Lagos — The plan by the United States government to establish an Africa Command (AFRICOM), though still at the consultation stage is already generating controversies. But their resolution would re-define U.S-Africa relations and contribute remarkably to the re-shaping of a new world order.
The U.S. President, George W. Bush, might have anticipated the discomfort the proposal is elicitng when he laid out the mission statement of AFRICOM last February. His words: "This new command will strenghten our security cooperation with Africa and help to create new opportunities to bolster the capabilities of our partners in Africa. Africa Command will enhance our efforts to help bring peace and security to the people of Africa and promote our common goals of development, health, education, democracy, and economic growth in Africa...Africa is of significant strategic and economic importance. Our focus is to build the capacity of our African partners to reduce conflict, improve security, defeat terrorists and support crisis response. U.S. Africa Command will support U.S. Government activities across Africa to integrate U.S. interagency efforts and assist diplomacy and development efforts."
These objectives may appear innocuous, or even noble. But, coming from a superpower whose towering stature sometimes intimidates even other advanced countries, Africa which is clearly at the bottom of the global influence chart has cause to be apprehensive. It is doubtful if last month's tour of key African countries- Nigeria, South Africa, Senegal, Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia and also the African Union (AU) Headquarters in Addis Ababa- by top American defence officials has done enough to assuage the fears. Their points of argument were simple and re-echoed Bush's earlier declaration of intent: That AFRICOM whose full operational capacity is expected to be achieved by September next year will not be a combatant command; that it will have a combined membership of both military and civilian agencies; that its primary aim is to assist African leaders in assuming an accountable and responsive control of a continent that is deficient in virile leadership.
Ordinarily, AFRICOM should not be a hard-sell as similar U.S-owned organisations do exist around the world, with some of them already overseeing much of Africa. Only that, through AFRICOM, the U.S. now seeks to bring the continent under one umbrella with the exception of Egypt which is billed to remain attached to the U.S. Central Command.
However, these are unusual times and multilateral agreements, especially with mighty nations like the U.S. should be well scrutinised, if for no other reason, to reassure Africans that they are not being lured, once again, into the net of imperialism and domination. The disadvantaged position of most African countries notwithstanding, their sovereignty should not in any way be jeopardised.
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We respect and welcome the determination of America to fight terrorism and pursue its legitimate interests but we insist it should do so with the full understanding of host governments. It must, therefore, first enlist the consent of the target countries. Thereafter, the details should be mutually worked out. Any step short of these would be unacceptable and counter-productive. With a long record of resentment against many of its international policies and actions, sometimes attracting disastrous consequences, the U.S. cannot afford to add yet another bad case. And after generations of betrayal and abuse by more powerful blocs, Africa needs to carefully choose and judge its covenants carefully. After all, it takes reciprocal respect to attain genuine peace and development.
