In the latest quarterly civilian casualty assessment report period ending Dec. 31, 2021, U.S. Africa Command received no new reports of civilian casualties and no open reports were carried over from previous quarters. There are currently no assessments open or under review.
This is the eighth quarterly civilian casualty assessment report since U.S. Africa Command began releasing reports in April 2020 as part of its commitment to increased transparency and accountability.
On Jan. 27, the U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III issued a memorandum directing the Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan (CHMRAP). The CHMRAP will advance our ongoing efforts to improve the Department the Defense (DoD)’s approach to civilian harm mitigation and response, and will inform completion of a forthcoming DoD Instruction (DoDI) on Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response.
“Protecting innocent civilians remains a vital part of our operations and promotes a more secure and stable Africa,” said U.S. Army Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander, U.S. Africa Command. “We have a moral obligation to ensure our processes do everything possible to mitigate civilian harm.”
U.S. Africa Command takes all reports of possible civilian casualties seriously and has a process to conduct thorough assessments using all available information. The command will continue to maintain and improve the civilian casualty assessment program and remains committed to reviewing and assessing any reports of civilian harm. This report reflects updates to previous unsubstantiated civilian casualty claims released in prior quarterly civilian casualty assessment reports.