focused on counterterrorism aid to Maghreb and Sahel countries. Under the Peacekeeping Operations (PKO) program, the State Department also submitted to Congress a 20 percent increase in TSCTP from FY 2014 ($16 million) to FY 2016 ($19 million).

The current budget request does not have country or region level details for the State Department-funded Non-Proliferation, Anti-Terrorism, Demining and Related Programs (NADR) program, which likely includes substantial counterterrorism assistance to Maghreb and Sahel countries for FY 2016. According to the State Department’s budget request for FY 2015 last year, for instance, the U.S. government estimated it would spend $7.2 million for Maghreb countries alone through NADR in FY 2014.

As part of the budget request for FY 2016, the State Department is also seeking a 13 percent increase in overall development aid to Maghreb and Sahel countries from FY 2014 to FY 2016 (see Chart 5). Between the two main State Department-funded development assistance programs, Development Assistance and Economic Support Fund (ESF), ESF accounted for most of the increase with a 96 percent jump from FY 2014 to FY 2016. ESF is a flexible economic aid program that can fund many types of activities, including building accountable and transparent institutions, creating economic and educational opportunities for youth, countering extremist ideology, counterterrorism and counternarcotics, anti-corruption and trade capacity building.

Of the three countries and one sub-regional program that are included in the State Department’s request for increased ESF funding for FY 2016, there are significant increases for Libya, Tunisia and the TSCTP from FY 2014 to FY 2016 (see Chart 6). The largest increase comes from Libya, which received no ESF funding in FY 2014. Tunisia and TSCPT come in second and third respectively. According to the State Department, ESF funds to Tunisia would help build a responsive and accountable governance, economic prosperity and regional stability. Under the Development Assistance program, which provides expertise and resources to foreign countries for the development of economic, political and social institutions, there is also a 41 percent increase the Sahel Regional program.

Although it’s difficult to have a more detailed understanding of what the State Department plans for the above types of assistance until they release their regional perspectives budget document, it’s clear that the State Department is putting more emphasis on the Maghreb and Sahel countries, particularly Tunisia. In total, the State Department is requesting a 275 percent increase in security and justice aid to Tunisia from FY 2014 to FY 2016. As U.S. efforts to assist Maghreb and Sahel countries address a continuing terrorism threat and build more responsible and legitimate security institutions, it will be important to continue to follow U.S. assistance to these sub-regions.

Colby Goodman is a Senior Research Associate at the Security Assistance Monitor and covers a range of U.S. security assistance issues.

* The Security Assistance Monitor normally divides International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement (INCLE) aid between assistance going to the military or police and assistance going to the justice or prison system. In the above blog post, these two types of INCLE aid are shown as one.