Military can play role in boosting Africa ties

The recently concluded Africa summit appeared to be a show-stopper for the government. The attendance in large numbers of heads of state as also their positive response is indicative of the success of the summit. The African nations desired both economic support and military assistance from India. The government made promises on the economic front in return for ensuring support to India at world forums, mainly the UN. The military aspect was generally glossed over.

Africa has been growing in strategic importance for India and therefore needs close engagement and cooperation. The nations on the east coast of Africa are rim countries of the Indian Ocean and should always be on our radar. Since most of India’s trade is by sea, our sea routes running close to the African coast need to be secure. Any power inimical to India, being provided with naval facilities on the East African coast would affect the security our sea trade.

A part of India’s oil imports flow from Africa. India’s investments in Africa are on the rise, not only from the private sector but also from the government. As its economy grows and nations stabilize, Africa could be the next major market for Indian products. Only continuous engagement would ensure that India’s interests are well protected.

Though China has also been investing across the continent, there are reports that the Chinese would never be as welcome as the Indians. The reason is that Africa has always been closer to India. It has always had Indians as part of communities, handling most of their trade and commerce. The Indian community may not be active politically, but financially they still are a force to reckon with in many African states. The community continues to maintain its Indian links and traditions.

Both India and the countries in Africa emerged from colonialism after hard-fought freedom struggles. Together they were also once a part of the now defunct non- aligned movement.

In Sept 1986, Robert Mugabe requested India to provide a squadron of fighters to ensure protection of the land corridor linking Zimbabwe to the sea port of Beira, at the height of the Mozambique civil war. In 2003, at the request of the government of Mozambique the Indian Navy provided security from the sea when their country hosted the African heads of state for the African Union summit. It provided the same cover during the World Economic Forum summit the next year. Indian soldiers have earned respect participating in peacekeeping operations in Congo, Mozambique, Somalia, Angola, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Namibia and Rwanda etc. Therefore India would always be welcome to participate in the development of Africa.

In Africa, most countries may be democratic while some may have a head of state ruling with an iron fist; however the power behind the throne is the military. While politically, dealing with the elected government would be ideal, however, interaction with the military at the higher echelons would ensure security of our interests and investments irrespective of who comes to power. Thus for long-term security of investments and strategic partnerships, military to military cooperation is essential.

Strategically, for India there are a number of areas where we can be involved in activities involving military cooperation. The easiest is to offer vacancies for training of officers on specialist courses in India. Most African countries are English speaking; hence language is not a barrier. This happens to a limited extent; however it needs to be expanded.

The next option is for participation in joint training exercises, as we presently hold with US, China and Russia. We do not conduct this with any African country. This would enhance their opinion of the Indian soldier and his tactics. The third option is to establish military training teams in various countries. This creates a base for interaction with the higher echelons of the military and government in the host nation. India already has training teams in Botswana, Lesotho, Zambia and Seychelles. It needs to expand them to cover more nations.

The next avenue for strategic interaction is for Indian naval ships to make regular visits to ports in Africa. Increased frequency of visits would benefit the host nation as well as enhance military cooperation. It would also have an impact in controlling sea piracy off the African coast and ensure security of Indian sea routes.

Another area of defence cooperation could be supplying military hardware. Most countries in Africa are presently not economically capable of purchasing latest military hardware from the world market. India can easily step in and help in capacity and capability building. This would provide the Indian defence armament industry an avenue for export and revenue earnings. It would also forge closer defence ties.

Finally a number of countries are presently facing insurgencies which have affected their development as well as their stability. India has been battling insurgency almost since its independence in one part of the country or the other. Our expertise in dealing with these is well documented. Positioning of advisors as is being resorted to by the US, could result in creating an environment for closer coordination with the higher echelons of the government.

New Delhi should realize that there is a relationship between foreign policy goals and military power. Therefore it should move away from its comfort zone of keeping the military aloof from international strategic interaction and take them on board as a partner. Involving the military in its strategic interaction with Africa would bring in greater dividends to India.