Pascal Oparada
Former senator, Shehu Sani has rejected the idea of the United State of America relocating the headquarters of Africa Command (AFRICOM) to the continent, saying such a move will balkanize the continent.
He said once the US does so then other world powers will follow suit and turn the region into Syria and other war-torn countries.
“Once the US relocates their HQ to Africa, Russia, China, Iran, Saudi, Israel, and co would follow suit with establishing their Commands HQs, and then Africa will be militarily Balkanized; then we either become like Korea or like Syria,” Sani said.
“The President call for World powers military HQ on African Soil is an open invitation for recolonization of Africa. It’s easier to tell and get them to come and when they come, it’s impossible to tell and get them to go out.”
He said rather than calling for US Africa Command to be moved back to the region, African countries should collaborate to address security challenges in the continent.
“Over Six decades since Independence, African countries should purposefully work together to confront & address their security challenges, while honorably seeking foreign technical assistance. The call for the US to relocate AFRICOM HQ is unconscionable,” he said.
President Buhari had, in a virtual meeting with US Secretary of State Thomas Blinken, asked that the US to consider relocating AFRICOM to the continent to help fight insecurity.
“In my call with US Secretary of State Blinken, I asked the US to consider re-locating the AFRICOM HQ from Germany to Africa—near the Theatre of Operation; against the backdrop of growing security challenges in West & Central Africa, Gulf of Guinea, Lake Chad region & the Sahel,” Buhari said.
