Senators Call on Pentagon to Halt Military Exercises with Countries Accused of Rights Abuses
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Senators Warren and Cardin called on the Pentagon to stop joint military exercises with countries accused of human rights abuses or that have had recent coups.
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They are concerned these trainings violate the Leahy Law prohibiting U.S. assistance to foreign military units suspected of rights abuses.
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The senators referred to plans to train with African countries like Sudan, Niger, and Burkina Faso that have had recent coups.
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The Pentagon has since abandoned plans to train with those African countries after initially defending the exercises.
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Warren said "training operations shouldn’t be used as a backdoor to prop up militaries who wouldn’t pass our human rights vetting."