AFRICOM will be Fully Operational by September 2008

Posted by: CareTaker on January 24, 2008 Under: Africa, Discussion Lounge, Podcast, USA

AFRICOM is a new Africa Command headquarters set to coordinate all U.S. military and security interests throughout the continent; it is a topic that has been well discussed and debated on AfricanLoft (http://www.africanloft.com/tag/africom/).

VOA reports “the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) will be fully operational by September 2008, a senior AFRICOM official has revealed.”

AFRICOM Director of Public Affairs, Colonel Patrick Mackin, told VOA that this new command will strengthen U.S. security cooperation with Africa and create new opportunities to bolster the capabilities of U.S. partners in Africa.

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20 comment(s)

Omotaylor | Jan 24, 2008 | Reply

So AFRICOM will not be a large military base or command but a sort of HQ consisting of senior officers, ok, that is for now, but what happens next? What will be the ultimate goal or intent? Lastly where exactly will this HQ be located, please someone tell me.
CareTaker | Jan 24, 2008 | Reply

My guess: Liberia.
Omotaylor | Jan 24, 2008 | Reply

Sounds logical, Liberia the American Colony now home to American Military base. I still think America should be closely watched. Long time ago, America supported Iraq against Iran, years later, Iraq became the enemy. Kuwait was the first excuse, then Sadam Hussain, then Al Queda, but we know what the story is now. American (+allied) presence in Iraq has caused so much grief. May Africa not be the next victim, for it seems the fear of AlQueda training in Africa and the need to monitor this is more the reason for this American base. I am not a supporter of AlQueda and definitely will decry violence ( I almost lost my sister in 911). Nevertheless, I am wary of hidden agenda under the guise of AFRICOM.
Xcroc | Jan 24, 2008 | Reply

I don’t think they want Liberia as an AFRICOM HQ because of almost no infrastructure at present. And I don’t think they want any of the landlocked countries. They like Nigeria as a location, but security may be too problematical there, though they are very much interested in Gulf of Guinea countries, especially Nigeria and Angola. I thought they were interested in Ghana, but so far Ghana has said no. They also are interested in East Africa, with access to the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes and Eastern Congo region. I had thought Kenya might be high on the list. Djibouti is supposed to be the model for how AFRICOM will work.

The reason they are talking about just administrative staff for AFRICOM is because of the PMCs, the mercenaries. US military personnel will shuffle in and out, but very few will stay for more than a few weeks. The US will, and already are, contract with PMCs for a variety of projects. Iraq will inevitably wind down, and the PMCs are looking at Africa for their next jobs. Bush/Cheney plan for PMCs to do most of the work. And corporations also employ PMCs for their purposes. AFRICOM will pass through funding for all the happy face projects - schools, roads, and clinics. It will also pass through money for covert operations. That is where the danger lies.
Omotaylor | Jan 25, 2008 | Reply

Na wa O. My prayer (sorry for sounding partial) is that they do not find Nigeria a favoured location, for this AFRICOM thing sounds suspicious. Thanks for the imput Xcroc, (I say thanks all the time for I learn from all imput) and this helps me.
Xcroc | Jan 26, 2008 | Reply

Omotaylor, I share your prayers. I hope they do not bring it to Ghana as well. Ghana has said no for now, but there are at least 2 places where they have their “lily pad” US military installations. People in Nigeria probably know of similar.

There was another VOA article New US Commander Prepares for Africa Assignment that quoted:

“I see our role as to enable African solutions to African problems,” he said.
. . .
The admiral expresses the mission as “the three Ds,” development, defense and diplomacy,”

One reason the HQ will be mostly administrative staff is they want to use African militaries to do most of the dirty work as proxies, that is the partnering, or “African solutions to African problems”. The US acted against a recount in Kenya. And Ethiopia was the US proxy invading Somalia a year ago. The US provided the bombing coordinated from Djibouti. And they have said several times, Djibouti is the model for AFRICOM.

