US/Africa

Washington launches Africom ... in Germany

Article published on the 2008-10-01 Latest update 2010-01-07 16:42 TU

The new US military's new Africa command becomes fully operational this Wednesday. Africom's declared objective is to centralise all American efforts to develop crisis response forces, counter-terrorism programmes, anti-piracy and anti-drug training for regional coastguards, and create programmes to professionalise African nations' armies.

African governments have so far refused to host the Africom headquarters. For now, it is based in Stuttgart, Germany, with two dozen liaison officers posted at embassies across Africa.

Africom has claimed that finding an African HQ is not a top priority.

"Africom is really just a reshuffling of the existing system of military command of America that they have had for many years," Len LeRoux, the director of the Pretoria office of the International Security Studies told RFI.

"It is not as if there is a large amount of operational troops that are going to be deployed," he added.

African countries continue to be wary about hosting Africom, especially in light of US foreign policy.

"A lot of the concern expressed by African countries is that ... international terrorists might consider the country that hosts Africom the target for terrorist activities, but obviously attacking America via that particular target," he said.