U.S. Africa Command Civilian Harm Assessment Process
U.S. Africa Command has made it a priority to be as transparent as possible; we are committed to providing as much information as possible about a strike while protecting U.S. and partner forces movements, intelligence collection methods, operational details, and any other information the enemy could us for their own gain.
U.S. Africa Command reviews all available information related to civilian harm reports, including relevant information provided by third parties. The Command produces a quarterly civilian harm report and has an online interface available for anyone to submit a civilian harm report.
U.S. Africa Command thoroughly reviews all reports of civilian harm within its area of responsibility, regardless of origin. Each report is evaluated by a Command team that includes legal, intelligence, and operations experts. When an investigation is required, it is conducted by a command that was not involved in the correlated strike to ensure independent and objective assessment.
U.S. Africa Command provides public updates on civilian harm reports received and the status or outcomes of reviews, assessments, and investigations on its website. These results are considered final unless new, previously unassessed, relevant information becomes available that could change previously approved findings, or if other issues emerge that cast significant doubt on the accuracy of the previously approved assessment’s results.