And 3 Ds? Are they serious? That is almost like a parody of the 3 Cs of the nineteenth century, commerce, christianity, and civilization. The 3 Cs didn’t exactly work out as promised. It sounds like an inside joke at the expense of Africa

As one comment I read put it: it will be used to take another set of 3 C’s out of africa — crude, capital and China!
Omotaylor | Jan 26, 2008 | Reply

Thanks again Xcroc for the explanations. I see the 3 Fs in their endeavour, - Foolery, Fallacy and Failure (as the end result from any unholy liason posed by anyone on Africa).
Bobby | Jan 26, 2008 | Reply

My fellow Africans I can tell you with confidence that Africom HQ will most definately will be in East Africa. ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia to be exact.

Please don’t think that the events that are currently unfolding in the Horn of Africa are mere coincidences.

Their is DIVISION in KENYA created by Kibakis stealing of the elections. This will, ultimately, lead to outside “peace keeping” “intervention”. Instead of the U.S. demanding a recount in what the world is 150% sure is a fraudulent win, the U.S. ambassador had this to say… “I think it would be wrong to say the elections were rigged”

Speaking of rigged, The MAJORITY of Ethiopia is being oppressed by the “democratically” elected “Fierce U.S. ally on terrorism” Tigrai MINORITY. It would be wise to remember that this mercenary regime that:

1. Shot live rounds at and killed it’s own citizens during election fraud protests. Massacred innocent women and children.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=oiRv2jcavH8
2. Created man-made famines by blockading food aid, the red cross and even disallowing reporters without borders to visit the OGADEN region. They bombed and razed countless villages but Assistant U.S. Secretary of State and HEAD OF AFRICAN AFFAIRS Jendayi Frazer said “reports of military atrocities were UNSUBSTANTIATED”-http://crigler-somalia.blogspot.com/2007/09/war-on-terror-or-genocide.html
http://www.ogaden.com/kim281207.htm
3. Invaded Somalia killing thousands, forcing tens of thousands to flee their own homes, reversed the peace and calm maintained by the Islamic Courts, installed a useles and despised FOREIGN puppet government. The U.S. media was quick to call this a “Proxy War” between Ethiopia and Eritrea and even estimated Eritrea to have 2,000 soldiers in Somalia (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/somalia-says-alqaida-is-provoking-allout-war-422758.html). Low and behold a staggering total of ZERO were found.
4. Is currently occupying sovereign Eritrean land. The U.S. urges “the two countries to ‘talk’ about the ‘border dispute’” instead of pressuring Ethiopian soldiers to vacate from UNDISPUTED Eritrean land. Bolton, in his book “Surrender is Not an Option”, even exposed Jendayi Frazer’s plot to reopen the FINAL AND BINDING ERITREA-ETHIOPIA ALGIERS PEACE AGREEMENT. (“…For reasons I never understood Frazer reversed course, and asked in early February to reopen the 2002 decision, which she had concluded was wrong, and award a major piece of disputed territory to Ethiopia. I was at a loss how to explain that to the Security Council, so I didn’t…”)

The U.S. will stop at nothing short of the strategic ERITREAN PORTS, Massawa and ASSAB. They plan on controlling it be it directly or, the most clever of choices, through proxy (i.e. Ethiopia’s coup of the Popular Eritrean Government). If you google Eritrea you can see for yourself that there is a smear campaign out to impugn the Eritrean Government and to undermine the country’s sovereignty. Everything (in the US/UK media will be NEGATIVE)

Please Read “US State Department’s Strategic Mistakes in the Horn of Africa Continue”
http://www.amchron.com/articles/49079

Also visit:
http://biddho.com/
http://meadna.com/
Xcroc | Jan 26, 2008 | Reply

Omotaylor, You made me laugh with the 3 Fs. I think you are exactly right. I even did a blog post using them, giving you credit. Thank you!

