America has no secret bases in Botswana
Outgoing US Ambassador to Botswana Craig Cloud dismisses allegations as ‘ good rumour’
Outgoing American Ambassador to Botswana, Craig Cloud has reiterated that the United States of America does not have any secret bases in Botswana.
Cloud, who is taking a new assignment in the East African country of Eritrea, was responding to a question during a roundtable discussion with the local press in Gaborone about America’s involvement in the ownership of Thebephatshwa Airbase, which is located just outside Molepolole.
Lately, the President of the ultra- radical South African political party, Economic Freedom Front ( EFF) Julius Malema has joined the fray in this argument on the side of antagonists that accuse Botswana of harbouring an American military base. Malema said the US military base in Botswana poses a security threat to both South Africa and the Southern African region.
Cloud countered: “I saw the video from South Africa and I can unequivocally tell you that that is so far from the truth, we have absolutely no secret bases in Botswana! We do not own Thebephatshwa which is 100 percent BDF”. In the recording, Malema can be heard charging, “Why do you allow them to have a military base in Botswana because no one can prepare to defend himself in two minutes!
“Once America declares war and says we are attacking South Africa they will do it in two minutes and finish the Union Building! “That is why that military base in Botswana must be closed because it is a security threat to the whole Southern African region”. But Ambassador Cloud contends that such accusations are peddled by “people who are looking for a good rumour” and that sadly, “it keeps getting repeated”!
But this assurance may not be sustained in the wake of reports that America is poised to set up a military base in neighbouring Zambia. The announcement that the United States Africa Command ( AFRICOM) will open an Office of Security Cooperation at the US Embassy in Zambia was made on April 25 after a meeting between President Hakainde Hichilema and visiting AFRICOM Brigadier General, Peter Bailey, who is the Deputy Director for Strategy Engagement and Programmes.
Reports from the US Embassy in Zambia said that the new Office of Security Cooperation will “enhance military- to- military relations and expand areas of cooperation in- force management, modernisation and professional military education for the Zambian security forces”.
But military and security watchers in the region have called for vigilance to ensure that SADC does not host any American bases. However, Ambassador Cloud explained that the United States maintains some cooperation with the Botswana Defense Force ( BDF) through the North Carolina National Guard.
“That is a State partnership with the BDF, they do between 20 to 25 exercises a year with BDF doing trainings, skills building, capacity building and knowledge transfer,” he said, indicating that these exercises
That is a State partnership with the BDF, they do between 20 to 25 exercises a year with BDF doing trainings, skills building, capacity building and knowledge transfer
are meant to ensure that BDF is ready if it has to do a joint mission with the US or if it has to do something outside of Botswana. In fact it is such training and exercises that Cloud is confident have contributed to the success of the SADC Mission in Northern Mozambique, which he said, he had relayed his impression to Presdent Mokgweetsi Masisi. “The building of the forces to execute their mission has been outstanding and I hope that some of the training that we have been doing between both Africa and the Africa Command and the North Carolina National Guard has contributed to the exercise, and I believe they have,” Cloud said.
As for the US- Botswana diplomatic relations across the socio- economic and political spheres, Ambassador Cloud told the Press that he was excited to leave them pretty intact.