Burkina Faso’s junta leader Capt. Ibrahim Traore has sparked a social media debate, with some in Africa praising him and others criticizing him.

Violent extremist groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group are growing in size and influence across Africa, fueling worries that as they improve their tactics, they could attack the U.S. or Western allies.

The U.S. military plans to return to Chad within a month for talks about revising an agreement that allows it to keep troops based there.

A top Pentagon official says that the U.S. has not received a formal request from Niger’s junta to depart the country, saying instead it has received mixed signals on whether the hundreds of U.S. troops based there are no longer welcome.

Marine Gen. Michael Langley took over as the top U.S. commander for Africa Tuesday, heading U.S. military operations on a continent with some of the most active and dangerous insurgent groups and a relatively small Pentagon footprint.