NASSIR Posted September 23, 2009 Aljazeera "Africom was a consequence of the so-called war on terror. In Somalia, Rageh explores how this war created the very threat – a violent Jihadi movement – it claimed to be fighting, and what this meant for Somalia's future. Moving north, Rageh looks at US involvement with governments in the Sahel, a region rich in mineral resources. AFRICOM troops are providing arms, military support and training in response to a perceived extremist threat. But critics say, the threat is internal dissent and US policy risks creating, as in Somalia, the real issue. The Delta region of West Africa provides Africom's biggest dilemma. Rich in oil resources, the region is vital to US future energy needs. Africom offers military training to local governments here – including Cameroonian troops involved in the brutal suppression of their own people. Can Obama make a decisive break with the path set in Africa by the Bush administration? Until rhetoric is seen to govern practice, Obama and Africom seem set to repeat past mistakes and become further involved in a messy, self-fulfilling prophecy. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
