AFRICOM has no plans of establishing a military base in Mali-General Ham



General Carter Ham

   

The commander of the Germany-based United States Command for Africa (AFRICOM), General Carter Ham, said on Thursday in Dakar, the Senegalese capital, that AFRICOM is not considering establishing a US military base in Mali in the short or long term.

Ham was responding to a question on whether an international military intervention in northern Mali can lead in the long run to the establishment of a US military base.

He insisted that the role of any possible international force in Mali is for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to determine, noting that ECOWAS was currently working/discussing the role of the possible force.

Asked whether US “reserve” on sending troops in Africa is due to what they experienced during their intervention in Somalia (1992-1994), Ham replied that they prefer “a very small” US military presence to back efforts of African countries.

“We do have US military personnel in many places in Africa involved in training and exercise roles but also cooperation. What we believe is that in most cases, the US military presence should be very small and it should always be in support of larger African efforts,” he said.

On AFRICOM’s surveillance of northern Mali, the General said today AFRICOM has very little ability to observe events in Mali apart from reports from the media and Mali’s neighbouring countries.

“Previously, we had a small number of US personnel to train Malian forces which gave us some insight... Most of our understanding of what is happening in northern Mali come from the news reports, and certainly we work with neighbouring countries and other partners to combine our efforts to better understand the situation in the north,” he said.

On the Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb (AQMI), the AFRICOM chief said the international community and the government of Mali “missed an opportunity to deal with AQMI when it was weak” these past years.

“AQMI gained strength, money through kidnapping ransoms. The availability of weapons and fighters from Libya made them a stronger organization. We believe AQMI is the best funded of all Al-Qaeda affiliated groups,” he said.

General Carter Ham said the present situation was much more difficult and “would take greater efforts by the international community and certainly by a new Malian government” to address.

Answering another question on the US government’s plan to send 3000 troops to Africa in 2013, he said the troops will not be sent at once.

He explained that the US army assigned a brigade-size formation (about 3000 troops) that will be available for training and exercises in Africa over the course of about one-year.

Small elements of that brigade will be used for relatively short periods throughout the course of that year.

"For example we will have a small team of logistics experts; and in another country have some infantry training; and in another some engineering training occurring at the same time,” he said.

General Ham said the advantage for the US will be the “predictability in planning military to military engagements that previously the availability of forces was not what we would like it to be” because of the country's "heavy commitment" in Afghanistan.

The AFRICOM commander is in Senegal after visiting Guinea and Cape Verde within the framework of a tour to exchange with military partners and discuss coordinating their joint activities.

It could be recalled that Mali has been destabilised by secession in the north and a coup d'etat in Bamako (south) which toppled former head of state Amadou Toumani Toure on 22 March.

ECOWAS has been trying to find a solution to the crises. It recently set a 31 July-deadline for all stakeholders in Mali, i.e. political and civil society organisations, to form a government of national union in a bid to replace the current transition government headed by Cheikh Modibo Diarra.

Separatist Tuareg rebels of the National Movement for the Liberation of the Azawad (MNLA) fought along various radical Islamist groups to secede from the rest of the country on 6th April.

The MNLA has since lost control of the north to the Islamists groups of Ansar Dine, AQMI and the Movement for the Unicity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJOA) which are implementing strict Islamic law (Sharia) in the region while the transition in Bamako is yet to run smoothly due to several political bickering going on.

First published on 26July2012 on apanews.net