Prospective analysis of African Lion towards SIMBA: a forward-looking vision of sovereign security

1. Introduction
2. I. African Lion: a hybrid military matrix under construction
3. II. French failures in Mali: lessons from a unilateral approach
4. III. Why Morocco?
5. IV. African Lion: prototype of SIMBA – Strategic Integrated Multinational Brigade for Africa
6. V. A holistic approach to stabilising the Sahel
7. VI. Forward-looking recommendations for the development of SIMBA
8. Conclusion

This prospective analysis is a strategic vision proposed by the IGH (Horizons Geopolitical Institute) for an Africanist approach to regional security and stabilisation. It is part of the real Moroccan vision of the Abidjan Doctrine, promoted by Morocco and announced by King Mohammed VI in February 2014 during the Moroccan-Ivorian Forum in Abidjan.

Introduction

As the 21st edition of the African Lion multinational exercise is currently taking place (from 12 to 23 May 2025 for the Moroccan phase, following a first phase in Tunisia from 22 to 30 April), the unprecedented scale of this operation marks a turning point in the African security architecture. On the eve of a strategic realignment in West Africa and the Sahel, marked by the withdrawal or failure of traditional foreign powers—particularly France in Mali—a strategic opportunity is opening up for regional actors capable of offering an alternative vision. The multinational African Lion exercise, led by Morocco and the United States, stands out as a foundational platform for a new model of African military architecture that is adapted, pragmatic and credible.

With more than 10,000 soldiers from 40 countries deployed in six Moroccan regions (Agadir, Tan-Tan, Tiznit, Kenitra, Benguerir and Tifnit), the 2025 edition is the most important in the history of the exercise since its creation in 2004. The following analysis offers a forward-looking assessment of the structuring role that African Lion could play as a prototype for a continental military command under Moroccan leadership.

It should be remembered that a military objective is never an end in itself: it is defined first and foremost by a political objective and constitutes the means to achieve broader geostrategic ends. In this context, African Lion represents much more than a simple show of force or a technical exercise: it embodies a strategic vision of African security under African leadership.

I. African Lion: a hybrid military matrix under construction

Initially conceived as a simple bilateral joint training exercise, African Lion has evolved over two decades into a multidimensional integration format:

• Doctrinal: developing interoperability with NATO standards through combined tactical exercises incorporating motorised and mechanised infantry, Abrams armoured vehicles, artillery, F-16 aircraft, Apache helicopters and HIMARS multiple rocket launchers.
• Geographical: now covering a strategic Sahel-Atlantic triangle, with Morocco as the operational epicentre in a south-centre-north configuration that responds to the demands of asymmetric combat and conventional projection.
• Capability: integrating cyber, NRBC (nuclear, radiological, biological and chemical), air, naval and space dimensions in an increasingly complex multi-domain environment, with the notable introduction of ground drones to counter threats such as tunnels.
• Logistical: developing projectable infrastructure and advanced coordination, essential for the success of large-scale multinational operations.
• Strategic: expanding the circle of partnerships beyond the initial framework between the United States and Morocco to include African, European and Middle Eastern nations, including Israel for the first time in 2025.

Morocco is now at the epicentre of this architecture, transforming a simple military exercise into a laboratory for a new model of African collective security.

II. French failures in Mali: lessons from a unilateral approach

Successive French interventions in the Sahel (Serval, Barkhane) have highlighted the fundamental limits of an exogenous approach to African security:

• Lack of local support: foreign interventions, although technically effective, have suffered from a legitimacy deficit among local populations and governments.
• Lack of ownership: the limited autonomy of African armies has created a counterproductive dependency.
• Cultural disconnect: a lack of understanding of community and identity dynamics has limited tactical effectiveness on the ground.
• Short-term vision: immediate operational successes have been prioritised at the expense of building lasting capabilities.

A viable continental security architecture can only emerge on the basis of endogenous African leadership that is legitimate and rooted in local realities. By relying on a stable African base—Morocco—African Lion avoids these pitfalls by combining Western technical expertise with strong regional roots. The challenge now is to transform this exercise into a structuring African model, rather than a simple extension of NATO on the continent.

