US to get Africa command centre (BBC)

[eppur_se_muova]

President George W Bush has approved a Pentagon plan for a command centre for Africa to oversee US military activities on the continent.

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said the new Africa Command would allow the US to better co-ordinate action and counter potential threats.
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Africa Command would be the fifth regional operations base for the US.

Responsibility for Africa operations is currently divided among three regional commands.
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US officials say Africa is of growing strategic importance to the United States because of increased efforts by China to gain influence on the continent.
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more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6336063.stm

[TacticalPeek]

1. It's so the brass can screw it up close quarters instead of at a distance.

:patriot:

[The2ndWheel]

2. About damn time

Now we can have a full scale war with one of those countries in Africa. We've ignored them long enough. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we had them on rickety ships a long time ago. But now we get to bomb the crap out of them. We get more people to kill, they get attention. That's win-win.

[Boojatta]

4. That's somewhat cynical.

Why don't you tell these people to please stop advertising?

http://www.savedarfur.org/pages/call_the_white_house

[The2ndWheel]

5. Somewhat?

That's what we need, more no-fly zones and UN sanctions. Those always work. The only way they've worked is when we've figured out they don't, and then go to war.

Either way, plenty of people will die. Then again, America wouldn't exist without genocide, so it can't be too bad.

I'm not cynical by choice.

[Orsino]

3. Has there been some new oil strike?

Seems as though this development is long overdue.

[alfredo]

7. Yes, in Darfur. The Brits won the contract I believe.

[baldguy]

8. Ah, that must be why they've allowed the genocide to go on for so long.

Can't have those pesky poor people gumming up progress, can we?

[alfredo]

9. Don't want them demanding payment for use and abuse of

their homeland.

I found a map showing who owns what, and I see the Chinese got a big chunk of land. The US didn't.

[alfredo]

6. China has been working in Africa since the sixties.

they are now competing for oil in Sudan and in West Africa.