UPI Oct 20: "Africa's exports of oil to the United States, largely from Nigeria and the dictator state of Equatorial Guinea, are roughly equal to those of the Middle East." "A major oil strike was made around Lake Albert in western Uganda in 2006, and geologists say it contains at least 2 billion barrels.Only 25 percent of the region, which includes the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has so far been explored, and some reports say there could be up to 6 billion barrels there.Uganda expects to start producing an initial 200,000 barrels per day in early 2012." Makerere prof Naimah Achim Bucha: "The truth is that Africom is there for the militarization of Africa and for the other purpose of elbowing out all U.S. competitors from the continent, China and Russia included."(
The attack on the Westgate mall in Kenya last month by al-Qaeda-affiliated militants has underscored the need for enhancing U.S. engagement with the African continent, said senior American officials in an online press conference. “It highlighted to us that we were pursuing the right strategy and proved that we had to bolster that strategy,” said Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of African Affairs of the US State Department.