Africa’s natural resources: The focus of world development sharks

want to be doing business with Africa but the question that has remained unanswered is, what is there for the African.
In recent years, development analysts and United States of America policymakers have noted Africa’s growing strategic importance to US interests, as well as all developed countries.
But it is the US that has used “war diplomacy” while China quietly moves in and get the better of the deals that do not need muscle power, but brains.
Among American interests are the increasing importance of Africa’s untapped natural resources, particularly energy resources, and mounting concern over violent extremist activities especially in the horn and other potential threats posed by revolutionary parties and “under-governed spaces”, such as maritime piracy and illicit trafficking of diamonds, gold and platinum.
This is precisely the reason why the US has send its soldiers in Uganda to “deal” with the Lord’s Resistance Army, to win favours in that region and gain access to the natural resources there.
It would be naïve for Africa to think that US merely has peace interests in Uganda in as much as it would be grossly naive for the world to believe that the LRA is finished. Joseph Kony’s men have just done a tactical withdrawal and will emerge later but that is subject to another installment.
China, which has stepped up efforts to tap into Africa’s resources without shooting a bullet, has found itself in direct competition with America, setting the stage a protracted battle to outwit each other.
America can do anything, including regime change and sponsoring wars, for as long as it gains access to the vast natural resources. Africa is now at the centre of a demand storm and the success and future development of the continent now lies in the political leadership’s ability to control the extraction and subsequent marketing of the natural resources, without being manipulated.
There is also great concern over untapped uranium deposits and a carefully initiated study has shown that the US has sought effect regime change in countries where resources are in the hands of governments that do not tow the US line. In disguise, there is ongoing concern for Africa’s many humanitarian crises, armed conflicts and more general challenges, such as the devastating effect of HIV/AIDS. This one in particular is used as a cover for US NGOS to penetrate Africa and have access to the all important information that can make US access natural resources.
This is basically the reason why Africa should not trust US humanitarian overtures, for, behind these is the real deal. Behind this is the storm that threatens to carry with it all of Africa’s natural resources.
This is precisely the reason why, in 2006, Congress authorised a feasibility study on the creation of a new command for Africa to consolidate current operations and activities on the continent under one commander.
Congress has closely monitored the command since its establishment. On February 6, 2007, the Bush Administration announced the creation of a new unified combatant command, US Africa Command or Africom, to promote US national security objectives in Africa and its surrounding waters.
Prior to Africom’s establishment, US military involvement on the continent was divided among three commands: US European Command , US Central Command and US Pacific Command. The command’s area of responsibility includes all African countries except Egypt. Africom was officially launched as a sub-unified command under EUCOM on October 1, 2007, and became a stand-alone command on October 1, 2008.
Department of defence signaled its intention to locate Africom’s headquarters on the continent early in the planning process, but such a move is unlikely to take place for several years, if at all, because Africa in general and Sadc in particular have said no. For now the command is operating from Stuttgart, Germany until one African country is manipulated. DOD has stressed that there are no plans to have a significant troop presence on the continent. The East African country of Djibouti, home to the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa at Camp Lemonnier, provides the US military’s only enduring infrastructure in Africa.
As envisioned by the Department of Defence, Africom aims to promote US strategic objectives and protect US interests in the region by working with African states and regional organisations to help strengthen their defence capabilities so that they are better able to contribute to regional stability and security.
The truth is that Africom is there for the militarisation of Africa and for the other purpose of elbowing out all US competitors from the continent, China and Russia included.
This is the reason why Africom also has a mandate to conduct military operations, if so directed by national command authorities.
In March, 2011, for example, Africom commenced Operation Odyssey Dawn “to protect” civilians in Libya as part of multinational military operations “authorised” by the UN Security Council under Resolution 1973. – Day Africa.com
l Professor Moses Nikita-Keteta is a development studies lecturer at Kampala University, Uganda.