Looks like another country has said no to being the home of the US new African Command.


More armed US soldiers are not welcome in Africa, said Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota yesterday.

Any country that allowed itself to be a base for the US strategic command in Africa (Africom) would have to live with the consequences, Lekota said.

Africom's recent creation has been interpreted as the US suddenly recognising the strategic importance of Africa to the US.

Last month it was reported that Lekota was not responding to US requests for him to meet the first Africom commander, Gen Kip Ward.


LINKI

Another story along the same lines.


There is broad consensus among African countries that foreign forces - specifically in the form of the United States' new African Command - would not be welcomed to establish themselves on the continent.

Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota expressed this sentiment Wednesday, during a briefing on the implementation of government's programme of action by Cabinet's International Relations, Peace and Security cluster.

The minister indicated a hesitance on the part of African countries to host the US's new dedicated command for the continent.

"The Africom [the US Africa Command] initiative has raised a lot of interest and attracted a lot of attention because ... Africa has to avoid the presence of foreign forces on her soil," Mr Lekota told reporters on Wednesday.


LINK

Any country that allowed itself to be a base for the US strategic command in Africa (Africom) would have to live with the consequences,

I guess we can't offer them a big enough carrot to be our friend.

The minister indicated a hesitance on the part of African countries to host the US's new dedicated command for the continent.

I'm sure they will find a host country. They just don't seem to be rushing into an agreement yet. If all fails we will just invade one. Surely there is a government we could overthrow.

The Bush admin has f*cked up the world and most see this new military command as an invitation for terroists and their bombs.

Good point CHUQ, we attract terrorist like flies.

We will put any country indanger. Why? OIL! They6 are finding more and more massive oil reserves in Africa. Since most African gots are fed by corruption; it would be the perfectr place for gfreed and American companies.

And the rejection just keeps growing.


Lusaka, Sep 1 (Xinhua) The Zambian government has rebuffed the attempts by the US to establish a military base in the southern African country.

According to a report published by Daily Mail Saturday, Zambian President Mwanawasa said each country had its own sovereignty to decide on any matter and Zambia would not allow the establishment of a military base in the country.

Mwanawasa, who is also chairman of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), also said none of the SADC countries were interested in the matter.

'As Zambia, we will not be giving sanctuary and I think I can speak on behalf of the SADC region that none of us is interested,' he said.

The US has been approaching African countries on the possibility of establishing its military base on the continent, in order to secure a presence for its newly set up Africa Command (AFRICOM), now temporarily housed in Germany.


SOURCE

Algeria rejects US military presence.

ALGIERS, Sept 12 (KUNA) -- Algeria renewed refusal to building US military bases on its territories but said the rejection was not against Washington but any foreign presence in general.

Algerian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mourad Medelci was quoted by the Algerian radio as saying his country was open for cooperation with world in all fields including economy and culture, but rejects any foreign presences on its land.

The Algerian minister stressed his country's relation with Washington is good at many levels, noting that the United States did not request for the establishment of bases on its territories.


LINK

Algerian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mourad Medelci was quoted by the Algerian radio as saying his country was open for cooperation with world in all fields including economy and culture, but rejects any foreign presences on its land.

Smart move. All we will bring is controversy.

Do not forget to mention the democracy that we cary around with us. LOL

Nice plan, but NO ONE wants the US presence.



Much of the work for U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), the U.S. military’s newest geographic command, likely will be done by five teams, each deployed to and designed for a specific region of the continent.
The plans for these “regional integration teams” are still being laid, but Pentagon officials want a “split-based, tailored presence” there, not a one-size-fits-all approach that might produce dividends in one region but chaos in another, according to Department of Defense documents prepared in mid-September.
One team will go to the northern, eastern, southern, central and western portions of the continent, mirroring the African Union’s five regional economic communities, the briefing documents say.
The idea is to “establish regional presence on the African continent which would facilitate appropriate interaction with existing Africa political-military organizations,” one of the Sept. 14 briefings says.


LINK

It is official, the US now has a militray command for Africa.


U.S. Africa Command, or AFRICOM, officially stood up today when the organization reached its "initial operating capability" (IOC) to start functioning as the Pentagon's newest regionally-focused headquarters.

General William E. "Kip" Ward was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on September 28 as AFRICOM's first commander.

AFRICOM's IOC marks a realignment of the U.S. Defense Department's regional command structure, creating one headquarters staff that is responsible to the Secretary of Defense for U.S. military relations with 53 countries on the African continent. For its first year, AFRICOM will operate under U.S. European Command (EUCOM), which currently has responsibility for the bulk of U.S.-African military relationships, as it progressively accepts oversight of the many programs and activities that the U.S. military conducts with African nations. AFRICOM is projected to become a fully operational unified command by October 2008


LINK

Another analysis of the new command.


Johannesburg, South Africa - When the Bush administration announced the creation of a new Africa Command within its military forces last February, many African diplomats were horrified. Some expressed fears that the US military would follow in the colonial footsteps of Europe in establishing a military presence on the continent with an eye toward controlling Africa's vast resources.

But a few African leaders said, "It's about time."

This week, Africom – as it is known – becomes officially operational, and the man expected to be confirmed as its first commander, Gen. William Ward, will have his work cut out for him in explaining just what the US military intends to do in Africa.

"We can't be the fire department always," says Theresa Whelan, deputy assistant secretary of Defense for African affairs. "We don't have the capacity to constantly run around and solve this disaster and that disaster. Other people have to develop their own fire departments, but we can help them develop their own capacity."


LINK

Some expressed fears that the US military would follow in the colonial footsteps of Europe in establishing a military presence on the continent with an eye toward controlling Africa's vast resources

We can't even control Iraq, how would we control Africa?

That is a good question. Ask another one, if not for oil how imporant would Africa be?