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AP: U.S. Increasing Military
in Africa
By ALEXANDRA ZAVIS
Associated Press Writer
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AP) - The United States is scaling up its
military presence in Africa as concern mounts over terrorist threats - both
immediate and future - on the continent, the deputy head of American forces in
Europe said Friday.
``The threat is not weakening, it is growing,'' Air Force Gen. Charles Wald
said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press from Luanda, Angola.
``We can't just sit back and let it grow.''
The focus on Africa is part of major restructuring as U.S. forces in Europe
reposition for the war against terror.
The European Command oversees U.S. military activities in Africa excluding
the Horn, site of a U.S. counterterrorism effort for northeast Africa and Yemen.
Africa is a growing strategic interest to the United States because of its
terror links and its oil, which is seen as a possible alternative to Middle East
fuel.
European Command is not looking to station large concentrations of troops on
the continent, Wald said. But it intends to make its presence felt through joint
exercises, training initiatives and other exchanges.
U.S. forces have also negotiated access to a number of sites, including air
strips in Angola and Gabon, that can be used for stopovers, refueling, or to
position troops and equipment.
Wald said this will allow U.S. forces to respond with light, mobile troops -
whether for peacekeeping, crisis response or a specific terrorist threat.
``We're actually going to get more capability with less force because of our
ability to move around fast,'' he said.
Key to the effort is supporting the development of regional security groups,
improving the capabilities of African police and soldiers, and building
relationships with governments and militaries, Wald said.
Wald is one of at least three top U.S. commanders to touch down in Africa in
the past two weeks, following the U.S. commander in Europe, Marine Gen. James L.
Jones. And Wald said he expects to be back about every three months.
Wald's trip includes stops in regional military powers Nigeria and South
Africa; oil-rich Angola, Gabon and Sao Tome and Principe; and Algeria and Niger,
whose vast desert expanses are seen as a potential haven for terrorists.
At the same time, U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Kohler, the European
Command's point man on planning for force reconfiguration, has been visiting the
Saharan nations of Mauritania, Mali and Niger.
The three generals are leaders in proposals awaiting a decision in Washington
to shift from Cold War-era troop buildups in Western Europe to smaller
concentrations closer to the world's trouble spots.
``We are going to do business differently,'' Wald said. ``Waiting for a
crisis to occur just isn't the way to do business any more.''
The general said there were specific terrorist threats in Africa at the
moment, which he declined to characterize. But the United States is also
convinced there will be more threats in the future.
``Nothing is really immune, particularly areas that traditionally have weak
government or an inability to control their territory,'' Wald said.
The al-Qaida terror network has already staged deadly attacks in East Africa,
bombing U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, and a Kenyan hotel in
2002.
Western military and security officials also worry about possible terrorist
activity along ancient Sahara trading routes linking Arab and African nations.
They suspect terror groups have already set up training camps in the remote
deserts of Mali and Niger.
Of particular concern is the Algeria-based Salafist Group for Call and
Combat, which allegedly has ties to al-Qaida. The group was blamed in the
kidnapping of 32 European tourists in the Sahara last year.
The United States is helping train and equip four Sahara nations - Mali,
Niger, Mauritania and Chad - to better guard their porous borders against
terrorists, arms and other trafficking.
There are also agreements to conduct exercises and training in Algeria,
Tunisia and Morocco, Wald said.
Further south, the United States wants to protect oil supplies in the Gulf of
Guinea, where it gets 15 percent of its oil.
There is also concern that Africa's major humanitarian crises could develop
into security threats for the United States and Europe.
Wald singled out AIDS, which is cutting a swath through many of the
continent's armies. The European command supports a pioneering treatment program
run by South African military health services.
Africa, with its grinding poverty, spiraling conflicts and disenchanted
youth, is also a recruiting ground for terrorists, Wald said.
``Africa, we all know, has to work itself out of this situation, which is
going to take time,'' he said. ``In the meantime, we have to respond to some
specific threats.'' The Mulindwas Communication Group
"With Yoweri Museveni, Uganda is in anarchy" Groupe de communication Mulindwas "avec Yoweri Museveni, l'Ouganda est dans l'anarchie" |
