The United States is scaling up its military presence in Africa as concern mounts over terrorist threats on the continent, the deputy head of American forces in Europe said.
”The threat is not weakening, it is growing,” US Air Force General Charles Wald said in a telephone interview on Friday from Luanda, Angola. ”We can’t just sit back and let it grow.”
The focus on Africa is part of major restructuring as US forces in Europe reposition for the war against terror.
The European Command oversees US military activities in Africa — excluding the Horn of Africa — the site of a US counterterrorism effort for northeast Africa and Yemen.
Africa is of growing strategic interest to the United States because of its terror links and its oil, 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.
US 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 US 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 strong regional security groups, improving the capabilities of African police and soldiers, and building relationships with the continent’s governments and militaries, Wald said.
Wald is one of at least three top US commanders to touch down in Africa over the past two weeks, following on the heels of the US commander in Europe, Marine General James Jones. He 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, US Air Force Major General 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.”
Wald said there were specific terrorist threats in Africa at the moment, which he declined to characterise. But the United States is also convinced there will be more threats in future.
”Nothing is really immune, particularly areas that traditionally have weak governments or an inability to control their territory,” he said.
The al-Qaeda terror network has already staged deadly attacks in East Africa, bombing the US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in August 1998, and a Kenyan hotel in November 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-Qaeda. 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 Saharan nations — Mali, Niger, Mauritania and Chad — to better guard their notoriously 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, from which it draws 15% 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 the devastating Aids pandemic, which is cutting a swathe through many of the continent’s armies. The European command supports a pioneering treatment programme 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.” – Sapa-AP