Somalia: The oil rich, unstable Horn of Africa

While there is no doubt that the US response to Somalia fits into its overall view of the threat of terrorism influencing so much of its present foreign policy, this does not tell the whole story.

It is an open secret that US oil giants are sitting on concessions, expecting to reap huge windfalls from massive resources of both oil and gas in southern Somalia and the peaceful northern Somaliland.

Oil companies Conoco, Chevron, Amoco and Phillips have concessions in nearly two-thirds of Somalia.
The Horn of Africa is newly oil-rich, and is of great interest since it lies just kilometres from Saudi Arabia, overlooking the daily passage of large numbers of oil tankers and warships through the Red Sea.

The US gets 10% of its oil from Africa and may need to rely on the continent for as much as 25% by 2010.

The recent establishment of a US military command, Africom, has to be considered against this background and should be of real concern to Africans committed to constructing a different kind of future for our continent.

Geeska Afrika