Association of Concerned Africa Scholars
Association of Concerned Africa Scholars
The U.S. has suspended military aid to about 35 countries, including, in
Africa, Benin, Central African Republic, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Namibia, Niger,
South Africa, Tanzania, and Zambia. The countries are signatories to the treaty
establishing the International Criminal Court (ICC), and failed to satisfy U.S.
demands to sign "bilateral immunity agreements" confirming that U.S. nationals
can commit war crimes or other serious human rights offenses without fear of
accountability to that international body.
This demand is particularly imperial, given that the U.S. law, "The Africa
Growth and Opportunity Act" (AGOA) requires an African country, in order to be
eligible for trade, to respect American "national security" without obliging the
U.S. to reciprocate. Thirty-eight African countries are eligible for AGOA,
including all those listed above.
Yet the U.S. "military footprint" in Africa is growing. The U.S. is increasingly
interested in establishing its own military bases and securing access to ports
and airfields in Africa for strategic reasons. The U.S. military base in
Djibouti, East Africa, has been the main U.S. base (1800 troops) for
counter-terrorist activities off-shore and in that region since September 2001.
The U.S. is boosting its troop presence in West Africa, a region that is
strategically important because of U.S. oil interests.
Direct U.S. military involvement increases, as aid declines. For example, even
the new $100 million initiative, offered to support counter-terrorism efforts
by East African countries themselves, does not cover the cost of lost tourism in
Kenya from
the terrorist bombings, let alone any costs for Tanzania.
Representative Charles Rangel (D-NY) has written a letter to the Secretary of
Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, expressing concern
over the expansion of the U.S. military presence in Africa, and asking for an
explanation of U.S. plans.
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10 July 2003