Thread: US rules out military bases in Africa: official

The United States does not plan to establish military bases in Africa, where several countries have refused to host the headquarters for a US-Africa military command, a US official said Tuesday.

"The United States does not intend to install bases in Africa, particularly in Algeria," said Mary Carlin Yates, deputy commander for civil and military activities at US Africa Command (AFRICOM).

Yates said that Washington had never asked Algiers to allow for an American military base on its territory.

The Algerian foreign ministry has said such a site would be "incompatible with (Algeria's) sovereignty and independence."

AFRICOM's headquarters is currently in Stuttgart, in southwestern Germany. Nigeria ruled out hosting a base in November.

The US military involvement in Africa has been shared among the US European Command, the US Central Command and the US Pacific Command.

AFRICOM is expected to supervise security measures in the Sahel and Maghreb regions of the continent, where Washington fears an escalation of Al-Qaeda-linked activity after numerous attacks over recent months.

Yates, speaking by video-conference from the US embassy in Paris, added that of nine billion dollars (six billion euros) in American aid directed to the continent through AFRICOM, the military budget was only 250 million dollars.

AFP