Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2014 22:28:55 +0200
No US intent to engage in Africa militarily: official
<http://www.afp.com/> AFP30.07.2014
Washington (AFP) - Washington does not intend to engage in Africa militarily
to resolve the continent's conflicts but is boosting efforts to train
peacekeepers, a senior US official said Wednesday.
Susan Rice, President Barack Obama's National Security Adviser, made the
comments just days before almost all of Africa's leaders descend on the US
capital for an unprecedented summit.
"Contrary to some claims, the United States is not looking to militarize
Africa or maintain a permanent military presence," Rice said at the United
States Institute of Peace.
"But we are committed to helping our partners confront transnational threats
to our shared security."
The Monday to Wednesday meeting will attract some 50 African leaders --
almost all of them, apart from Western pariah figures like Zimbabwe's Robert
Mugabe, Sudan's Omar al-Bashir and Eritrea's Issaias Afeworki.
Rice, in her speech, referred to kidnappings and bombings by Boko Haram
Islamists, the Nigeria mall attack by Shebab rebels and how Al-Qaeda in the
Islamic Maghreb controls parts of Mali.
"That is why we are stepping up our efforts to train peace keepers who are
professional and effective forces who can secure the region and by extension
the global community against terrorist threats," she added.
Since Obama took office, the United States has contributed close to $9
billion to United Nations peacekeeping operations in Africa, Rice said.
And, she added, it has trained almost a quarter of a million peacekeepers
from 25 difference African countries since 2005.
"We are committed to making sure that African peacekeepers have the capacity
to deploy quickly ... in order to save lives and help avoid costlier
international interventions down the line," Rice said.
Very reticent when it comes to all direct military engagement in Africa, the
Obama administration is pushing the region's countries and institutions,
such as the African Union, to set up peacekeeping forces for conflicts such
as those in the Central African Republic, South Sudan or Somalia.
<http://news.yahoo.com/no-us-intent-engage-africa-militarily-official-191910
721.html> US National Security Advisor Susan Rice speaks in the Brady
Briefing Room of the White House on March 21, 2014 in Washington, DC
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