U.S. African post falters

WASHINGTON, June 1 (UPI) -- A U.S. effort to monitor terrorist activity with a new Africa Command has faltered because of host government concerns, officials said.

Officials planned to launch the U.S. African Command, or Africom, Oct. 1, but the mission has scaled back considerably because African governments refused to play host and aid groups condemned its neocolonial appearance, The Washington Post reported Sunday.

U.S. President Bush envisioned Africom in early 2006 when he deemed the region an area of "strategic concern" prompting officials to look at employing new counterinsurgency tactics learned in Iraq and Afghanistan to mitigate "pre-conflict" situations in Africa, the Post said.

Many African nations looked at Africom as an extension of the U.S. counterterrorism strategy and viewed the headquarters as a way to keep a colonial eye on Africa's large Muslim population.

"If you know the politics of Africa," said the former head of the U.N. peacekeeping force in Sierra Leone, Kenyan army Lt. Gen. Daniel Opande, "you know there are certain very powerful countries who said, no, we are not interested in having a headquarters here."

Originally slated for 1,300 personnel, Africom's 50 or so staff members will set up a temporary headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, the Post said.