Africom vows to boost security
2007-11-15 09:56
Washington - The head of the new United States military command for Africa vowed on Wednesday that it would not interfere with peacekeeping efforts across the continent amid some hostility there to the project.
General William Ward, in his first testimony to the House of Representatives as head of the regional command, Africom, said: "We will do everything in our power not to disrupt or confuse current security and stabilising efforts in Africa."
Africom currently operates from Germany under the United States European command, but will become a fully operational command by October next year.
The general said commanders were assessing various places in Africa to find a safe spot for the headquarters, but nowhere had been chosen yet.
He said the command's goal was that by October 2008 "some element of the headquarters would be operating on the continent".
1 500 US troops sent to Djibouti
It did not plan to put new forces in Africa, but was looking for a country there to host headquarters for its staff.
At least 1 500 US troops were in Djibouti, neighbouring Ethiopia and Somalia, on "anti-terror" operations in the Horn of Africa.
Ward was confirmed in September as head of the command, which aimed to provide security assistance to African countries and help train their forces.
"We will work to support ongoing US government efforts while finding additional ways to improve security-related programmes.
"USAFRICOM will directly contribute to enabling Africans to achieve stability and security," said Ward. African countries had previously been covered by three different regional commands for the US military.
Ryan Henry, a senior Defence Department policy official, said: "There are no new (military) bases envisaged in Africom and there are no new combat troops."
Henry also moved to soothe hostility voiced by some African countries to the project, due to what he called "misperceptions" and "myths".
He rejected claims that it would make the host country a target for anti-US terrorism, or that the US was looking to grab oil or destabilise Africa by vying with China for influence there.
Henry said: "The creation of Africom does not foreshadow a militarisation of foreign policy."