Center for Research on Globalization
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) in Northern Mali is a direct
threat to US national security interests according to Major General
Carter F. Ham during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on March
15th, 2013. Ham said that although there have been progress
in AFRICOM’s mission; new threats have emerged this year that is a
strategic importance to the United States and its allies. According to American Forces Press Service of the U.S. Department of Defense: “The general said three violent extremist
organizations are of particular concern in Africa: al-Qaida in the
Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, active in northern and western Africa; Boko
Haram in Nigeria; and al-Shabaab in Somalia.”
Ham’s main concern however was in Northern Mali because it threatens
U.S. national security interests directly. With France’s invasion back
in January 2013 to stop al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has not
been a military success obviously since AFRICOM’s leadership is
concerned. AQIM is tied to the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) the
same group France intervened with in Libya during NATO’s invasion of
Libya that provided weapons, aircraft and Special Forces to overthrow
Muammar Gaddafi’s government. Now AFRICOM who supported NATO’s
intervention in Libya is now fighting AQIM in Mali. A convenient excuse
for AFRICOM to expand its military operations in Africa to fight
terrorists:
“The growing collaboration of these
organizations heightens the danger they collectively represent,” he
said. “Of the three organizations, AQIM, which exploited the instability
that followed the coup d’état in Mali and seeks to establish an Islamic
state in northern Mali, is currently the most likely to directly
threaten U.S. national security interests in the near- term.”Ham admitted that AFRICOM is aiding the French and African military
against AQIM and other affiliated terrorist organizations in northern
Mali with drone operations operating in Niger.
“We are supporting French efforts
with information, airlift, and refueling, and are working with the
Department of State to support the deployment of West African forces to
the African-led International Support Mission to Mali,” he said.
“Recently, we began unarmed, remotely piloted aircraft operations from
Niger in support of intelligence gathering efforts in the region.”
Ham said that AQIM is spread across the Sahel region of north-central
Africa south of the Sahara Desert and that it requires a regional
effort to challenge the threat with AFRICOM, the State Department and
USAID under the Trans-Sahara Counter-Terrorism Partnership. Ham said
that “The partnership involves 10 northern and western African
nations and the United States, he said, and aims to develop partner
militaries’ counter-terrorism capabilities and build regional
cooperation against AQIM and related extremist groups.” Expect AFRICOM to expand its footprint throughout Africa since terrorist groups are still considered a formidable threat.
However, the real threat to “US national security interests” in
Africa is not AQIM, Boko Haram or al-Shabaab, it is China’s demand for
natural resources for their growing economy. The US and France plan to
counter the threat along with Africa’s puppet government’s that will
pose a challenge to China’s economic and diplomatic influence in the
region. The new Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang will have to confront
this reality in the near future.
The US and French governments want to assure themselves that the new
Chinese leadership will not continue its beneficial relationships with
resource-rich African nations that have been a success in the past.
Therefore, the ‘War on Terror’ will create instability and will disrupt
China’s economic growth. AFRICOM mission is to create war in the name
of fighting terrorism and that is what “US national security interests” in Africa is really about.