Africa-Press – Zambia. Dr Fred M’membe, the President of Zambia’s Socialist Party, has expressed his concern over the lack of response from President Hakainde Hichilema regarding the setting up of an AFRICOM office in Lusaka.
In a letter dated June 24, 2022, Dr M’membe raised several concerns regarding the establishment of the Office for Security Cooperation in Lusaka, as he believed it to be a serious mistake given the understanding of the doctrine behind the AFRICOM. Dr M’membe cited the United States’ 2017 doctrine document, which outlines the objectives and activities of AFRICOM and the potential risks it may pose to Zambia’s sovereignty.
Dr M’membe also discussed how AFRICOM has slowly increased its presence throughout the continent, establishing agreements with various African countries to use airfields, bases, and other resources for refueling aircraft, deploying troops, and conducting surveillance operations. According to Dr M’membe, AFRICOM’s operations have primarily supported US government foreign policy objectives, but have not yielded any significant benefits to the cooperative countries.
The President of the Socialist Party also pointed out that the distinction between setting up a military base and an office is often used as a way to politically manage AFRICOM’s presence in African countries. He used the example of Ghana, where the US mission stated that they were not setting up a base, but instead were entering into a Status of Forces Agreement that allowed the US military unrestricted access to various facilities in the country.
Dr M’membe concluded his letter by questioning why President Hichilema has not responded to these critical concerns and called for a public discourse on the matter.
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