ALGERIAN SKEPTICISM AHEAD OF AFRICOM DVC

C O N F I D E N T I A L ALGIERS 000034 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/PPD DCURRY, PAGNEW PARIS FOR AMBASSADOR MARY YATES E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/13/2018 TAGS: PREL KPAO MARR AG SUBJECT: ALGERIAN SKEPTICISM AHEAD OF AFRICOM DVC Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Thomas F. Daughton; reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: Despite our repeated attempts to explain and clarify U.S. plans for AFRICOM, Algerians remain critical and suspicious. Both journalists and government officials engage in heavy speculation, often making false claims and spouting baseless misinformation about the new U.S. African Command. Many Algerians still believe that the U.S. aims to place a large military base or AFRICOM headquarters in the Maghreb. Speculation surrounding the purpose of AFRICOM continues to circulate and evolve into vast conspiracy theories. There is also a growing fear here that AFRICOM will turn Africa into a battleground between the U.S. and terrorist organizations. We will participate in a DVC with Ambassador Yates on January 15 in which she will discuss and explain AFRICOM to a group of Algerian journalists, officials, and intellectuals. Our hope is that the DVC will provide authoritative and concrete answers to help quell the unabated tide of suspicion and criticism. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (U) We have made many attempts to set the record straight on AFRICOM in the Algerian press. In our continuing efforts to disseminate factual information and clear up misperceptions, we are taking part in a DVC on AFRICOM with Ambassador Yates on January 15. Members of the press, MFA officials, Algerian military officials and Algerian academics will be participating in the event. Interest in the DVC has been strong -- the guest list includes 60 people and is still growing. Indeed, the simple announcement of the DVC set off another wave of suspicious speculating in the Algerian media about the USG's "true" intentions. NOT IN MY BACKYARD... OR MOROCCO'S EITHER -------------- ¶3. (C) Many Algerians still believe that the U.S. wants to put an AFRICOM base in Algeria, despite repeated assurances to the contrary from both U.S. and Algerian officials. The Algerian government has made it abundantly clear that it will never allow the U.S. military to install a base on its soil, and we have reiterated that the U.S. has never requested to do so. Press reports of U.S. plans to sell F-16s to Morocco have prompted energetic speculation that AFRICOM will be based there, a suggestion viewed by many Algerians as even worse than having it in Algeria. ¶4. (U) Popular Algerian opinion of AFRICOM is sharply negative. Articles and editorials appear in the Algerian press on an almost daily basis criticizing it. Algerians attribute various motives to the creation of AFRICOM, including U.S. desires to control African oil supplies, counter China's influence in Africa, and combat Al-Qaeda directly in the Sahel region. Regardless of the motive, AFRICOM is portrayed as interference in African affairs and an infringement on the sovereignty of African countries. The Algerian media has even gone so far as to suggest that recent attacks by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) are the work of the U.S., and are part of an attempt to build a case for the installation of AFRICOM in the region. A key factor in these claims is the popular belief that any AFRICOM HQ would take the form of a large military base with over a thousand American soldiers. ¶5. (C) COMMENT: We hope to use the DVC as an opportunity to quash many of the unfounded rumors about AFRICOM. Getting the facts from a high-level AFRICOM official like Ambassador Yates should help to convince more Algerians of the peaceful and cooperative nature of the command. Key to doing so, however, is speaking in no uncertain terms as to what is and is not true. The DVC audience will be interested in knowing where AFRICOM will be based and how large a presence it will have. Special emphasis should be placed on the fact that the U.S. has never asked Algeria to host an AFRICOM HQ and that it will not be located in Morocco, either. Clarifying the intended nature and size of the physical presence of the Command should also help allay Algerian fears. The DVC will provide an excellent opportunity to describe plans for small AFRICOM liaison offices with a limited number of personnel, and to highlight the positive work that AFRICOM hopes to accomplish in partnership with the AU and its member countries. FORD