Recent Development on The fight For AfricaChina v USA

[cynical lady]

US to have Africa military command. The US airforce has recently been in action

in Somalia.

The US president has approved plans to create a US military command for Africa, a move that reflects increasing US strategic interests in the continent.

 

George Bush said in a statement on Tuesday that he had asked Robert Gates, his defence secretary, to get the new "Africom" unit up and running by the end of September 2008.

 

The United States would work closely with African allies to choose a location for the new command in Africa, he said.

 

"This new command will strengthen our security cooperation with Africa and create new opportunities to bolster the capabilities of our partners in Africa," Bush said.

 

"Africa Command will enhance our efforts to bring peace and security to the people of Africa and promote our common goals of development, health, education, democracy and economic growth in Africa."

 

'Following the oil'

 

Bush's decision comes as Washington grows increasingly concerned about growing "Islamist militancy" in parts of Africa.

 

The US is also concerned at Chinese attempts to gain greater control over the continent's natural resources.

 

 

US military in Africa

Djibouti - More than 1,500 US troops have been based in Camp Lemonier, in Djibouti, a tiny Horn of Africa nation since 2002. In 2006 the military said it would expand Camp Lemonier from its present 88 acres to more than 600. Djibouti is the centre of US operations in the Horn of Africa.

 

Ethiopia - US troops and diplomats are believed have worked closely with the Ethiopian army which recently helped the Somali government defeat the Islamic Courts Union in early 2007.

 

Egypt - The US supplies the Egyptian army with over $1 billion of military equipment annually. Two US battalions are also stationed in Egypt's Sinai peninsula as a part of a peace agreement between Egypt and Israel.

 

Somaliland - In 2005 a detachment of US troops reportedly landed in Somaliland, a break-away region of Somalia, to search for members of Al-Qaeda.

 

Elsewhere in Africa - US troops have also helped train anti-terrorism forces of Algeria, Chad, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda amongst others.

 

 

Hu Jintao, the Chinese president has been on a seven country tour of the continent, during which he has pledged to write off $70 million worth of Sudanese debt.

 

Josh Rushing, Al Jazeera's military analyst, told the Inside Story programme that Africa Command came down to simply "following the oil".

 

Meanwhile on the same programme Salim Lone an international affairs analyst and a former UN spokesman, lamented the planned US military intervention.

 

"Finally an engagement has been made with Africa but a military one," he said.

 

Referring to the growing Chinese presence in the continetn, Lone said: "If the Chinese giving aid [to Africa] is 'colonisation' then what is Africa Command?"

 

Long-term plans

 

However Gates said that the creation of Africom would allow the US to focus it's resources more closely on Africa.

 

"This command will enable us to have a more effective and integrated approach than the current arrangement of dividing Africa between Central Command and European Command - an outdated arrangement left over from the Cold War," Gates told the US Senate's armed services committee.

 

At present, the US military's deployments to Africa are handled by Central Command, which handles the Middle East and Horn of Africa, European Command which covers northern Africa and Pacific Command which has responsibility for Madagascar and some smaller islands.

 

The commands are unified, meaning they control assets from different armed services.

 

Involvement in Africa

 

The US is already extensively involved in Africa, working closely with several Arab nations in north Africa as well as with other countries further south.

 

The US army began working in west and central Africa in 2002, teaching local armies basic techniques to help them locate and destroy militant groups in the region.

 

"If the Chinese giving aid is 'colonisation' then what is Africa Command?"

 

Salim Lone

US forces also carried out at least two air strikes in Somalia last month, targeting al-Qaeda fighters.

 

Al-Qaeda carried out near simultaneous car bombings at the US embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in 1998, killing more than 250 people.

 

The US, the world's biggest energy consumer, also hopes the Gulf of Guinea region in West Africa will provide up to a quarter of its oil imports within a decade.

 

Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman, said that Pentagon officials would flesh out plans for the new command at a briefing on Wednesday.

 

we all understand the notion of "there is no such thing as free lunch" but it seems like Africa is being maped out again.

 

I am for CHINA

"help them realize sustainable development" is there aim. Most African countries suffer from exporting raw materials which is not economically advantages reasons being they lack on investments, man power knowledge etc, hence we dont get alot for our exports, we bloody hell cant feed ourselvz let alot compete in the world market. the chines are investing eventhough they want a stake on the African oil, but there willing to go beyound other western nations.

 

If China increase there resources cooperation and building factories and provided technical and management training courses in a bid to increase the added value of their exported commodities, thus increasing the competitiveness of their products. By this both paries are enjoying the perks of such union ie come any kind of investment in a dying economy the multiplier effect takes place hence improving the nations overrall creation of jobs, improving living standards, GDP and balance of payment, yes wipping out african debt is something but its not helping us, most of the western countries aid calculations projections are mere facade u have to look at what they add in the basket of what amounts to aid to knw that what ure getting from what they told the media there giving 2 u are 2 very different things.

 

Furthermore, all we get is aid interms of money not equipments or helping us build bridges or factories which the chinese are so do i wlc them on board yes yes.

 

I am in no illusion of there aim in Africa there there to expoit our resourses, not spread there ideology. China is on a search for energy resources in Africa and when China shops it shops big there interest in Africa triggerd a tug of war ie now the EU is worried abt china stating that there busy wipping african debt china is increasing its loans to them etc i am cynical on that, USA welll Bush is frustrated becos he knws his plans for world dominations is being tamperd on. hence the current plan. Bush statement on the command is its going to help the African nations by creating new opportunities, buster there capabilities, bring peace and security. Now that i find insulting, USA and peace dont go hand in hand u only have to look at the havok they have coused with there lust for world domination to knw they should not be trusted and should be viewd with caution.

 

anywho,what is ure take on current development in the fight for Africa?