US to close outposts in Africa as Russia strengthens foothold

By Fauxile Kibet

The United States has announced plans to close military outposts in three African nations and at the same time cutting down its special operation forces on the continent by half.

The announcement, which is yet to be approved by Defence Secretary Jim Mattis, comes at a time when Russia joined the list of nations intending to establish their foothold at the horn of Africa, particularly at the Red Sea.

Last Friday, Russian officials led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met their Eritrean counterparts and announced plans to establish a “logistics center” at a port in the Horn of Africa nation.

But even though Russia has not specified the timelines of setting up the center, the officials stated that the aim of the investment was to strengthen infrastructural investment between the two nations.

Eritrea, which has been facing decades of Isolation, could embrace the Russian alliance coming after a historic peace deal last month with neighboring Ethiopia.

Eritrean president Isaias Afwerki has so far held talks with leaders from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Somalia and South Sudan. He’s also received delegations from Japan and Germany.

The Horn of Africa nation has two major ports, which occupy strategic points along the Red Sea, which has been attracting interest of world powers.

Ethiopia, a land locked country has also been keen to have access port – a factor which is believed contributed to the signing of the peace deal.

Already, Asaab is home to two United States naval bases and Eritrea has also allowed the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E) to launch missions from the port against Yemeni rebels.

The move by Russia to renew ties with African states comes even as the United States seems retreat from Africa and China on its part pushing for stronger relations with the continent.

On Monday during the ongoing Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing, president Xi Jinping announced a $60 billion package of aid, investment and loans to Africa, even as economic experts warn that Africa could soon face a debt crisis.

But the Chinese leader in his announcement allayed fears that the offer would plunge the continent into decades of debt.

“China’s investment in Africa comes with no political strings attached, this cooperation is clearly targeted at the major bottlenecks to development. Resources for our cooperation are not to be spent on any vanity projects, but in places where they count the most,” president Xi said.

Six months ago, Lavrov toured Africa where he visited Namibia, Mozambique, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe where he signed agreements to establish economic zones, explore opportunities in mineral mining and enhance military cooperation.

Anti-insurgency

For years, US forces have been reported to operate from Kenyan locations in Isiolo and Manda Bay at the coastal region of Kenya, where they are believed to contribute in anti-insurgency missions in Somalia.

According to a report by the Times, a sizable number of US troops will remain in Somalia until the Defense Department officials arrive at a final decision.

“If the envisioned cutbacks in Africa are carried out, the Pentagon would be left with “a lasting, robust military presence in Somalia and Nigeria,” the newspaper further reported.

It is believed that the move by the United States to cut down close to 1200 of its special forces stationed across the continent, resulted from a political backlash following the killing of four US soldiers by Islamist Militants in Niger in 2017.

Another soldier was killed in Somalia earlier this year.