Subject Heading: Inquiry - AfriCom True Mission in Africa?

On Tuesday December 9, 2008 at 12:14 am, I put fingers on the keyboard after I had found out about the US African Command: Africom partly because Liberia was the only African country (then) that once again agreed for the US to exploit the continent (see the history of Firestone Rubber Plantation).

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am not sure where to begin. I'll try to be very brief. I remember as a little girl caught up in Liberia's bloody civil war gradually fueled by over 130 years of oppressive regime grounded in the history of the American Colonization Society's (ACS) repatriation of "freed" black slaves to Africa; longing for our so-called "Step Mother" - America to provide assistance. It would be over 12 years of brutality, after America has repatriated all of its citizens and displaying of dead bodies in front of the American embassy in Mamba Point before America would try to help Liberians. The excuse was, "we don't want what happened in Somalia to happen in Liberia," as if Liberia and America has the same history as Somalia and America.

My concern is, when did America start caring about Africa? It is rather sad that our leaders (men) would sit there again, ignore African people's rights to participate in decision-making and be a part of this so-called mission to protect and assist Africa. I don't know why it is called AfriCom when in fact, it appears that only Americans are employed with this mission.

As a survival of careless decisions being made by African men, resulting in war, internal conflicts, internal displacement and all forms of violence against African people especially vulnerable women and children, I would request an audience with the leader of this mission. I came to law school purposely to advocate for vulnerable women and children in Africa. For far too long we have been sidelined, ignored and neglected while the powerful elite make decisions that are detrimental to the masses. I guess this is an opportunity for me.
I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Veronica

Within a matter of hours - I received a response from the Directorate of Outreach:

Ma'am

We appreciate your taking the time to contribute to the USAFRICOM blog, and empathize with your concerns. We agree that basic human rights, especially among vulnerable populations, are important.

The programs that we provide to our African partners are based on their requests for assistance while supporting our U.S. foreign policy. Consequently, as we work to build security capacity of our African partners, we include elements that impart respect for human rights and the rule of law, as these are integral toward establishing security forces that gain the respect of and protect the people. 

However, questions regarding U.S. foreign policy and matters relating to the issues of vulnerable women and children in Liberia are best referred to the US Department of State. We are tracking down the appropriate person to address your concerns about woman's and children's issues in Africa, and will pass that information to you soon.

Thank you for writing,

Later, I was connected to the "right" person and we exchanged couple of emails. Though I failed to follow-up as time went by, I often thought about AfriCom engagement with Africa. Today, working on a completely different research project, what did I come across? The Strategic Importance of Africa an article written by Paul Michael Wihbey and Dr. Barry Schutz, US State Department Expert, Office of Analysis for Africa, on 6 April 2001 in Africa Analyst. Rather than rant let me paste few quotations below for your per-usual. You can access the full article by visiting the Institute of Op-Eds: 

"Western and global perceptions of Africa, have regrettably, been characterised by such terms as 'basket case' and 'train wreck.' African states which had been expected to develop substantially at independence in the early 1960s, have tended to stagnate or actually decline. Today African states are embroiled in at least six or seven insurgencies. African governance has been labelled irresponsible and usually corrupt. On this basis, it is easy to fall into the category of 'Afro-pessimists' who see Africa as a hopeless case for investments"

"Underneath the wars and the insurgencies are economies in free fall. The origins of African economic stagnation were in colonial policies and, worse yet, attempts at state control by post-independence governments. Most recently Africa states have been hamstrung by international financial institutions such as the IMF and World Bank, which have attempted to bring bloated systems back to lean, market-centered economy."

"The major African supplier, Nigeria - and growing west African sources from Senegal to Angola - provides the US with alternatives to heavy dependence on the Persian Gulf and on politically sensitive wilderness areas like Alaska...West Africa is the swing production region that allows oil companies to leverage production capability to meet the fluctuating world demands... West Africa oil is of high quality, is easily accessed offshore, and well positioned to supply the North America market. And, production in the two oil-producing states (Nigeria and Angola) is expected to double or triple in the next 5 to 10 years. Already Nigeria and Angola together provide as much oil as to the US as Venezuela or Mexico, making it of strategic importance." (Is this the same Mexico whose citizens are branded as "illegals" in America?)

"Perceptions that Africa is of no strategic interest to the US are also engendered by pervasive African government corruption that reaches down to the base levels of society. South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki has called for an 'African Renaissance', that acknowledges African responsibility for African problems. The new US administration can help Mbeki achieve such a goal by framing a new strategically oriented policy that facilitates African economic and political development. among the measures the US should consider are:..."

You tell me what your conscience is saying...