US Africa command battles sceptics

The new command is headed by a four-star General, William Ward

Liberia has expressed an interest, while the US is said to be looking for a willing southern African country, but for the time being Africom's headquarters will remain in Stuttgart in Germany. The only established base is Camp Lemonier in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa, where about 1,800 US troops are stationed.

New Africa command raises suspicions about U.S. motives

U.S. officials have billed the new command, known as Africom, as a sign of Africa's strategic importance, but many in Africa see it as an unwelcome expansion of the U.S.-led war on terrorism and a bid to secure greater access to the continent's vast oil resources. Several countries have refused to host the command, and officials say Africom will be based in Stuttgart, Germany, for the foreseeable future.

Is Africa the Next Cold War Theater?

"Africa's failure to move towards creation of a "United States of Africa" - Dr. Kwame Nkrumah's vision when he assumed the presidency of newly independent Ghana, 50 years ago - has exposed the continent to "a new form of colonialism.""