NEW DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL SECURITY TELLS DCI

C O N F I D E N T I A L ACCRA 000086

SIPDIS


AF/FO FOR A/S FRAZER; NAIROBI FOR AMBASSADOR RANNENBERGER;
USEUCOM FOR AMBASSADOR YATES

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/18/2018
TAGS: GH MARR PTER
SUBJECT: NEW DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL SECURITY TELLS DCI
AFRICOM "VERY SENSITIVE" AND UNPOPULAR WITH MOST AFRICAN
NATIONS

Classified By: Ambassador Pamela E. Bridgewater under section 1.5 b)
and d)

1.(C) During a courtesy call on the newly named Director of
National Security, Dr. Amoo, DCI General Michael Hayden (who
is visiting Ghana on a fact finding tour of Africa) solicited
Amoo's thoughts about AFRICOM. Amoo, a Ph.D from SAIS,
quickly responded that for Ghana AFRICOM is a "very sensitive
matter", and that most African governments share this
sentiment. Amoo recalled Nigeria's outright rejection (which
suggested Nigeria spoke for the entire continent). He said
there has not been a single "positive " report on AFRICOM in
the local media. Amoo said that "no one has been able to
come out openly in support of AFRICOM because there is a real
fear that a U.S. military presence in Africa will spawn
terrorism"; he specifically said Al Quaeda. General Hayden
said that AFRICOM was established because Africa is of
greater importance to the United States. He noted that while
stationed at EUCOM, U.S. reactions to situations on the
African continent were mostly "reactive". Planning and
thinking were of an emergency nature and AFRICOM is an
attempt to avoid this in the future. Hayden continued that
"our intentions are good" and that we can be much more
effective with a unified command dedicated principally to
Africa. Amoo responded that there is a "genuine" fear of
terrorism among most African states and people if the U.S. is
identified with a base in any one of the African countries,
and that as a result of this fear, Africans could "easily be
blackmailed".

BRIDGEWATER