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Drugs
The EU usually justifies its intervention in Guinea Bissau with the growing drug trade between South America and Europe via West Africa and the Sahara. Guinea Bissau is considered to be the preferable territory of transit, with a difficult to control archipelago just offshore and national border controls that hardly exist. In Guinea Bissau it is above all the military that is mighty. The West accuses certain groups in the military of being involved in or even, to a large extent, controlling the drug trade. Last April, the USA accused two high-ranking officers of being key figures in the drug trade and froze their foreign assets. One is the current head of the air force and the other a former head of the navy.[1] The former naval top officer is one of the most influential men in the country, according to the Western press, he could possibly even be the real ruler of Guinea Bissau.[2]
Completely Reconstituted
In 2007, the EU initiated its efforts to gain influence over Guinea Bissau's military. The "overbearing influence of the military" is considered "the main problem" of the country, according to the German foreign ministry's official position.[3] The EU's activities are actually oriented toward reducing the armed forces' influence. Following a fact-finding mission in May 2007, Brussels debated whether to send its own military personnel to Guinea Bissau - finally agreeing around the end of that year on the concrete measures to be undertaken. About 15 people were to be sent to the capital, Bissau, to "assist in" the "security sector reform" (SSR).[4] Then in January 2008, the parliament in Bissau voted in favor of the "SSR" and invited the EU to do the implementation. Just prior to the official inauguration of the EU's intervention - "EU SSR Guinea Bissau" - which would include soldiers, police and civilians and be under military leadership, those in charge of the operation announced that the entire military force of Guinea Bissau would have to be completely reconstituted.[5]
Control over the Military
More precise details were given in a parliamentary interpellation of the German government, in which the size of Guinea Bissau's army would be reduced from over 4,500 to less than 3,500. At the same time a national guard is would be created, that would be independent of the army [6], the law to this effect was passed - with EU "advisory" support - May 14. The EU - which, among other things, has organized the head-count of the armed forces and the creation of a pension fund for those soldiers to be discharged from service - has so far paid five million Euros for their mission. Germany has contributed a million Euros and some of the personnel for this mission. The EU - whose personnel enjoys absolute immunity and access to all officials, from the head prosecutor, commanders of the branches of the armed services and even to the president of Guinea Bissau, seeks to obtain control over the military and the national guard of Guinea Bissau - as a means of obtaining essential control of the country itself.
Plea for Support
In the meantime, it has become questionable that the EU can successfully accomplish these objectives. Following the initiation of the EU mission, several politically motivated assassinations took place in March and June 2009. This year, at the beginning of April, there were repeated attempts to overthrow the government. A coup d'état could be averted, but experts on Africa consider that the officials in office, whose help the EU had been depending on to reconstitute the armed forces, have not constituted the real power of the country for quite some time. Last Monday, a press statement was published in Brussels announcing the suspension, for the time being, of the EU's intervention.[7] Also last Monday, at this year's France-Africa Summit, Guinea Bissau's president, whose influence is dwindling, officially asked the EU for support in the "struggle against drug trafficking".[8] How the situation will evolve is unclear.
Military-Political Influence
What at first sight appears to be anecdotes from a small, here in Germany rather unknown West African country, is in fact of much greater significance. The EU SSR Guinea Bissau is the first EU attempt to use combined efforts to take control of the armed forces of a West African country. The West African nations' military - with but few exceptions - were, until now, thought to be within the former colonial power, France's exclusive sphere of influence. Since the 1990s, Germany has been seeking to extend its military influence into West Africa, using the framework of the regional "Economic Community of West African States" (ECOWAS) organization - which also has English-speaking member countries, particularly Nigeria and Ghana. (german-foreign-policy.com reported.[9]) The intervention in Guinea Bissau has broadened the previously applied means, adding a new component with extensive competence, surpassing what had been monopolized by the French.
Future Interventions
Spreading analogous interventions to other West African countries are simultaneously being prepared. The EU sent three "fact-finding missions" to West Africa in the second half of 2009, seeking to "get a clear picture of the current situation," according to the German government.[10] Their reports are currently being analyzed. Brussels is step by step making inroads into West Africa with more EU SSR interventions - thereby not only opening up new possibilities for Berlin in French-speaking Africa, but also involving the EU more than ever before in Africa's future military conflicts.
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