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PARIS, France, 

Jan 6, 2010 — U.S. AFRICOM
INTERVIEW WITH AIDAN O'DONNELL
And
SONIA ROLLEY

RADIO FRANCE INTERNATIONAL

SPEAKER:
GEN. WILLIAM E. WARD,
COMMANDER,
U.S. AFRICOM

U.S. EMBASSY
PARIS, FRANCE

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2010


AIDAN O'DONNELL: Thank you once again for speaking to us.

GEN. WILLIAM E. WARD: Sure.

MR O'DONNELL: Can I just ask you, first of all, you talked about increased professionalization of the various countries you're working with - presumably better armies, better security. And the suggestion is that this leads to greater stability. Why do you feel that a better army will necessarily lead to greater stability and not to greater instability?

GEN. WARD: Because I think what you have is a - it's not just a better army; it's an army that functions in accordance with those things that we see as good principles, how they contribute to good governance, that responds to the legitimate government in ways that are not extrajudicial but are professional in accordance with what goes on.

If you take an example of Kenya, you know, 2 years ago, this time, Kenya was going through a very substantial governance issue associated with their elections. Their professional military stayed out of that because of that very fact -- that it's professional, and they knew how to operate in a democratic society where the army, the military, is not a part of those activities. And so we see a more professional military, not one that's solely skilled in military tactics, but how it conducts itself - its behavior, its discipline - as a stabilizing factor.

MR O'DONNELL: You mentioned, once or twice, earlier, the question of border patrols. There are numerous clashes between various states on the very question of borders. If you're helping a country to run a more efficient army along its border, presumably, this is giving an advantage to one country over another, in terms of a potential border dispute.

GEN. WARD: Well, the issue - and that's why the regional business is so important. That's why, as these nations work together regionally, that becomes increasingly, increasingly important to preclude the potential for that very thing happening. Recently, we were in East Africa - had an exercise that involved five East African nations - Tanzania, Burundi, Kenya -

MODERATOR: Uganda.

GEN. WARD: Uganda and Burundi?

COL CHILDRESS: Tanzania.

GEN. WARD: Tanzania. And they all worked together. In fact, as they were moving to conduct the exercise - the nations moving across each others' borders - they were being greeted at the border by the next country and they were traveling together, so they all wound up in the exercise area to conduct a humanitarian assistance exercise -- all together -- so they get to know each other in a more effective way and their cooperating increases. It is that type of condition that we are supporting the creation of, as the nations have determined that they do, in fact, want to work together as better partners.

MR O'DONNELL: Okay. AFRICOM has asked to set it itself up in Tamanrasset and Gao. Have the respective governments approved this and will there be an installation at some point?

GEN. WARD: No, no, AFRICOM has not asked to set up in Gao or Tamanrasset. We have conducted training activities in those locations, as we have in other parts of the continent, as well. But in no way does it reflect any permanent presence.

MR O'DONNELL: Okay, we have the impression that al-Qaida in the Maghreb has abandoned the North African front to concentrate on the Sahel-Sahara strip. Is this the case and is this, for you, a new strategy on their part?

GEN. WARD: Well, I think al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb would seek to operate wherever it could find space to do so, and the vast regions of the Sahel there are areas that they would certainly look to move in. That's why the nations of the Sahel increasing their capacity to have better control, better visibility over their vast territories, is an objective that we have, in working with those nations of the region, as well as working with other international partners.

MR O'DONNELL: Can you tell us something about the use of private military contractors by AFRICOM, or PMCs? They're being used by African states, they're being used by American companies and also by AFRICOM. To what extent are they being used, and are you satisfied that the necessary accountability is there?

GEN. WARD: AFRICOM does not use private military contractors.

MR O'DONNELL: Do you feel that this is something that might be used in the future, given that U.S. military resources are strained outside of AFRICOM?

GEN. WARD: I'm not envisioning that.

MR O'DONNELL: Okay. In August 2009, the U.S. assassinated a Shabaab leader using helicopters out of Mogadishu. What kind of information-gathering led to this, and is this something that we can expect to see in the future?

GEN. WARD: Well, I don't know if I would characterize it as such. There are terrorists that are operating around the world, and our president has said, as well as the current administration, that we will pursue those terrorists, where they may be. And that is something that is an option that remains on the table.

MR O'DONNELL: In Northern Chad in 2008, we've seen Navy SEAL units - very small, very mobile - about 15 people - on intelligence-gathering missions. Can you tell us how widespread this kind of operation is around the continent?

GEN. WARD: I would not characterize any particular - I'm not sure what you're talking about there. So I don't know if there were Navy SEALS on some intelligence gathering mission at all. We do conduct security assistance and training missions with a range of our forces that operate, again, in these countries to provide training, support and assistance, as is coordinated by those partner nations. And that occurs as a part of our security assistance program in many parts of the continent.

SONIA ROLLEY: Do you believe that the threat of the Shabaab to go to Yemen and to help al-Qaida there is a real threat, or it's just talk or for publicity?

GEN. WARD: As I mentioned, I think whenever these groups say that they're going to do something, we would take them at their word that they would do that. And we would - that would be of a concern. So I take them at their word.

MS. ROLLEY: And you believe that they have the capacity to do it? You believe that they are still an important threat in Somalia, as before?

GEN. WARD: I think so. It doesn't take a lot to be a threat. And so I think they say that they are going to do that and I take them at their word.

MS. ROLLEY: And what about the role of Eritrea? Do you believe that Eritrea is a key country in the region, with Somalia, for example, but also with Yemen? Do you have evidence that Eritrea is a key player in these terrorist activities in the region?

GEN. WARD: Well, I think it's a function of how these countries work to help to prevent crisis - help to create stability, as opposed to not. And that is what we would like to see all the countries be active contributors in helping to create stability - don't see a lot of that evidence from Eritrea.

COL CHILDRESS: We have time for one more question.

MR O'DONNELL: Just to come back, finally, to the question of military contractors, if you are operating in Africa, if the U.S. government is awarding contracts to American security companies who are operating in, say, Liberia, Sudan, Somalia, does this mean that you're then working around these companies - these entities?

GEN. WARD: I'm not quite sure - you know, we have contractors in Africa. The contractors are there providing logistic support. I'm not aware of American security contractors or companies operating in Africa conducting security activities.

MR O'DONNELL: And do you believe that - are you having to have a closer look on Nigeria, for example, because of what happened with the terrorist attempt on the plane?

MS. ROLLEY: No. There are - we have not done anything different insofar as what we are doing. We work with the Nigerians. But we haven't done anything different. What was going with the plane - our Transportation Security Administration -- and those airport and flight safety requirements -- is responsible for coordinating and working those with other nations who have flights that originate in their territories that are bound for the United States.

MR O'DONNELL: Thank you very much.

(END)

Transcript by
Federal News Service
Washington, D.C.