This is Camp Lemonier, America’s largest military base in Africa.
There are about 5,000 troops here from all services.
It is located in Djibouti, a peaceful country, but within a troubled wider region.
This base was set up after the September 11th attacks in the US.
How important is it for them to be able to project their power in the region?
This is an important geo-strategic location and it gives us the ability to
do air and maritime and ground operations from this location.
Africa has strategic importance in terms of its resources. This strategic importance is growing
and it is setting the continent up for competition
among America, Europe and China. I call it the second scramble for Africa.
We are not there for oil or minerals or anything like that. It’s really to figure
out more ways that we can work more closely with our African partners to improve their capacity.
The purpose of that is to kind of create a conducive environment for the American corporates
operating within this region. It is all about trade.
There are five other other military bases here in Djibouti.
All of them co-operate with the United States except one.
China opened its own military facility here in 2017. There has recently been
rumours that they plan to build other bases on the continent.
Does this expansion concern the US?
I think it’s a question of they expand to do what? I wonder about what their intentions are. Is it to
promote peace and stability? Is it to support rule of law? Democracy?
China is making heavy investments in basic infrastructure, ports, roads, railroads,
that kind of thing. The question is the nature and the quality of the financing
behind that infrastructure. What we are seeing is that the
Chinese investments are somewhat burdensome to the Africans.
China is not funding what it wants to fund, it is funding what Africans have asked to be funded.
It is not about the debt burden, it is whether Africa is growing
like other parts of the world. What I find troublesome in the debt burden debate is
that it’s only Africa that has a problem when it has debts. I look at the American
debts to China and wonder why they are not subject to the debt burden thesis.
As well as China, Russia is also expanding its influence across the region.
Russian military contractors have been involved in Libya, CAR and Mali.
What we are looking at is military proxies being put forward by the Russian government.
I mean, I don’t think that their contributions have done anything
beneficial for the continent to be perfectly candid with you.
Russian officials play down their relationship to mercenary groups.
They say they are supporting African states to pursue their own independent policies.
It is not clear what is driving Russia’s interest in Africa other
than the super power rivalry. I don’t see any strong ideological thrust.
So, if foreign powers want to help Africa and avoid being seen as
‘scrambling’ for the continent’s resources, what should they be doing?
Everything that we seek to do in the world to make progress for our own people cannot be done
without Africa. When we are talking about climate change, Africa has to be part of the answer,
part of the solution. When we are talking about dealing with pandemics, like Covid-19,
Africa has to be part of the solution, part of the partnership, and we are building
partnerships on both of those fronts. When it comes to democracy and human rights,
at a time when democracy is under challenge, Africa has to be part of the solution.
Bring big money,
build big roads, so that we can pull those who cannot pull themselves out of poverty.
Rather than building military bases and outposts in Africa the focus should on developing
human security capabilities. Trying to ensure that African leaders are not propped up and encouraged
to steal the state’s resources and take them to Europe and North America. At the
end of the day the world benefits when Africa is stronger and better.