On October 4th the Center for Strategic and International Studies presented a discussion by General Carter Ham. This Officer is the Commanding Officer of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM). During his remarks the priorities and concerns of his command were revealed to those in attendance.
On October 4th the Center for Strategic and International Studies presented a discussion by General Carter Ham. This Officer is the Commanding Officer of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM). During his remarks the priorities and concerns of his command were revealed to those in attendance.
At this time the Situation in East Africa is the main priority of the command. As he was speaking we were to find out that a truck bomb went off in Mogadishu killing dozens of people. Two other key points that he highlighted were the US Security Assistance to South Sudan and the Implementation of the LRA Bill.
There were a couple of things that stuck out regarding the LRA bill in particular. First is that he had no knowledge of the LRA when he took over. He also stated that Joseph Kony and the LRA are the personification of evil. Two key pieces of Intel were revealed as well. First the US Key players in the region are Uganda and Burundi and he believes that Kony is hiding out in the Central African Republic.
The next crucial region is the Sahel Region. The Collapse of the Qadaffi’s regime in Libya is a reason for concern regarding the issue of Weapons Proliferation and creating a Refugee Crisis. Second is the small but vibrant branch of Al-Qaida that is in the region. Actions taken by Boko Haram in Nigeria are another concern. The recent attack on the UN Building in Abuja is proof that the group will be targeting US and Western interests in the region.
The Budget Battle in Washington also came up during his remarks. It was asked that in the realm of things that since AFRICOM is the newest Command that it could be one of the casualties during the current fiscal crisis. The General did say however that current policy is forcing the US to take more of a Regional Support than assisting individual nations that are currently mired in a political crisis.
The General also revealed that there are three nations that are important to the United States due to their capacity to assist the US. These nations are Nigeria, South Africa and Angola and they have important and crucial links to the United States.
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In the case of Nigeria, key links in the Navy and Air Force are crucial for Peacekeeping Operations. However relations with the Army are lacking at this juncture. The US has had hands off policy towards Angola. So a program that is reestablishing contacts is underway as well. Finally South Africa is considered to be the powerhouse of the continent.
This is a lot of information to be revealed to select individuals in a short forum. It can also be considered to be a guide as to what actions the US may take in Africa over the next fiscal year as well. Some cases such as Cameroon were not discussed however.
The Author Comments on US Policy towards Africa and publishes Confused Eagle on the Internet. Confused Eagle can be found at confusedeagle.livejournal.com
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