united states africa command and human security in africa kester chukwuma onor

445 Pages·2016·3.4 MB·English

UNITED STATES AFRICA COMMAND AND HUMAN
SECURITY IN AFRICA

KESTER CHUKWUMA ONOR
BSc (Hons) Political Science, MSc Political Science

Thesis Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy (Political Science) in the School of Social
Sciences, College of Humanities, University of KwaZulu-Natal,
Pietermaritzburg,
South Africa

Supervisor: Dr Alison Jones
Co-Supervisor: Dr Sadiki Maeresera

February, 2016
DECLARATION

I, Kester Chukwuma Onor declare that:

(i) The research reported in this thesis, except where otherwise indicated, is my
original work.
(ii) This thesis has not been submitted for any degree or examination at any other
university.
(iii) This thesis does not contain other persons’ data, pictures, graphs or other
information, unless specifically acknowledged as being sourced from other persons.
(iv) This thesis does not contain other persons’ writings, unless specifically
acknowledged as being sourced from other researchers. Where other written sources
have been quoted, then: (a) their words have been re-written but the general
information attributed to them has been referenced; (b) where their exact words have
been used, their writing has been placed inside quotations marks and referenced.
(v) Where I have reproduced a publication of which I am an author, co- author or
editor, I have indicated in detail which part of the publication was actually written by
myself alone and have fully referenced such publications.
(vi) This thesis does not contain text, graphics or tables copied and pasted from the
internet, unless specifically acknowledged, and the sources being detailed in the
dissertation and in the references sections

Signed…………………………………….Date…………………………………
Supervisor………………………………………………………………………….

Signed…………………………………….Date…………………………………

Co-Supervisor……………………………………………………………………

Signed……………………………………..Date…………………………………

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ABSTRACT

Since 2005, the United States (US) has shifted its justification for the militarization
of the African continent to the more humanitarian security-development discourse.
This apparent paradigmatic shift presents the United States African Command as
more benign than it may be. However, the response to the emergence of United
States Africa Command (AFRICOM) has ranged from wholesale condemnation to
selective criticism of US policy. Skeptics of AFRICOM cite previous US military
forays in Africa which led to a disproportionate development of military institutions
relative to instruments of civilian rule. Others see AFRICOM as a naked attempt to
exert American control over Africa’s valuable natural resources (Taguem, 2010,
Esterhuyse, 2008, Isike, Uzodike and Gilbert, 2008, 2009).
On 11th July 2009, while addressing Ghana’s Parliament, President Barack Obama
remarked that Africa is not the crude caricature of a continent at war but nonetheless,
for far too many Africans, conflict is a part of life, as constant as the sun. He
reiterated that America has responsibility to ameliorate the deplorable human
security condition of Africans not just in words, but with support that strengthens
Africans’ capacity (President Obama’s address to Ghana’s Parliament July 11, 2009).
In his 2010 National Security Strategy (NNS), President Obama called for
partnership with African nations as they grow their economies, and strengthen their
democratic institutions and governance. In June 2012, he approved Presidential
policy directives that outline his vision for sub- Saharan Africa. The stated pillars of
US strategy towards Africa are to strengthen democratic institutions, to spur
economic growth, trade and investment, advancement of peace and security, and the
promotion of opportunities and development by promoting food security and
transforming Africa’s public health system (US.Strategy toward Sub-Saharan Africa,
2012). The achievement of these stated goals is incumbent on the third goal which
AFRICOM is expected to spearhead.
Africans predominantly see Washington’s profession of concern for development
and security as transparent cover for hegemonic assertions of “Imperialist power”
(Stevenson, 2011:28). However, these debates have been based on conjectures
informed by a historical review of major power involvement with Africa. There is a
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need to move from these conjectural debates to provide empirical details of
AFRICOM activities and their consequences for human security in Africa. This
study therefore contributes to this debate by investigating AFRICOM’s activities
since its formation in 2007. The series of activities by AFRICOM on the continent
and its intervention in security situations in Libya, Mali, Nigeria and Somalia makes
this study very promising in light of the study’s engagement with the strategic
possibilities of AFRICOM through a critical review of the objective security
conditions in Africa within a changing global security context. The research
identifies the nexus between AFRICOM and human security in Africa. By doing so,
it articulates the security concerns of African States and contributes to discussions
on, and practices of, alternative ways of providing human security to African
people(s).
This study argues that the lopsided power relationship between the United States of
America and Africa engendered the imposition of AFRICOM on Africans without
due consultation with the African Union (AU), while the multi-faceted challenges of
poverty, inter-ethnic conflicts, religious intolerance, trans-border crimes and terrorist
attacks in Africa induced the US government to categorize the continent as zone of
conflicts from whence threats to US stability emanate. The thesis also argues that the
successful securitization of these threats by United States government engendered
the creation of USAFRICOM. The study constructs the above arguments on
historical, exploratory, descriptive and critical foundations. The research contains a
substantial amount of fieldwork data on which it bases an empirical evaluation and
analysis.