As Abdelhakim Yamani, president of the Horizons Geopolitical Institute, pointed out in November 2024: ‘The French experience, particularly through Operation Barkhane, has clearly demonstrated the limits of a primarily military approach and the counterproductivity of a massive foreign presence on the ground.’ This essential lesson must guide the development of a radically different strategy, in which the security dimension, while indispensable, is only one component of a more comprehensive approach.

III. Why Morocco?

The Kingdom enjoys an exceptional convergence of strategic factors that position it as the natural hub of a new African security architecture:

• Long-standing political and institutional stability, in contrast to the governmental fragility observed in many regional actors.
• A modernised army that is interoperable with NATO and benefits from an ambitious acquisition and modernisation programme (F-16 Viper, MALE drones, modernised tanks).
• Significant experience in African peacekeeping operations through contingents deployed in several UN missions:

– MINURCAT (Chad-Central African Republic)

– MONUC/MONUSCO (DRC)

– UNOCI (Ivory Coast)

– MINUSCA (Central African Republic)

• Increased industrial capacity with the development of a national defence industrial base and co-production projects (in particular, the F-16 Viper).
• Re-establishment of military service, enabling the structuring of a mobilisable youth and strengthening the link between the army and the nation.
• Discreet but active military diplomacy, with a network of defence attachés and training offered to African military commanders.
• A strategic air base in the south, designed as an advanced rapid intervention platform, comparable in design to the US base 201 in Agadez, Niger.
• A holistic approach to regional stabilisation, integrating security and development, in particular through the Atlantic Access Initiative for the Sahel countries and the AAGP gas pipeline.

This unique combination places Morocco as one of the few African countries that simultaneously has the regional legitimacy, technical capabilities and strategic vision necessary to promote a new model of collective security for the continent.

A key element of this equation is Morocco's doctrine of not allowing permanent foreign military bases on its territory. This position, which has remained unchanged since independence, is a pillar of its national sovereignty and enables the Kingdom to maintain a position of geostrategic balance while developing advanced military cooperation. Far from being an obstacle, this principle is a guarantee of autonomy in the design of a truly African security architecture.

IV. African Lion: prototype of SIMBA – Strategic Integrated Multinational Brigade for Africa

The natural evolution of African Lion would be its gradual institutionalisation into a permanent structure that we propose to call SIMBA (Strategic Integrated Multinational Brigade for Africa). This name, which also means ‘lion’ in Swahili, perfectly symbolises the strength, courage and African roots of this new continental security architecture.
SIMBA would represent a multinational operational command integrating:

• A permanent strategic coordination cell that would maintain continuity between annual exercises.
• A joint mobile and bilingual (French/English) headquarters capable of operating in the different linguistic areas of Africa.
• The structured integration of regional contingents from sub-regional organisations (ECOWAS, reformulated G5 Sahel).
• An intelligence/drone/cybersecurity component adapted to the asymmetric threats prevailing in the region.
• A formalised partnership with the African forces formed by Morocco and NATO, creating a continental interoperability network.
• A projection towards the South Atlantic (Senegal, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Benin) extending geographical coverage beyond the traditional Sahel zone.

This institutional evolution would make it possible to leverage the experience gained during two decades of African Lion exercises to create SIMBA, a permanent operational structure under African leadership but with international support.

According to the vision developed by Abdelhakim Yamani, this architecture would be based on ‘an unprecedented configuration between Morocco and AFRICOM’, founded on ‘joint command centres, temporary and specific cooperation agreements, and logistical facilities that do not involve a permanent foreign military presence’. The African Lion manoeuvres already demonstrate the viability of this approach, which allows for intensive military cooperation while respecting the principles of national sovereignty.

The acronym SIMBA, beyond its functional meaning, has symbolic and cultural significance. The lion traditionally represents strength, courage and royalty in many African cultures. By choosing this name, we are anchoring this new structure in authentic African symbolism, while emphasising its vocation for protection and continental leadership.

