The 21st edition of the African Lion exercises has come to an end
The African Lion 2025 military exercises concluded with great success in terms of participation and execution.
These manoeuvres constitute the largest and most prestigious annual military exercise of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) and this year were carried out in Morocco, Ghana, Senegal and Tunisia.
It was a joint, multi-domain, multi-component and multinational exercise involving more than 10,000 troops from various countries in Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East, including contingents from seven North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) countries and Israel.
Staying sharp, staying safe. 💥 @USArmy #Soldiers from the 49th EOD Team, 184th EOD Battalion, mastered #IED detection with the #MTRS 🤖 during certification training at #AfricanLion25. #AL25 | #TransformationInContact
— U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (@SETAF_Africa) May 22, 2025
📸 by Sgt. Jenise Burnette, @USArmyReserve pic.twitter.com/AdZk9UXUoi
More than 40 countries have taken part in African Lion 2025 in one way or another.
The manoeuvres in Morocco involved Cameroon, Cape Verde, Djibouti, France, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Hungary, Israel, Kenya, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Portugal, Morocco, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The exercises in Tunisia involved Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Libya, Nigeria, Spain, Tunisia and the United States.
In Ghana: Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Senegal, Togo and the United States.
And in Senegal: Côte d'Ivoire, Mauritania, the Netherlands, Senegal and the United States.
Observer countries included Belgium, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, India, Qatar and the Republic of the Congo, reflecting broad interest in regional cooperation and collective security.
Golden hour meets global reach.✨
— USAFE-AFAFRICA (@HQUSAFEAFAF) May 22, 2025
A Royal Moroccan F-16 refuels midair with support from the 121st Air Refueling Wing during #AfricanLion2025—demonstrating readiness, reach & the power of partnership in action.#AfricanLion #GoldenHour #KC135 #F16 #OhioANG #MoroccanAirForce pic.twitter.com/pMMugkfzmK
The objective of the African Lion exercises has been to strengthen interoperability among participants and increase their preparedness to respond to crises and contingencies in Africa and around the world. The exercises have covered the land, air, maritime, space and cyber domains, thus contributing to the common goal of strengthening security and stability on the African continent.
All this is in response to real threats on the African continent, such as the belligerent attitude of some nations and the actions of extremist terrorist groups and transnational criminal gangs.
The African Lion exercises included a command post exercise, field training exercises, a live-fire demonstration and humanitarian civic assistance activities.
The 21st edition of African Lion began on 12 May in Morocco and lasted until 23 May, taking place in Agadir, Tan-Tan, Tiznit, Kenitra, Benguerir and Tifnit. In Tunisia, the exercises began earlier, on 14 April.
🐍 Tastes like pizza...? 🥘
— U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (@SETAF_Africa) May 20, 2025
From wildlife to food prep, Tunisian soldiers share their desert 🏜️ #SurvivalSkills with U.S. service members in Tunisia 🇹🇳 at #AfricanLion25.
Together, we’re building stronger, more resilient forces! 💪🌍 #TrainingTuesday @USArmy @USArmyEURAF pic.twitter.com/jnoV5VkyAY
These exercises represent significant military cooperation between the United States and Morocco, the two main organising countries. The two nations have enjoyed close political and military cooperation for several years, as the US considers the Moroccan kingdom a reliable and very important partner in North Africa for maintaining regional security.
It should also be noted that this alliance was strengthened by the US decision in 2020 to support Morocco's Autonomy Plan for Western Sahara as the most realistic and credible solution to the Sahrawi dispute. This decision represented significant support for the North African country in protecting its territorial integrity, as it considers Western Sahara to be part of its southern provinces, in the face of the independence movement led by the Polisario Front, which is supported in this case by Algeria, Morocco's great regional rival in the Maghreb, which did not take an active part in the African Lion 2025 military exercises.
