16 West African countries establish Standby Brigade
Written by Emeka Mamah
Friday, 11 January 2008
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Andrew Azazi, says that 16 West African countries have established a regional West African Standby Brigade (WASB) just as the Gulf of Guinea Commission has resolved to form a Gulf of Guinea Guards to safeguard the gulf region. Azazi said that the setting up of the brigade was designed to prevent political and other crises in the area from escalating into civil wars.
He spoke yesterday while addressing students at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Jaji, during a tour of military institutions in Kaduna State.
The CDS said that Nigeria was expected to play prominent roles in the training, provision of base and personnel, as well as funding and other logistics in the formation of the two forces.
“West African nations have agreed to establish West African Standby Brigade in the sub-region. Efforts have gone far in the formation of the West African Standby Force that will be organised and run by Africans themselves.
“The force will have five formations all over West Africa and Nigeria is expected to play prominent roles. The Gulf of Guinea Commission also intends to form the Gulf of Guinea Guards to police the gulf.
“Nigeria will play vital parts in the organisation of the two forces. One of the main points of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua seven-point agenda is security in which the Nigerian armed forces plays major roles.
“See what happened in Kenya recently, many people believe that is what will happen in Nigeria after the April 2007 general elections but it was not so.”
http://www.vanguardngr.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4295&Itemid=43
I hope this good intentions will not be hijacked by the US which proposing Africa High Command. I do not support US getting involve military in Congo and Uganda this is because their involvement in Somalia has left that country African leaders should be very careful about this touted US High Command as I can only see such a thing as an attempt to recolonise the continent. At the moment what Africa needs is not a military high command but economic development, democracy and stopping the supply of arms by US companies to the continent. It is the same US whose support for dictators and tyrants and continue supply of arms to the continent has fuel the instabilities all over the continent. African leaders must know that the West nothing to offer the continent except to exploit our natural resources for their own good and nothing else.