Aid to Africa: A new weapon in the war on terror?

01 Feb 2007 17:07:00 GMT

Blogged by: Megan Rowling

Should other African states be worried about U.S. activities in Somalia? Covert support for a bunch of warlords and a couple of bombing raids targeting al-Qaeda suspects may not amount to much at first glance. But some analysts think they're an indication the U.S.-led 'war on terror' has well and truly kicked off in Africa. This week, John Chipman, head of the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, noted at the launch of The Military Balance 2007 that the latest outbreak of violence in Somalia has led many "to view the weak state as 'jihad's third front' after Afghanistan and Iraq". He noted the call from al-Qaeda deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahiri to the "lions of Islam" to take up arms against Somalia's transitional government, and warned that forces aligned with the Islamic Courts - who were routed from Mogadishu in late December after Ethiopia intervened - are likely to pursue an insurgency. Author and Africa specialist Michela Wrong agrees that developments in Somalia are significant. She told a packed meeting at London's Frontline Club that they marked the first African front in the war on terror, which could have wider implications across the continent. "We are seeing a paradigm shift in the way the world deals with Africa," she said. "This will have a spillover impact far beyond Somalia. It will affect how the West deals with all countries in Africa." Wrong cited the example of U.S. engagement with what she described as "the corrupt government" in Kenya. Because the U.S. army has been operating along its border, with Nairobi helping keep nosy journalists away, President Kibaki's administration could see itself rewarded by less scrutiny and more relaxed conditions attached to aid, Wrong suggested. "All the talk about good governance has been proved to be so much guff by what's happened in Somalia," Wrong said. Cash for cooperation in the war on terror may be nothing new in Asia and the Middle East. But, if Wrong's prediction is correct, its extension to Africa could seriously undermine efforts to tackle corruption and strengthen accountability in aid spending.