“The men sent my parents away at the point of their AK-47, then they raped me.”

AFRICOM's Fourth Africa Accountability Colloquium is underway at the International Institute of Humanitarian Law

Former African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) Commander, Maj. Gen. Fred Mugisha draws an African spear as an analogy to describe the challenge of executing peace operations where multiple systems of law are in use, and soldiers require the support of their command in confronting extraordinary logistical challenges." Mugisha delivered the keynote address at the U.S. AFRICOM’s Fourth Africa Accountability Colloquium (ACIV) on “Responding to Gender Based Violence During Peace Operations.” Nearly 40 military legal professional and commanders from 20 African countries have come together in an effort to lay the foundation for responding to sexual violence allegations that occur during peacekeeping operations. The annual event is once again being hosted by the International Institute of Humanitarian Law (IIHL) in Sanremo, Italy, Mar. 1-3, 2016. (U.S. Africa Command photo by Brenda Law/RELEASED)

Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin, Nigeria chief of defence staff, listens as Gen. David Rodriguez, commander, U.S. Africa Command delivers opening remarks for a two-day meeting with senior AFRICOM commanders and leaders. The purpose of the visit was to reinforce the importance of a strong US-Nigeria security cooperation relationship, with topics focused on ways to counter terrorism, joint operations, logistics and maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea, Feb. 9, 2016, U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart, Germany. (Photo by Brenda Law, U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs/RELEASED)

Gift exchange: Gen. David Rodriguez, commander, U.S. Africa Command (left), presents a gift of appreciation to Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin, Nigeria chief of defence staff. AFRICOM hosted a two-day meeting that brought together AFRICOM component commanders and several senior members of the Nigerian military. The purpose of the visit was to reinforce the importance of a strong US-Nigeria security cooperation relationship, with topics focused on ways to counter terrorism, joint operations, logistics and maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea, Feb. 10, 2016, U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart, Germany. (Photo by Brenda Law, U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs/RELEASED)

African military lawyers meet U.S. counterparts to discuss Rule of Law

“The Rule of Law is our most important export.” – U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Steven Hummer, AFRICOM Dep. Cdr. for Military Operations. Military lawyers from 17 African nations have joined U.S. counterparts to discuss a variety of legal topics during a forum hosted by U.S. Africa Command, Mar. 17-19, 2015, at the U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart, Kelley Barracks. (U.S. Africa Command photo by Brenda Law/RELEASED)

U.S. Amb. to the European Union, Amb. Anthony Gardner (right) and AFRICOM’s Deputy to the Commander for Civil-Military Engagements, Amb. Phillip Carter, pose for a photo. Gardner spent the day with AFRICOM staff experts. The visit provides an opportunity to facilitate greater cooperation with the EU in Africa. (U.S. Africa Command photo by Brenda Law/Released)

Training enables medical treatment to continue after exercise.

Chadians receive information about treatment from medical care personnel during Exercise Flintlock 2015.

Feb. 26, 2015 Black History Month program at Kelley Theater, Kelley Barracks, U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart

A delegation of African Union journalists spent the week of 9-12 Feb., 2015 visiting U.S. Africa Command to learn about the command’s mission and programs. (U.S. AFRICOM photos by Brenda Law/Released)

AFRICOM hosts AU media delegation visit, Feb. 9-12, 2015.

DAKAR, Senegal — The commander of the 101st Airborne Division and more than 30 of his troops departed from Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport here Oct. 19 en route to Liberia, where they will join hundreds of U.S. service members engaged in the fight against Ebola in West Africa.

141018-Z-VT419-205: U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Gary J. Volesky (right), commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division, speaks with Lt. Col. Bruce Bancroft (left) and Col. David Mounkes of the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group Oct. 18, 2014, during a tour of the Joint Operations Center for Joint Task Force-Port Opening Senegal at Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport in Dakar, Senegal. The JTF-PO is funneling humanitarian supplies and military support into West Africa as part of Operation United Assistance, the international effort to fight Ebola. Volesky will serve as the new commander of the U.S. military’s Operation United Assistance Joint Forces Command, headquartered in Liberia, where the Army is sending 3,000 Soldiers to support the USAID-led, whole-of-government effort to respond to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer/Released)

Commander of U.S. Africa Command, General David M. Rodriguez, conducts a briefing on the DoD response to Ebola, Oct. 7, 2014 from the Pentagon Press Briefing Room.

Commander of U.S. Africa Command, Gen. David M. Rodriguez, conducts a briefing on the DoD response to Ebola, Oct. 7, 2014 from the Pentagon Press Briefing Room.

J6 Military-to-Military communications engagement brings women from African partner nations face to face with U.S. female military counterparts

U.S. Africa Command’s Directorate of Command, Control, Communications and Computer Systems (J6) recently hosted a group of female military personnel from nine African countries in a “military-to-military” engagement that focused on building relationships and sharing best practices. The event, conducted in Atlanta, Forts Gordon and Lee, and the Pentagon Sept. 14-20, consisted of cultural events, demonstrations in communications technologies and panel discussions with U.S. counterparts on how military women can serve in promoting peace and security. (Photos by Brenda Law, U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs/Released)