African militaries should go it alone

Tichaona Zindoga
As worries mount United States of America’s military expansionism in Africa as it seeks — and seems to be getting — ground and proxy for its senseless, never-ending wars, the recent visit by the Tanzania People’s Defence Forces was instructive.
Lt-Gen Davis Adolf Mwamunyange led a delegation for a reciprocal visit to Zimbabwe after his opposite number Gen Chiwenga went to Tanzania early this year. The two sides, which share historical ties that saw Zimbabwean generals and senior officers being initially trained in Tanzania to prosecute the liberation struggle in Zimbabwe and have ongoing cooperative programmes, were superlative in appreciation of each other. (Gen Chiwenga, amidst the gift exchanges, beamed on receiving a batik shirt, showing there was a personal side to this, too)

They underscored the need to expand areas of mutual interest. The concept of good African neighbourliness and kinship is self evident in how the two countries have helped each other, with Tanzania past its historical role, proving a dependable political ally too. Zimbabwe enjoys similar relations with its neighbours such as Mozambique, Zambia, Namibia, South Africa, Angola and even the erratic Botswana.

These relations among and within the region were responsible for the defeat and dismantling of colonialism. America, for its part, supported the rogue colonialist and apartheid regimes. The status quo in the Southern African region revels in historical ties and continued solidarity.

This should create a buffer against unwarranted expansionism in the name of cooperation or being sold as defence against global threats (where none exists, really). Surely yesterday was more precarious than today’s dubious threats? If Africans united and won against the evil of colonialist force why should they not cooperate among themselves and be safe and secure in their African space? Why, for example, should Botswana run into America’s skirts when its brother and neighbour can protect it, even so without nefarious conditions?
Yes, Botswana is said to have, or contemplated having, US military bases and recently was engaged in some joint activities of one nature or the other. Who recalls Botswana defence chief Lt-Gen Tebogo Carter Masire a few years ago saying there was no need for Botswana to continue sending its soldiers for training to far away countries such as India and China when Zimbabwe had similar facilities which were cheaper and the environment similar?

Zimbabwe has signed military cooperation agreements with countries like Angola (2006) and critically Mozambique (1988) DRC (1998.) Regionally, Sadc in 2007 instituted a Brigade, a regional multidimensional peace support operations capability, established under the African standby force policy framework.

The Brigade is mandated to participate in missions, including performing observations and monitoring, peace support, interventions for peace and security restoration at the request of a member state.

It is also tasked with participating in missions to prevent the spread or resurgence of violence and help in peace-building, post-conflict disarmament and demobilisation and humanitarian assistance.

After having been feared to be a paper tiger, recently the Brigade was seen and hailed, as it launched into DRC, under the leadership of Tanzania, seeking to neutralise M23 rebels in Goma. The war in DRC is not unwinnable. On the other hand, the continent has been toying with the idea of a Standby Force to keep the African peace and obviously preclude the high handed, self-serving and often diabolical and destabilising interventions by outsiders from Europe and America.

The African Standby Force is described as a multi-dimensional force comprising of military, police and civilian components. It started in 2003.

And has been in action as AU Mission in Sudan-Darfur and the AU Mission in Somalia. It should be noted that regional forces like Sadc Brigade are components and microcosms of AFS, though the latter face constraints such as funding.

But the challenges are not insurmountable and there is no justification why such a grand and noble project should fail.
Essentially, there is need for political will among African nations and recognition and acknowledgement that Africans are their brothers’ keepers.

The sharing of common borders, not to mention rich cultural, historical and political links should be invoked to foster common interests chief among them, security and peace. This translates to strong bilateral and multilateral institutions for peace and security.
In fact, strong regional bodies make for efficiency and economy which would generally make a continental body secondary.

Among the advantages will be quick decision making, understanding of regional cultures and values and the proximity and weight of a particular issue.

A situation in Angola is better understood by its neighbours in Sadc than by far away Egypt, for example. Still understood less by America, one may add.

Which makes the present situation of African countries falling over each other to go to bed with America, which is also busy recruiting European countries for military pivot, quite sickening.

While international co-operation is key, there is something terribly wrong with the genus of co-operation being pursued by the US and its allies.