Bobby, Ethiopia may well be under consideration as AFRICOM HQ. One drawback for AFRICOM is that Ethiopia is landlocked. The Navy is a big part of AFRICOM. Another drawback should be Ethiopia’s current record on human rights, but I don’t think that bothers Bush. Back in July this article came out saying the US is building a new embassy building in Addis Ababa shaped like a ship. I haven’t been able to find out anything more, if it is correct. But if this is so, it looks like the US is sending a message to Addis. This is a very peculiar thing to build in a landlocked country. Combine that with the way Bush/Cheney have been hyping the “terror threat” from Eritrea, It looks like the US may be trying to help Ethiopia acquire a coastline and a port, through Somalia or Eritrea. I will certainly take a look at the links you mention.
Omotaylor | Jan 27, 2008 | Reply

Xcroc, I will like to read this blog post of yours feauturing the 3fs. What is the link, please?
Xcroc | Jan 27, 2008 | Reply

Omotaylor, I thought I had put in the link, but when I submitted it, the link was not there. I must have goofed. This should work: AFRICOM’s 3 Fs - Foolery, Falacy, and Failure
I hope your 3 Fs catch on. You really captured the essence.
b real | Jan 28, 2008 | Reply

on january 21st, an algerian paper reported that

Morocco is about to conclude an agreement with the United States on the installation with Tan Tan from a base from the military command in Africa (Africom). Information was revealed by Mary Carlin Yates, at the time of a similar videoconference to that of Algiers with the Moroccan journalists with Rabat.

The number two of Africom indicated that members of the American Congress put the last final improvements at an agreement with the Moroccan authorities, during a recent stay in Morocco, so that the base having to shelter the US military command for Africa will be built not far from Tan Tan in the south, in extreme cases of the borders of the Sahara Occidental.

i posted a machine translation of the original here

also, i would not expect AFRICOM to be “fully operational” by late september. too much confusion & the funding has not even been worked out or approved.

also, in the financial times this morning (monday) — The new scramble for Africa’s resources

Research by John S Herold estimates that, between 2002 and 2006, publicly-listed oil companies tripled their spending in Africa, a rate that was 20 per cent more than their spending across the world during the same period.
…
Much of the capacity being added on the continent may be too far offshore to be affected by the kind of militancy seen in the delta. But US policymakers nevertheless remain deeply concerned about stability in oil-producing zones. In response to this concern, President Bush last year ordered the creation of Africom, a dedicated US military command centre for Africa which is expected to be situated in a yet-to-be chosen country on the continent.
Omotaylor | Jan 28, 2008 | Reply

Dear Xcroc, read the post on your site -Crossed Crocodile and found it simple, clear and straight to the point. Well done and thanks for the belief in me. God bless. One thing though you may need to amend the link or add this to it so that it takes the reader straight to the comments on this post for the link you used goes straight to my author’s pages and does not tally with this post on Africom. Try:

http://www.africanloft.com/africom-will-be-fully-operational-by-september-2008/
Xcroc | Jan 28, 2008 | Reply

Omotaylor, I linked to your page, and to the African Loft post. The article link was next after your name. I went back in and changed the wording so I hope it is a bit more clear. If I quote or borrow someone’s work, and that person has a webpage, I always like to link to it, and to the specific work. 3 Fs is right on the money. They are certainly engaging in Foolery and Falacy. Insofar as they are dishonest and exploitive, I hope they meet with Failure.
Bobby | Jan 28, 2008 | Reply

@b real I have searched and found no credible source/evidence to lead me into thinking that the US wants a base in West Africa. On the contrary, I have found sources that point in the other direction.

“Morocco, which has been mentioned as a possible site for the new command and is one of the strongest U.S. allies in the region, didn’t roll out the welcome mat, either. After the U.S. delegation visited Rabat, the capital, on June 11, the Moroccan foreign ministry strongly denied a claim by an opposition political party that the kingdom had already offered to host AFRICOM. A ministry statement called the claim “baseless information.” - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/23/AR2007062301318.html

If you don’t see the clues about U.S. and The Horn of Africa:

1. Kenya: Just substitute Kenya and Kibaki for Cuba and Chavez. Would the U.S. have the same stance? (i.e. not calling for a recount and instead calling for “an end to opposition rallies” and a “political pact” that would keep the unelected Chavez in power)

3. Somalia: We already know that is going on there.

2. Ethiopia: The US is, to this day,Militarily and financially supporting Meles’ regime in the brutal invasion/occupation of Somalia. Also, Washington is encouraging Ethiopia to renegotiate a Final and Binding Agreement in which the State Department itself was a guarantor of.

