Support missions in Africa face suspicion

[unhappycamper]

Rwandan peacekeepers board a C-130 Hercules from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, following a sixth-month deployment supporting African Union missions in the Darfur region of Sudan. The commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe says support for foreign militaries will continue as the U.S. expands its footprint in Africa.


Support missions in Africa face suspicion
By Todd Pittman - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Nov 13, 2007 18:03:10 EST

DAKAR, Senegal — Just a few years ago, the U.S. military was rarely seen in the oil-rich waters of West Africa’s Gulf of Guinea. This year, it plans to be there every day.

The strategic importance of Africa and its natural resources is on the rise, and the Defense Department last month created a new unified U.S. military command for the continent called Africom.

The first official Africom mission began Nov. 5 when a Navy cruiser, the Fort McHenry, arrived in Senegal’s capital for a half-year training exercise for African naval forces around the Gulf of Guinea.

For American commanders, Africom means consolidating responsibility for a continent previously split among three other regional commands, each of which viewed Africa as a secondary interest. However, Africom’s creation has provoked so much skepticism on the continent that one of the most basic questions — where it will be located — remains unresolved.

Some Africans are concerned the new command could draw the continent deeper into the global war on terrorist groups. Others wonder if it is meant to protect America’s competitive stake in African oil and other resources increasingly sought by rising powers like China and India.


Rest of article at: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2007/11/airforce_africom_071113/



uhc comment: Previous threads about Africom:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=259&topic_id=4370
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=259&topic_id=4586
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=259&topic_id=4735
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=259&topic_id=6333
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=259&topic_id=6337
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=259&topic_id=6654