US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo addressed Senegal's security concerns on a visit to the country.
Violence on the continent by armed groups such as the ISIL (ISIS) group in the Greater Sahara and Boko Haram has doubled, with 4,000 deaths last year, according to the United Nations.
Pompeo said that he would work with Senegal and other countries to fight the rising attacks.
But he also warned of China's growing economic influence in Africa.
Al Jazeera's Nicolas Haque reports from Dakar.