3. Eritrea: The US is considering adding Eritrea to the list of State Sponsors of Terror despite it being the first African country ever to Fight Bin Laden and his ideology. In ASMARA, Eritrea, Dec. 10, 2002, Donald Rumsfeld even said: “The United States can learn much about combating terror from the people of this small African nation.”
“If there is one country where the fighting of extremists and terrorists was a priority when it mattered, it was Eritrea,” said Ted Dagne, an Africa specialist for the Congressional Research Service.

4. Uganda: Museveni, whom supported the Somalia Invasion/Occupation is now sending in “peace-keeping” troops into Mogadishu. Can you guess who is going to “win” the next Ugandan elections?

5. Djibouti: “Djibouti has been cooperating in the US-led war against terrorism, and several hundred American troops have been stationed at Le Monier barracks since April 2002. On 19 September 2002 US military officials said 800 special-operations troops have been moved to Djibouti…” - http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/djibouti.htm

With Sudan and Egypt right by, the Christian-dominated Ethiopian government (along with Eritrea’s ports) is what Washington is pursuing.

Thank you @Xcroc, you hit it right on the nose. Its sad that almost all Ethiopians and Eritreans know this AS FACT but it somehow slips the West’s media spotlight.

Although I don’t rule out Morocco being strategically interesting, I am pretty sure that this is just a diversion. Port Massawa (Eritrea) and more importantly, Port Assab (Eritrea), which the State Department is encouraging Ethiopia to try to somehow deceptively “negotiate” in the “border dispute”, is where Washington has it’s eyes set on.

Join the majority of Africans uniting against Africom.

Ethiopia: Ultimate Betrayal of Africa? Africom - http://www.africanpath.com/p_blogEntry.cfm?blogEntryID=2645

Say No To Africom - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_CDUZWDRDk

Enjoy this song about the Horn of Africa
http://youtube.com/watch?v=3yAFIxu0BgA

I believe that the Eritrean model is the anti-venom for the colonial snake.
b real | Jan 28, 2008 | Reply

reuters: U.S. defers sensitive Africa HQ decision for now

STUTTGART, Germany, Jan 28 (Reuters) - A year after President George W. Bush approved its creation, the new U.S. military command for Africa is finding its feet but has quietly dropped talk of basing itself on the African continent.

Largely carved out of U.S. European Command, based in Stuttgart, Germany, the new Africa Command (Africom) will stay there for now as its leaders try to switch the debate away from the controversial headquarters issue and on to the “added value” it aims to bring to Africa.

“In the near to mid-term, and for the foreseeable future, we’re going to be here and from here we can do all the activities that we need to do with our African partners,” Africom’s deputy commander, Vice Admiral Robert Moeller, said in an interview on Monday in Stuttgart.

Where U.S. officials once spoke confidently of plans to base the command in Africa, shared between several countries, they now stress the multiple conditions that would need to be fulfilled.

“If it’s in the desire and the interests of our African partners in that regard then we’ll look for an opportunity to do that where it makes sense to do so, but only obviously where we’re invited,” Moeller said.

a bit late, but a PR move nonetheless

—

bobby,

I have searched and found no credible source/evidence to lead me into thinking that the US wants a base in West Africa.

1. did you read up on activities in san tome & principe? did you read the “cheney report” which, among most studies, puts an emphasis on west africa — specifically the “gulf of guinea” region — as the key source for light, sweet crude already located in shipping channels to western refineries?

2. bases, hubs, what diff does it make? RIT’s. regional integration teams, that is. hubs in a wider network cast throughout the continent and connected to two headquarters - a unified command HQ and a dedicated joint intel ops ctr (JIOC), neither of which has to be physically seated in its AOR (ala SOUTHCOM & CENTCOM). much talk of modeling itself on the AU model. parasite/host, this ain’t no fluke.

3. what was one of the first outreaches that AFRICOM projected after oct 2007? it wasn’t to africa. it was to capitalists & investors at conferences on developing the export infrastructure in the continent’s oil-producing regions. the u.s. used AFRICOM to calm investor fears about the “instability” of these regions by trotting out AFRICOM as the u.s. military guarantor that unrest & conflict are being addressed. (the “terrorism” malarky — which actually refers to “extreme resistance” — is only a pretext which then generates a life of its own w/i top-down institutions that cannot see outside of their mandate.)

