US may send troops to Niger Delta
• As Bush approves African Command Centre
By Ike Nnamdi, The Sun Reporter, Washington DC
Wednesday, June 6, 2007

George Bush
Photo: Sun News Publishing

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America has moved closer to introducing its forces into the restive Niger Delta, following the approval of President George Bush for an African Command Centre to assist needy countries to counter militant problems in their areas. The initiative followed Washington's acceptance to host an international conference on the Niger Delta to find lasting peace in the area.

"This new command will strengthen our security cooperation with Africa," President Bush said. The US president said he had asked Defence Secretary, Robert Gates to get the new command, up and running by the end of September 20 08. He said the US would consult African leaders on the command's base.

Gates said the new Africa command would allow the US to better coordinate action and counter potential threats because the administration received more than 20 percent of its oil from Africa and is worried about increased economic and diplomatic competition from China. There are also a variety of US security and humanitarian concerns, ranging from the potential rise of militant Islam to the threat of failed states and the specter of future genocide, especially in the Dafur region of Sudan.

The Pentagon said there are real potential threats, including terrorist threats that could emerge in war-torn areas, such as Somalia and Niger Delta.
The Africa command would be the fifth regional operations base for the US and will concentrate on military assistance to African nations, which is currently divided among three regional commands. Gates revealed the new plans as he addressed the Senate Armed Services Committee on the defence spending which President Bush proposed in his 2008 budget and submitted to Congress.

"This command will enable us to have a more effective and integrated approach than the current arrangement, an outdated arrangement left over from the Cold War," Gates said.
He said the Africa Command Centre would "oversee security, cooperation, building partnership capability, defence support to non-military missions, and, if directed, military operations."

Last year, the Pentagon requested Africa governments to forward a request on the kind of military assistance they would require from the new command. Senior Pentagon officials said former President Olusegun Obasanjo specifically requested America's assistance in pacifying the Niger Delta by deploying marines to improve security.


http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/newsonthehour/2007/june/06/newsbreak-06-06-2007-001.htm

This is an opportunity to rearm the Niger-Delta militants and to prepare grounds for a physical proxy war against China when the competition for resources gets hotter.

E be like say this people think say na only iraqis fit hurt them. Yar adua hasn't even sat down in Aso rock he has already started calling these people. Well, nigeria's light keeps getting dimer and dimer everyday leaving patriots out in the cold. What kind of unnecessary invitation is this? How can a full grown country be acting like a baby and I don't want to hear that naija is 47yrs old; which kind of 47yrs, we'r more than 200million years old matter of fact we were there from the beginning of time only for us to be acting like fools and others took advantage. To make matters worst, they 'r about to start planting sensors around our country, and jeorpadizing our internal and external economy and security. Wasn't it the same people that predicted our breakup three years ago. Instead of us having a meaningful and respectful relationship with mutual benefit, we have decided to concede and tell them that we haven't changed and we will always be the same, LAZY, NOT UNITED, BEGGERS, and ALWAYS INTIMIDATED. Now they know everything about us. Well done to those supporting this failure.

Even when the OBJ adminstration asked for arms to quell the insurgency in the Niger-Delta,the US refused.They are definitely not going to send troops.So you folks should calm down your anti-American hysteria.

Nigeria has no such agreement with the US. There's even no space to build the AFRICOM in Nigeria. And by principle, you do not build your foreign regional command inside the regional power because the plan is actually to checkmate that regional power. So they just started their parambulation to get reactions. Finally, if at all the AU agrees to it, it is going to be in Liberia.

This might spell doom for Nigeria if the USA installs their peace keeping force in the Niger Delta area.