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DEDICATION

This Work is dedicated to the Almighty GOD for His ever abiding presence, His
leading and faithfulness, His mercies upon my life and His marvelous and continuous
help. Oh LORD, I remain eternally grateful for the abundance of all things.
To my beloved mother Mrs Joy Nwachi Onor (Ezigbo Nnem Oma), my mentor and
Uncle Col. Victor Chinedu Ndulue, I am exceedingly grateful to both of you and I
pray that the almighty LORD will reward you abundantly.

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Acknowledgments

The research and writing of this PhD thesis could not have been successfully
completed without the invaluable contributions of my supervisors.
To Dr Alison Jones I owe a particular debt of gratitude. I am sincerely grateful for
her continuous guidance and support throughout this long and solitary journey. I
thoroughly enjoyed working with her and found her an inspiration for both her vast
knowledge and patience. I will never be able to show appreciation enough for her
willingness to take on this interesting yet controversial and, at times, difficult project.
My heartfelt thanks also go to Dr Sadiki Maeresera who, in his role as supervisor,
nurtured this project with insightful suggestions and encouraging comments. The
depth and breadth of his knowledge is nothing short of astounding and his
encouragement and guidance were invaluable throughout. I would like to give
special thanks to the Social Sciences Research Council (SSRC) for the award of Next
Generation’s SSRC Dissertation Fellowship 2015-2016 which facilitated the timely
completion of this project. My special thanks go to Chief Bernard Chinedu
Okekeigwe (Ezechinedo) for his financial support, my mentor, Prof. Ufo Okeke
Uzodike, his amiable wife Dr Uju Ufo-Okeke Uzodike and my good friends and
sisters Miss Victoria Akudo Onyegbula and Miss Rechel Omoruyi for their massive
spiritual support. I also like to appreciate my Dean and Head: School of Social
Sciences, Prof. Stephen Mutula. My heart-felt appreciation goes to LT. Gen.
Chikadibia Obiakor (RTD) and Gen. Festus Okonkwo whom I consider as a good
father. My thanks go to the Dr Remi Emmanuel Aiyede for his unquantifiable
investment in my career and his insistence that I venture into the field of peace and
security. My special thanks to the ECOWAS military chief of staff Gen. Hassan Lai,
who extended unlimited assistance by helping to arrange a large number of valuable
interviews to enrich this research.
Moreover, I would like to recognise and express gratitude to my brilliant friends who
read through early manuscripts of this document. I wish to thank my resident Pastor,
Pastor Stanley Nkwoji, my fellow labourers in the LORD’s vineyard, Pastor David
Yemi, Pastor Timothy Akindeji, Pastor Akinola Ikudayisi, Pastor Osayande Odaro
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Dr Nneka Ofoma, Mark Rieker, Mr Chika Igilige, Dcn Emmanuel Obodoechi, Mr
Chuba Adigo, Mr and Mrs Ife Adegunloye and the entire members of Winners
Chapel International Durban branch for their invaluable encouragements, valid
comments and tireless prayers. I am indeed privileged to count them as my family
and friends.
I am deeply obliged to my brothers Tochukwu, Uchenna and chukwunnonso and
sisters Mrs Ogechukwu Obijekwu and Miss Grace Onor for their enduring support
and unceasing encouragement from the very beginning of this study. They were
instrumental in raising my spirits and helping to bring this project to a successful
close.
Finally, I wish to remember my late father Chief Eric Ndubuisi Onor (Obuzoba-
onweya) who passed away in my first year of preparing this thesis. I would like to
express my limitless thanks for his unwavering love and support since my early days
in high school and, most of all, for his constant encouragement.
This publication was made possible by support from the Social Science Research
Council’s Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa Fellowship, with funds
provided by Carnegie Corporation of New York.

