A set of previously secret documents, obtained via the Freedom of Information Act, offers clear evidence of a remarkable, far-ranging and expanding network of outposts strung across the continent. In official plans for operations in 2015 that were drafted and issued the year before, Africa Command lists 36 U.S. outposts scattered across 24 African countries.

The US military is making deeper inroads into Africa, including military involvement with at least 49 of 54 nations. But there is nothing to suggest that these interventions actually help end Africa’s post-colonial conflicts

Unbeknownst to most Americans and people around the world, the US has been steadily increasing its military footprint in Africa.