Militarization of Africa: AFRICOM to Deploy “Rapid Reaction” Strike Force in Spain directed against West Africa
Center for Research on Globalization
By Timothy Alexander Guzman
April 23, 2013
In early April, The United States and the Spanish government agreed to station AFRICOM’s “Rapid Reaction” strike force to Moron de la Frontera air base for one year. It involves 500 marines and 8 aircraft that will be used to respond to countries located in Northwest Africa. According to the Associated Press on April 19th, “The U.S. Embassy in Madrid said Friday that “following the tragedy in the Libyan city of Benghazi,” where four U.S. citizens were killed, the U.S. recognized the need for a force able to respond quickly to crises in northwest Africa.” The area of focus is in the Maghreb region in Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania.
All located in close proximity to Northern Mali. AFRICOM is also planning to respond to the current situation in Mali where a civil war between secular Tuareg rebels and Arab militants erupted as reported by the Associated Press on April 21st, that “An official in northern Mali says clashes have broken out near Timbuktu between secular Tuareg rebels and Arab militants.” After the announcement of Spain’s decision to host US troops, violence resumed in this volatile area. “The violence underscores the tensions that remain in northern Mali three months after a French-led military operation largely ousted radical Islamic fighters from the area.
The sidelining of the al-Qaida-linked fighters has allowed for the Tuareg rebels from the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad to regain a presence in the area” the report said. This comes as Mali’s interim president President Dioncounda Traore also announced to his supporters this past Friday that Mali “will be ready to hold democratic elections by July as promised” according to an Associated Press report titled ‘President: Mali will be ready for July vote’ it also stated the following:Security also remains a key concern ahead of elections, especially in the northern cities of Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu, where remnants of the terror groups have staged suicide bombings in the months since they were ousted from power by the French-led military operation that began in January. …
The AFRICOM Intelligence and Knowledge Directorate (among other important US departments) is at the Joint Analysis Center at Molesworth, Cambs UK.
The United States Africa Command’s Intelligence Directorate-Molesworth at Royal Air Force Molesworth, United Kingdom, in concert with the AFRICOM Intelligence Directorate and AFRICOM headquarters, both located in Stuttgart, Germany, along with other U.S. Government agencies and international partners, provide primary African theater intelligence for knowledge development and situational awareness for the world’s second largest continent and its 54 countries to ensure sustained security engagement activities to promote a stable and secure environment in support of U.S. foreign policy. (information taken from the USAF military website: www.501csw.usafe.af.mil/units/molesworth)
