Oil security, Qaeda offshoots worry US in Africa September 01, 2004, 05:12
The United States is urging oil-producing West African states to step up their defences against terrorism amid signs that new groups linked to Al-Qaeda are emerging across the continent, a top US general said yesterday.
General Charles Wald, deputy commander of the United States European Command (EUCOM), said key producers had not yet done enough to improve shipping security and protect critical energy infrastructure such as pipelines and offshore rigs from possible terrorist attacks. "We think they need to, we're advising that they do, and we think they need to do it fairly rapidly. Our feeling is they need to step out on this."
Wald was speaking after a trip last week to Nigeria, Angola, Gabon, Sao Tome and Cameroon, accompanied by Republican Chuck Hagel of the Senate foreign relations committee.
This region, the Gulf of Guinea, now provides around about 15% of US oil supplies and that share is projected by experts to grow. Worries about security of oil supplies have helped push crude to record highs recently on world markets.
Wald was speaking at EUCOM's headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, from where it oversees an area of responsibility totalling 91 countries and territories, covering all of Europe and most of Africa. As part of a US strategy to help African countries boost their counter-terrorism defences, US special forces have trained local forces in Mali and Mauritania this year in skills such as marksmanship, communications and navigation. A team of 25 marines recently completed an eight-week course in Chad, and has moved on to Niger. - Reuters
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