Botswana is facing stiff resistance from lobbyists who say that Southern African Development Community (SADC) nations should impose an air blockade on Botswana if it agrees to host United States Africa Command (Africom).
Botswana political analyst on African affairs, Dr Honourable Saka, spearheaded the call for a Botswana blockade if Botswana goes ahead to give Africom a base.
“I am appealing to the governments of SADC to impose sanctions on Botswana if it goes ahead with the measure and ignores the position of the SADC community,” he said.
On August 11, the deputy secretary-general of South Africa’s ruling ANC, Thandi Modise, said “leaders want to host people who want to hurt us. They think as long as they can get funding from these Western people they are fine. But I can tell you that we are not happy at all”.
Between August 1-17, Botswana defense Forces BDF and Africom held a joint military exercise at Thebephatswa Air Base outside Molepolole in south-east Botswana, 60 km from the capital Gaborone.
The joint military drills were sponsored by Africom dubbed Southern Accord 12.
Afircom Commander General Carter F. Ham’s has also visited Botswana Capital Gaborone last week.
SADC and the African Union have made it clear that they do not want a permanent US military base on the continent.
But there have long been suspicions that Botswana and Liberia are amenable to hosting the unit.
Botswana’s hosting AFRICOM would directly suck SADC into the orbit of Pentagon and NATO military adventures, while indirectly affecting the rest of Africa.
Major-Gen David Hogg of the US Army says that America would soon begin regular deployment of a brigade of 3 000 or more troops to Africa.
The unit is the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, which “will be the main force provider for security co-operation and partnership-building missions in Africa”.
It is Feared that this unit will form the core of AFRICOM and will be stationed in Botswana.
US has more than 187 000 soldiers based in nearly 160 countries.
PRIOR
Leaked diplomatic cables from the US Embassy in Gaborone, Botswana gave Washington the green light to explore the possibility of establishing an AFRICOM base on its territory.
A cable sent by America’s Ambassador in Botswana, Katherine Canavan, to the US Secretary of State in Washington in October 2007, shows senior embassy officials met then Vice President Mompati Merafhe to discuss the matter.
Canavan said Botswana and other unidentified African countries were being considered for hosting elements of AFRICOM.
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