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LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

AQIM Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb
AU African Union
ACRI African Crisis Response Initiative
ACOTA Africa Contingency Operations Training and Assistance
ACRF African Crisis Response Force
AGOA African Growth and Opportunity Act
APS Africa Partnership Station
AAPC All African People’s Congress
AfDB African Development Bank
APFO Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance
AQAP Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
APRM African Peer Review Mechanism
ANC African National Congress
AOPIG African Oil Policy Initiative Group
ACOTA Africa Contingency Operation Training and Assistance
ADAPT Africa Deployment Assistance Partnership Team
CA Constitutive Acts
CA Commission for Africa
CAADP Comprehensive African Agriculture and Development
Programme
CAQDAS Computer Assisted Quantitative Data Analysis Software
CAR Central African Republic
CENTCOM Central Command
CHS Committee on Human Security
CJTF-HOA Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa
CS Copenhagen School
CPRC Chronic Poverty Research Centre
CGAR Crisis Group African Report
CPA Comprehensive Peace Agreement
CSSDCA Conference on Security Stability Development and
Cooperation in Africa
CIA Central Intelligence Agency
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CDC Centre for Disease Control
CIPA Contribution to International Peace keeping Activities
CJOA Combined Joint Operation Area
CONUS Continental United States
DFID Department for International Development
DoD Department of Defense
DoS Department of States
DRC Democratic Republic of Congo
DHS Department of Health Service
DCMA Deputy to the Commander for Civil-Military Activities
DCMO Deputy to the Commander for Military Operations
EUCOM European Command
ECOWAS Economic Community of West African States
ECOSOCC Economic Social and Cultural Council
ECOMOG Economic Community of West African States Monitoring
Group
EIA Energy Information Administration
EEZ Exclusive Economic Zone
FRELIMO Frente de Libertação de Moçambique
FOA Food and Agriculture Organization
FGT Four-Gamete Test
FLNM Northern Mali Liberation Front
FIDH International Federation for Human Rights
FMF Foreign Military Financing
FMS Foreign Military Sales
FOC Full Operating Capacity
GAO Government Accountability Office
GWOT Global War on Terror
GSPC Groupe Salafiste Pour la Predication et le Combat
GDP Gross Domestic Product
GSP Generalized System Preferences
GIA Armed Islamic Group
GFM Global Force Management
HA Humanitarian Assistance
HIV Human Immunodeficiency Virus
HIPC Heavily Indebted Poor Countries
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HDI Human Development Index
HRW Human Rights Watch
IADB Inter-American Development Bank
ICU Islamic Courts Union
IDP Internally Displaced Person
IMF International Monetary Fund
IRC Internet Relay Chat
IMET International Military Education and Training
IPT Integrated Process Team
IOC Initial Operating Capacity
JEM Justice and Equity Movement
JFCOM Joint Force Command
LANTCOM US Atlantic Command
LRA Lord’s Resistance Army
MCA Millennium Challenge Account
MCC Millennium Challenge Corporation
MDGs Millennium Development Goals
MDRI Multilateral Debt Relief Initiatives
MNA National Movement of Azawad
MNLA National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad
MPA Azawad People’s Movement
MNC Multi National Corporation
MPLA Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola
MUJAO Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa
NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization
NAVAF Naval Force Africa
NEPAD New Partnership for African Development
NIH National Institute of Health
NPFL National Patriotic Front of Liberia
NRM-A National Resistance Movement-Army
NSR National Security Review
NSS National Security Strategy
OCRS Organization Commune des Regions Sahariennes
OSAA Office of the Special Adviser on Africa
OAU Organisation of African Unity
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