Evening star., 1960-12-26
United Force
Seen Remote
For Africans

NA41VO, OeC. 20 (NANA) -
Chances are very slim that |
Kwame Nkrumah will be able
to forge the armed forces Of
Independent Africa into an
emergency fire brigade"
The ambitious President of
Ghana, citing the Congo
chaos" as an urgent case in
point, has written to nine At
rican countries asking them to
consider q military high COM
mand which could act inde-
pendently, or on behalf of the
United Nations. in. defending
African independence.
Mr.. Nkrumah also has been
exchanging communications
with Egypt's President Canal
Abdel Nasser on the possibili-
ties Of forming an "organiza-
tion Of African States" similar
to the organization Of AmeriI
can. States, linking the United
States and Latin America.
The first proclamation of
such an African organization,
according to reliable inform
ants here, would be a "hands
on Africa" declaration to keep
the emerging continent from
getting involved in the cold
war.
Mr.. Nkrumah and Mr.. Nasser
are reported to have lined up,
so far, five African nations, in
cluding their own. The others:
Guinea, the Sudan and Mali.
Obstacles Cited
Some others may Join the
Nasser-Nkrumah Club" but
informed observers here be-
lieve it highly unlikely that q
"Quorum" win answer the call. |
The former French colonies
Of West Africa-now independ-
ent-are highly suspicious Of
Nkrumah. And some North AZ
rican leaders such as President
Habib Bourguiba Of Tunisia
aretnot sympathetic with Mr..
NasSer.
Even If political differences
could be settled, any combined
African military command
would face the almost insur-
mountable problem Of commu-
nications.
The tentative military plan
calls for a total fire brigade"
military force Of perhaps 50,-
900 men-to be held in readi-
ness in each Of the contribut-
ing countries until such time
as they may be needed.
This would mean the Afri-
can command would have to
have available at all times q
huge feet of modern transport
aircraft. Not even the United
Arab Republic, with Africa's
largest air force. has such q
transport feet.
U. S. Provided Planes {;
When the United Nations ap-
pealed for volunteer forces for.
the Congo, the United States,
Air Force provided nearly all
the transport planes to carry
the African troops-even those
from the United Arab Republic.
Not counting the 10000 reg
ular security troops of the
Union Of South Africa nor the
estimated 100000 Algerian vol
unteers fighting the French,
there are today across all the
African continent fewer than
100000 men in uniform. About
half Of these are troops Of Mr..
Nasser's Egyptian forces, both
regulars and national guards
men.
In addition to Ghana and the
UAR, Mr.. Nkrurnah proposed
that the African high command
be composed of representatives
from Ethiopia. Liberia, Guinea,
TuniSia, the Sudan, Morocco,
1ibya and Mali. There are now
n independent African states.
;Only three of the 10 nations
proposed for the combined mil
itary force have armies of more
than 10000 men: The United
Arab Republic (about $50, 0,O00)
Ethiopia (nearly $4,000 and
Morocco (about $4,000.
The Tunisian army, created
in 1856, now has about 5000
men under arms and plans are
drafted for 10000. Ghana also
has about 5000 men in three
battalions and aims at two or
three more battalions. Libya
has an army of about 5000 now
with 5000 the goal by 1868.
Liberia has a regular frontier
force Of 1900 men and a militia
Of 1000. The army in the
Sudan, which took over in a
military coup in 1858, now
totals 10000 men.
Armies Are Small ,
Although both Guinea and
Mali originally sent troop units
to the Congo, their armies are
still very small. Before inde-
pendence, their armies were
little more than units Of the
French army. =
The other 10 former French
states also assumed responsible
ity for their own defense when
they became independent this
year. France Is helping them
organize their own armies and
has drawn UP. military agree
n1ents with each government.
Leaders Of the former French
Congo have just inspected the
first company Of the first bat
talon Of the Congolese army
100 officers and men.