V. A holistic approach to stabilising the Sahel

The military component of African Lion is only part of a broader strategy aimed at the lasting stabilisation of the Sahel region. As highlighted in the analysis by Abdelhakim Yamani, President of the IGH, ‘the foundation of this new approach is based on a twofold conviction: on the one hand, security cannot be separated from economic and social development; on the other, any lasting solution must come from local actors and be driven by them.’

This holistic approach is articulated in several complementary dimensions:

• Dominant air presence through surveillance and intervention drones, enabling rapid reaction without a significant footprint on the ground.
• Training and equipping local forces, with the aim of developing their autonomous capabilities rather than replacing them.
• Ad hoc support from special forces, always under joint command and with local decision-making taking precedence.
• Rapid and tangible impact development projects: water points, health centres, schools, agricultural projects, income-generating initiatives that respond to the immediate needs of the populations.
• Coordination with structuring regional initiatives such as the Moroccan Initiative for Access to the Atlantic for the Sahel countries, which combines local development and regional integration.
• Innovative financing mechanisms that go beyond traditional international aid: public-private partnerships, specific investment funds, social impact bonds.
• A multinational management system operating at three levels (strategic, operational and tactical) to ensure coherent action that respects national sovereignties.
• Communication carried out exclusively by local actors, avoiding any appearance of foreign interference and reinforcing the legitimacy of local authorities.

African Lion thus constitutes the military component of a much broader approach, in which economic and social development plays as crucial a role as security in regional stabilisation.

VI. Forward-looking recommendations for the development of SIMBA

To realise this vision of African Lion as the blueprint for a new African security architecture embodied in SIMBA, several strategic actions should be undertaken:

• Institutionalise African Lion as an African doctrinal framework, developing standardised operations manuals and training programmes tailored to the realities of the continent.
• Create an annual African Lion Strategic Forum bringing together military leaders, experts and international partners to develop a common vision.
• Geographically expand the exercise to critical areas such as the Gulf of Guinea, Mauritania and Chad, thus covering the entire Sahel-Atlantic arc of instability.
• Establish an African fund to support regional military deployment, ensuring the financial autonomy of stabilisation operations.
• Integrate emerging security dimensions: climate change, critical infrastructure, migration, cybersecurity.
• Promote an African regional security doctrine based on the principles of sovereignty, solidarity and collective strategic projection.
• Develop formal mechanisms for coordination between military operations and development projects, ensuring a truly integrated approach.
• Establish precise impact indicators, both in terms of security and development, to assess the effectiveness of this holistic approach.

These measures would gradually transform the African Lion exercise into SIMBA, a true continental security architecture under African leadership but connected to international standards.

The development of SIMBA would institutionalise and perpetuate the achievements of African Lion, while establishing an innovative model of security cooperation tailored to African challenges. This structure, driven by Morocco but deeply rooted in a pan-African vision, would become an essential tool for the stabilisation of the continent.

Conclusion

African Lion 2025 is much more than a simple multinational military exercise: it is the precursor to SIMBA, a new African security architecture driven by a credible continental actor. In a context where external security approaches are showing their limits, Morocco, thanks to its rising multidimensional power, is well placed to embody a continental leadership that is respectful of national sovereignties and, at the same time, effective from an operational point of view.

With 10,000 soldiers from 40 countries currently deployed at six sites in Morocco, this 21st edition marks a decisive stage in this evolution. The challenge now is to transform a manoeuvre into a matrix, a format into a structure and cooperation into shared strategic sovereignty through SIMBA. The challenge goes beyond the purely military dimension and concerns the construction of a new model of collective security for Africa, adapted to the challenges of the 21st century.

The success of this holistic approach will depend fundamentally on several key factors: local ownership at all levels, effective coordination between international actors and the ability to deliver tangible results for the populations. Maintaining delicate balances—between international engagement and local leadership, between security needs and economic development, between operational effectiveness and political acceptability—will be essential to transforming African Lion into SIMBA, the true matrix of a new African security architecture.