4. the u.s. military already has it’s own property w/i morocco & this new construction mentioned in that article i linked to sounds like more than just the CSL (lily-pad) that already exists. check out the port near tan-tan. i’m thinking RIT hub.

5. yes, the HOA and east africa are seen as “fronts” in the GWOT, where current “stability” operations are in effect, and, at the moment, addis ababa does seem the obvious choice for a physical HQ presence, however, the prime booty is in the west. that is where investors want assurance of order & accountability. the stuff coming online in central & east africa is still a long way off from trickling downstream.

Just substitute Kenya and Kibaki for Cuba and Chavez

not following you on this. at all.

kibaki is the latest official entrant into the dictators club trusted w/ ensuring the political stability of the region, joining museveni, kagame, and zenawi as guarantors of a pax americana, strategic interests & all that.
Omotaylor | Jan 29, 2008 | Reply

@Xcroc, thanks
b real | Feb 13, 2008 | Reply

@Bobby

this is from a feb 7th CSIS press briefing on the u.s. president’s trip to africa

Morrison: Liberia, for its part, is looking for more from us. … They very much want AFRICOM to make Liberia its headquarters. And there has been a big push from the president of Liberia to our president. Secretary of State Rice has been lobbying on behalf of this. DOD and the new leadership of AFRICOM are fighting this internally for reasons that we can discuss. I think there may be some compromise position in terms of putting some kind of modest AFRICOM presence into Liberia as a regional presence because AFRICOM is seeking to create four regional offices.

…

Cooke: Some of those fears about AFRICOM have been somewhat allayed kind of by, one, the ratcheting back of the explanations about what AFRICOM is and the postponement of the debate about where to base it.

Steve talked about Liberia as being one of the big advocates for basing it in Liberia. I think State Department was favoring that option. DOD actually until fairly recently was pushing for Kenya. But just the politics of that, I think AFRICOM has fairly successfully said, look, we’re based in Stuttgart until further notice.
bobby | Feb 18, 2008 | Reply

Thanks for the link. But I still have my doubts on Liberia. Will a super power shift its strategies because Liberia desperately wants to host Africom? No.

I don’t listen to what people say, especially politicians. Actions speak louder than words.

It just doesn’t make any sense that if the HOA is in the front line on the GWOT that Africom is established far far away. Why did the robber choose to rob the bank? Because thats where the money is at.

Most indications are telling me that the reason the U.S. is stalling on naming the main HQ for Africom is that they are waiting for Kenya to stabilize and it’s “strong ally” on the GWOT, Ethiopia, to maintain it’s dominance over the region. I hope that we all are aware about the Strong Military Presence in Djibouti.

Thats where the “money” is at.

@b real, Would the U.S. have had the same stance with Chavez if he “won” elections how Kibaki did? No. Washington would have had a much more tougher stance to say the least.
b real | Feb 18, 2008 | Reply

putting the HQ on the upper eastern coast of the continent does make sense as a projection of power aimed directly at china (primarily) & india, while still preserving the pretext of the phony war on islamic resistance to…erm, GWOT

those are two central main reasons that the HOA is given the frontline status - that & the CJTF-HOA colony protecting the communication line to the suez canal

there is still a good argument to be made that the need to “develop” the capacity of the oil-producing regions in the west requires a strong show of u.s. military backing before enough investors feel comfortable committing the capital needed to exploit resources at the levels projected as necessary to maintain the “first world”’s way of living

DoD would have to be very desperate to base the HQ in liberia, as about the only advantage would be that they only need a few more stars & stripes to the flag to make it an official colony

re kibaki - the u.s. has actively promoted the overthrow of chavez, including the 2002 aborted coup

by contrast, the u.s. actively prevented the removal of kibaki, as the alternative was a populist-oriented mvmt that directly threatened u.s. interests

there is little difference in their stance on either - and it is definitely not a passive one

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