African soldiers training on fort talk about challenges facing homelands

FORT HUACHUCA — As democratic nations grow in Africa, some of their young Army officers are attending the Intelligence Center on this Southern Arizona post.

With the United States creating the African Command, which some of the continent’s officers said is a good thing, soldiers from Malawi, Mali and Nigeria said their nations are concerned about potential terrorism within their borders, as Africa is a target for such problems.

On Wednesday, 15 officers from 11 African countries hosted a lunch for those attending the center, where they provided their native foods and talked about their homelands.

“Africa is of high interest now,” said Lt. Col. Ed Riehle, commander of the 304th Military Intelligence Battalion.

The American officer said having a gathering of all the representatives from African nations provides an ability to exchange ideas and educate other international officers and U.S. Army personnel outside of a more formal classroom setting.

Malawi in eastern Africa

On Wednesday, 1st Lt. Clement Ngalonde, of Malawi, graduated from the basic officers course and was remaining for additional training before heading back to his homeland.

Malawi is a small landlocked nation, that has a small army — about two brigades strong — of about 7,000 soldiers, he said.

“We have no Navy,” Ngalonde laughingly said.

A member of the brigade called the Malawi Rifles — that old British touch lingers in the former colony of Great Britain — said all officers in his nation’s Army need intelligence training.

Learning the American way of gathering intelligence “was a bit too technical for me,” Ngalonde said adding, Malawi’s Army is primarily infantry.

“I was an infantry platoon leader,” he said.

A nation of about 11 million, he said his homeland is suffering from a high number of HIV/AIDS cases, noting the average life expectancy for men is 39 and for women, 40. “We have a lot of orphans,” Ngalonde said.

The nation’s agricultural-based economy is also having a hard time, he said.

“We depend on tobacco,” Ngalonde said noting with smoking becoming socially unacceptable in parts of the world that endangers it as a cash crop.

And, throughout Africa there are terrorist problems as many nations on the continent keep a wary eye on those developments, he and two other officers from African nations said.

Nigeria is oil exporter

As for Lt. Nakati Johnson, from Nigeria, he said some of the turmoil in his homeland can be attributed to outside interference.

And, the turmoil in his homeland includes internal problems, especially in the oil rich delta area of Nigeria, he said, adding is country is the fifth largest exporter of oil to the United States.

His homeland, on the west coast of Africa, has untold natural riches which can be used to help the nation’s population but in some cases multi-national companies are taking advantage of the resources to the detriment of some Nigerians, Johnson said. As the most populous nation in Africa — about 180 million people — the one-time British colony’s defense force consists of slightly more than 100,000, the majority in the Army.

A graduate of the National Defence Academy, Johnson said he has a bachelor’s degree in computer science.

What he and others in Nigeria’s military are concerned about is the spreading war on terrorism, noting the conflict “is not just limited to the United States and England.”

Being trained in the intelligence aspects of fighting a war is important, he said, noting he is in his second month of training at Fort Huachuca, with four more months to go to complete the basic officers course.

Mali has long history

For 1st Lt. Almoustapha Toure, his current trip to the Arizona post is his second training one. He is a graduate of the basic officers course and is now attending the advance one.

The history of Mali is exciting, he said, noting parts of the nation were where three empires ruled, including the first black one on the continent. He can trace his family’s lineage back to an emperor of the Songhei Empire, Askia Mohammed Toure, who died in the 16th century.

And, although he did not claim kinship, the current president of Mali has the same last name — Amadou Toumani Touré. A nation of slightly more than 13 million people, the Mali officer said, “We have a very small Army of six brigades.”

The former French colony, landlocked Mali in western Africa has seen pressure from north of the Sahara to south of the great desert region. The nation is known for its warriors and for being a country with a highly educated history, Toure said.

It is in Mali where the legendary and actual city of Timbuktu — also known as Tombouctou — exists.

During its time of importance between 1100 and 1600, it was a place of learning and trade, he said. Timbuktu means the well of a woman named Buktu, Toure added.

Like many African nations, Mali is in a state of transition, he said. And, ensuring it is a democracy is important, Toure added.

As in many African nations, there are natural resources that can be used to help the people of Mali, he said.

And, like other African nations Mali is struggling with bad elements in society ranging from smugglers to people who want to import terrorism, Toure said.

He, and the two other officers, said the United States African Command is needed to ensure democracy in Africa. “It will help us a lot,” Toure said.

Nations represented

Officers from a number of African nations, former colonies of England and France, are attending the Intelligence Center on Fort Huachuca.

Currently the nations represented by one or two officers are:

• Algeria — 2

• Botswana — 2

• Djibouti — 1

• Egypt — 2

• Malawi — 1

• Mali — 1

• Morocco — 1

• Nigeria — 1

• Senegal — 2

• South Africa — 1

• Tunisia — 1

BILL HESS can be reached at 515-4615 or bill.hess@svherald.com.