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by Tunde Adelakun

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The United States military base to be cited in Africa also code named AFRICOM has been generating issues both within and outside the continent in recently.

During the recent visit to the United States by the Nigerian president,he was quoted to have committed Nigeria to the United States Defence department's sponsored Unified Combat Command .The Nigerian president reportedly said that AFRICOM ,which is to be responsible for the US military operations in and military relations with the 53 African Nations ,except Egypt,could help not only in the establishment of the African stand-by Force,but also in the proposed Gulf of Guinea Force where troops would be contributed by the countries within the region.

Most African leaders that the new proposed partnership on security would assist Africa in the areas of training,equipping and providing other logistical support for the African stand-by force,in which countries within the continent would contribute troops.The American president had stated that AFRICOM "would advance common goals of peace, security, development, health,education,democracy and economic growth of US and Africa".

Since the meeting of African leaders on the issue,the statements attributed to the American president as well African leaders has been attracting criticism.Concerns has been raised on the implications of having foreign troops stationed on the African continent.For instance, African leaders have been accused of trading off the continent's sovereignty in order to get America's recognition and support for their unserious and non-challant undemocratic rule'.Many African governments are however hypocritical in associating with this US military agenda.

To be fully operational by September 2008,the Command is planned to have a distributed command that will be networked across several African countries.But American officials insist that the purpose of AFRICOM is to establish good governance across the continent and not to undermine the sovereignty of any country.American government has threatened to withhold aids to African countries that opposes its agenda.This alone has infuriated some African scholars who see the move as nothing but selfish.

The United state Congress has approved about $500 million for the Trans-Saharan counter-terrorism initiative over 6 years to support African countries,involved in war against alleged threats from Al-Qaeda. US aids and development projects in Africa are expanding rapidly.The US plans to increase its aids from $15 billion to $30 billion over the next 5 years,in addition to $1.2 billion to fight malaria and other ravaging diseases still prominent in Africa.

To the ordinary African,the thinking is that the establishment of AFRICOM in Africa will naturally attract terrorist groups attack on the continent.To some, the increasing importance of Africa's oil to American energy needs,and the dramatic expansion and improvement of sino-African relations might have called for the establishment of the security operations.

Another concern to most African scholars and opinionists is that the US intelligent has estimated that the United States will buy 25 percent of its oil from Africa by 2015,especially from the sahara/sahel region and the gulf of Guinea,whose oil resources are expected to increase significantly.The rising tension in Nigeria's Niger-Delta region,which supplies the largest amount of oil to the United States from Africa ,all these added up for the sudden interest in Africa's security system.

Apart from these factors, AFRICOM concept may seriously hamper Africa's independent foreign policies,As any US facilities could easily become targets for terrorists,it will be counter-productive for Africa to be caught in the web of international politics,instead,African governments should support all efforts towards strengthening the African Union as the continent's common security structure.

Learn more about this author, Tunde Adelakun.

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