A trend pointing to a gathering momentum of a pro-American political and military bloc in East Africa was highlighted by the arrival of US troops and Yoweri Museveni’s recent diplomatic maneuvers in the region.
On October 12, 100 US troops arrived in the region to counter the activities of the Lords Resistance Army led by Joseph Kony. They will largely operate from Uganda whose interest in fighting the rebel group is fading.
Lt Col Felix Kulayigye, Uganda army spokesman says LRA that roams in Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan forests numbers less than 200. There has been a drawback of Ugandan troops engaged in hunting Kony from 7,000 to 700 as of June 2011, while Crispus Kiyonga the defence minister long cancelled budgeting for operations against Kony.
However, American groups like Enough Project and Invisible Children don’t think so and have been instrumental in getting US decision to get involved in the anti Kony campaign to be the second AFRICOM undertaking after the Libyan project.
Anti-Kony campaign signifies gathering of momentum of US military activity in the region. Since January, US troops have been training Southern Sudan army in Imatong hills near the Uganda/Sudan frontier, according to military sources. US have also been training DRC troops.
US officials are determined to prevent East African from becoming a terrorist incubator.
“There are elements here that either have ties with Al-Qaeda or that represent forces of terrorism on their own,” Leon Panetta, US Secretary for Defence told CBS, a US broadcast station on October 16.
They have aligned with Yoweri Museveni, Ugandan president who has used security credentials to propel himself into leadership role in the region.
On October 11, Museveni conferred with Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania where officially he wanted to establish a third route for Ugandan commerce. Diplomatic sources say part of his agenda was to discuss ways of establishing a military belt running all the way from Somalia.
Since June Museveni has met Rwandese, Eritrean and Ethiopian leaders and one of his topics for discussion is a strong regional bloc able to tackle military crises. The bloc is taking a serious look at Somalia.
Early October, East African Standby Brigade deployed 17 senior military officers in Somalia. And a two-week conference of 300 military officers from the bloc met in Rwanda from October 17 and according to Lt Col Felix Kulayigye they will familiarize themselves with counter terrorism, anti-piracy and intelligence sharing skills.
Ugandan economy has benefited financially from the American backed security initiatives that have included the deployment 7,000 troops in Somalia.
According to government records, Uganda earned US$200m from the 15,000 Ugandans deployed in Iraq in 2010. Ugandan soldiers in Somalia earn US$700 per month each.
There are also infrastructural improvements as Uganda is also being turned into beachhead for US military forays in the region. Already, Entebbe Airport serves as US troop’s logistical base. More are in the pipeline.
On October 6, the government awarded a consultancy contract to Gauff & Gibbs aimed at transforming Gulu airport into second largest for both regional economic and security activities. The company also won contracts to do the same on Kasese in western Uganda for similar purposes.
Such political manoeuvres have worried Arab neighbours next door. On October 16, Sudanese Vice president, visiting Cairo accused Uganda of attempting to overthrow Khartoum government and of harbouring Darfurian rebels. They also heard tough talk about equitable sharing of the Nile River.
“We shouldn’t be afraid of taking daring decisions in overcoming power problems” Fred Mwago, Chairman of the Nile technical advisory committee told the Nile states conference in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, on October 16, adding, “we have been losing out due to power crisis”
Museveni is also keen to emphasise how the bloc will allow states to gain better bargaining position in international relations, and how they will have alternative models to choose from.
“Demand in new states of India and China has been of immense benefit to Africa,” he told journalists on October 13.
Whether these countries have gained skills and competence to wade through was highlighted by a two-day oil debate by Ugandan parliament from October 17 where legislators laid bare how multi-national corporations are in the driving seat in Uganda’s emerging oil sector.
“Tullow has written a memorandum of understanding that set out guidelines for government to follow, drafted many ministerial statements on oil policy and even were signatories to a government account,” said Abdu Katuntu, one of the lead petitioners.
Museveni was also nailed further for having allowed tax arbitration between Tullow and Ugandan government to be conducted in London and not Kampala as evident of government sell-out which was similar to its predecessors in pre-colonial period.
Museveni has also been uncomfortable with his Western partners who forced him to drop anti-gay bill and now want him to control the Ugandan population growth.
“What they ask me to do is even against biblical teachings” he told an inter-religious get-together on October 1.