The United States Unified Combatant Command in Africa (AFRICOM), unveiled on February 6, 2007, has met stern resistance from several African countries. With millions of US dollars pumped into North African and East African counterterrorism programs, the US Department of Defense (DoD) and US Department of State (DoS) officials are nervous, and confused, over the rigid opposition to hosting its headquarters within Africa’s borders.
Several North African governments and their societies believe they are justified in their reasons for either flatly rejecting to host the Command or providing a very cool shoulder to lean on. Primarily, their response stems from growing skepticism in the mission of AFRICOM in light of obvious US vested interests in the continent and previous interventions in the Horn.
However, we contend that if the Command promotes and advances its mission of humanitarian aid and development promised to fulfill a permanent location in Africa, it would receive a much warmer welcome by the ruling governments and ultimately the people.
Popular Unease
In North Africa, Algeria and Libya, separately ruled out hosting AFRICOM during a US delegation’s visit to the region last month and are firmly against their neighbors doing so either. The depth of opposition disappoints US diplomats, given that the Bush Administration bolstered ties with both Algeria and Libya on security measures in recent years. More dismaying was Morocco’s unnatural coolness toward the idea of hosting the Command.
• We believe, however, that the unexpected stern response from African governments is a reflection of public opposition to US policies in the predominantly Muslim region.
Many in the region feel their governments have had too many dealings with the US in the war on terror. The regimes are quickly realizing that the idea is very unpopular and it is predominantly because Africans are suspicious about the mission of AFRICOM.
According to DoD, the mission for the Command is to “work in concert and with partners [in Africa] to achieve a more stable environment in which 1) political and economic growth can take place, and 2) humanitarian and development assistance can be supported more effectively” (Previous Report). AFRICOM is meant to help “prevent and respond to humanitarian crises, improve cooperative efforts to stem transnational terrorism and sustain enduring efforts that contribute to African unity and bolster security on the continent.”
Regional Governments Wary
However, several issues are at the forefront of many African governments when thinking about how a US presence in the continent would in fact help them:
• The US DoS leading the North African counterterrorism partnership, which also includes economic and humanitarian aid programs, has not been performing up to the standards prescribed at the onset of the program. Foreign government officials expect the US to do more on these fronts before taking a more prominent military role in Africa.
• Governments remain wary, having seen that a US military footprint in Djibouti, the Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA), led to operations such as Somalia, where the US led secret air strikes in southern Somalia targeting al-Qaeda affiliated terrorists in January 2007 (Previous Report).
• The rising violence in Nigeria’s Delta region may well be the tipping point where AFRICOM’s humanitarian focus founders. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) militants have already succeeded in shutting off approximately 711,000 barrels per day of Nigeria’s daily output of 2.5 million, nearly one quarter of the country’s exports (Previous Report). If a combination of militant attacks and general strikes completely paralyzed Nigerian production, it would seem highly unlikely that US military forces would sit by idly as oil shipments from America’s third largest oil exporter ground to a halt.
Demonstrate Benefits
Many Africans fear that the nexus of energy, poverty and terrorism may swiftly push AFRICOM beyond its stated humanitarian objectives. With the imminent threat of terrorism in North and East Africa, Africans fear that the focus will quickly shift from aid to military intervention. However, combating terrorism is a clear objective of AFRICOM, but it is not meant to trump the developmental aspects of the Command.
• We believe the most successful method to gain the “hearts and minds” of citizens in Africa to trust in the mission and vision of AFRICOM is by demonstrating the benefits of the Command upfront to a host nation.
Western Sahara Could Host AFRICOM Headquarters
• We believe a potential location for AFRICOM would be in Western Sahara.
The number of terrorist training camps being uncovered in Western Sahara is on the rise. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has been utilizing the scarcely patrolled and ineffectively governed territory to round up militants from all around North and Central Africa to train for attacks.
• We believe that placing the AFRICOM headquarters in Western Sahara would greatly deter terrorist activities in the region and demonstrate the value of AFRICOM throughout Africa.
The US would be fueling the development process in the undefined territory through various developmental, humanitarian, and socioeconomic programs. In recent weeks, the United Nations has been brokering promising talks between Morocco and Western Sahara in hopes that the Algerian-backed Polisario will indeed gain independence from the Moroccan government. The historical conflict between the two countries is the major reason for the lack of cooperation and intelligence sharing between Algeria and Morocco – a significant stall in the fight again terrorism in North Africa.