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Nigeria: Africom Ship Heads for Gulf of Guinea
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This Day (Lagos)
18 January 2008
Posted to the web 18 January 2008
Chinyere Okoye With Agency Report
Lagos
Despite opposition by African governments to United States African Command's (AFRICOM) presence in the continent, the command said yesterday that its "amphibious dock landing ship" was heading to the Gulf of Guinea in an initiative to enhance security in the West African sub-region.
"The USS Fort McHenry will port off Africa's west coast to train African volunteers as part of the Africa Partnership Station (APS) to bolster regional security," a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in New York, AFRICOM said.
"The concept of the African Partnership Station emanates from requests from the Africans themselves to be in a position where they could establish the situational awareness and control over their maritime environment," Vice Adm. Robert Moeller, AFRICOM 's deputy commander for military operations, said.
Moeller said the training would include "responding to maritime security threats among other initiatives in a region where 62 piracy attacks were reported in African waters in 2006".
"Allowing Africans essentially to police and have control over the maritime environment assures the ability of those countries to develop economically in a very stable way.
"There is a direct relationship between a secure maritime environment and a secure and stable terrestrial environment," he stated.
President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, during his visit to US President George W. Bush, late last year, said that the Federal Government was in support of AFRICOM.
The Special Assistant to the President (Communications), Mr. Segun Adeniyi, had clarified the President's statement, which had generated controversy.
He had explained that President Yar'Adua's statement negated what people thought he meant, adding that his support for AFRICOM did not mean that he wanted its headquarters sited in the country.
Also, last December, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, in Washington DC, said that Nigeria did not endorse the presence of the AFRICOM on the continent.
"Nigeria's position on AFRICOM remains that African governments have the sovereign responsibility for the maintenance of peace and security on the continent," Maduekwe said.
Africa is, however, united in rejecting US requests for a military headquarters site.
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AFRICOM is a new Unified Combatant Command of the United States Department of Defence, to be responsible for U.S. military operations in and military relations with 53 African nations - an area of responsibility covering all of Africa except Egypt - and to be fully operational by September 2008.
As pointed out by the article, the US is forcing its military represented by the occupying force, AFRICOM on the black continent of Africa despite opposition by African governments. Occupation of Iraq is not proving to yield sufficient dollar payback for the US to the extent that the economy is on a downward trend and to quickly correct this the US has taken the bold step to spread the looting of natural resources to not just the Congo but several African countries at a go. The prtext by US in imposing AFRICOM on Africans is to protect... [Read Full Text]
Nonsense!!!
America doesnot need Africa let alone Iraq, you people are too busy killing each other that you cannot see the forest for all the trees. We are trying to help you people break the cycle of poverty, ignorance, and disease that has plagued your so called land of plenty, plenty of misery and despair. As a black American not African American you offend me by your lack of insight on what's happening in the world. We have plenty of oil in Alaska, Texas, the Gulf of Mexico and other areas. America never colonized any country... [Read Full Text]
BS.
Oh really, if the United States were so much interested in brokering peace in Africa, then she should concentrate her efforts in the war ravaged regions of Sudan, Chad & the Congo. "Well I guess not. There is nothing to gain over there. Little wonder they are so much interested in the oil rich gulf of Guinea. Yeah, the so called "Black Gold".
So "Mr.Black American", what do you even know about Africa? I guess what the American media wants you to believe. "The woretorn villages, malnourished kids, disease, war and everything negative in this world you can think... [Read Full Text]
Gishola, Where is the source of your knowledge? Why are you such an alarmist? The way the African leaders, for example, Nigerian leaders have pillaged our country is a call for any interruption from any government with the where-withal.Dont you think that the coming of a foreighn power to straighten our "REARS UP" is like the "Second coming of Jesus Christ" which the xtian world has been waiting for?
It is just sufficient for people to follow the very recent history of Africa, not only Nigeria, to see the correct picture. Read about US involvement in Congo, Angola, Mozambique, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ethiopia,Uganda, Somalia, Ghana and Nigeria. In the congo, as a result of US forced control of the country for about four decades followed by US organized invasion by Uganda and Rwanda, an estimated total of about 10 millions civilians were killed. In Angola, as a result of US planned and backed civil war that lasted 27 years, 2 million civilians were killed, 100,000... [Read Full Text]
There you go blame America and the CIA for all your troubles, you people have been killing each other for a millineum now, sold us blacks in North and South America to the British, French, Spainiards, Portuguese and Arabs for trinkets, i.e. mirrors, blankets, and other worthless objects you thought the world of due to your ignorance. 500 years later you still are killing each other like wild beast. The propaganda your reading is a lie from the pit of hell. Your dreaming if you think the U.S. want to take control Africa, we are not French,... [Read Full Text]
Yes, we think that the Americans coming to occupy the gulf of guinea is solely based on the need for protecting their source of energy,contrary to what someone else comment on this topic is trying to make us believe.They,ve not tried to save us in the past, why should I believe that they,ll save us now?The coming of the chinese and the indians,who to me are coming to join the party late is what,s neccesitating the American rush to cover lost grounds,if there,s so much oil in texas, alaska and the gulf of mexico why spend so much trying... [Read Full Text]
Once beaten twice shy goes the saying,the problem here is that we,ve been beaten more than twice,why not be an alarmist if that,s what it takes. We,ve been robbed over and over again by these same country now purpoting to come to iur rescue,I personally don,t think they care that much about the welfare of African, history is my guide.How can they(Americans) now be our saviour and from whom,alqaida,chinese, indians?, when they have in the past been our biggest drawbacks, they took out all our progressive minded leaders in the past,who,s going to convince me to trust them now? African,... [Read Full Text]
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