The US and Moroccan military medical teams have launched the first humanitarian civic assistance mission held in Dakhla under the annual African Lion military exercises, marking the latest expansion of the US-led drills deeper into Morocco’s southern provinces.
US Ambassador to Morocco Duke Buchan III attended the operation in Dakhla, where more than 100 US military medical personnel are working alongside Moroccan teams to provide healthcare services expected to reach over 20,000 patients in Dakhla and Taroudant, according to the US Embassy in Rabat.
“For the first time in our historic partnership, African Lion reaches Dakhla,” Buchan said, describing the deployment of the exercise’s humanitarian component in the Moroccan Sahara as a “milestone.” The activities include dental hygiene campaigns, eye examinations and the distribution of glasses and hygiene kits to children.
African Lion, launched in 2004, is the largest annual US military exercise in Africa and is jointly organized by the US Africa Command and the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces.
While military exercises linked to African Lion have progressively expanded southward in recent years toward areas including Tan-Tan and Cap Draa, African Lion 2026 is the first edition to formally include Dakhla among its operational sites.
This year’s drills are being conducted across several Moroccan locations including Agadir, Benguerir, Tan-Tan, Taroudant, Tifnit and Dakhla, with more than 5,000 personnel from over 40 countries participating.
The expansion comes as Washington and Rabat continue deepening military cooperation following US recognition in 2020 of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara under President Donald Trump.
Buchan reiterated that position during the visit, saying Washington supports Moroccan sovereignty over the territory and calling for a resolution to the conflict “now, not tomorrow.”
African Lion 2026 includes air, land, naval, cyber and humanitarian operations and has increasingly become a platform for showcasing advanced interoperability between Moroccan and US forces, including joint airpower demonstrations and new battlefield coordination systems.
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