Combating Terrorism, Rebel Groups, and Armed Militias in the Face of Economic Prosperity Opportunities.

摘要

Kenya, Ethiopia, and South Sudan recently embarked on a $25 billion oil production project in Lamu, Kenya. Otherwise known as the Lamu-Port-South- Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport-Corridor (LAPSSET) project, it is expected to bring these nations and others throughout East Africa out of poverty and transform their socioeconomic status from economic and social despair to economic prosperity. The LAPSSET project will include a 32-berth mega port, a railway, an oil pipeline, a highway, and a fiber optic network. The key component to the entire project is the oil pipeline. However, the construction and ultimate uninterrupted use of the oil pipeline is facing many security threats. Al- Shabaab in Somalia, armed rebel groups, and armed militias in South Sudan pose the greatest security challenges to the oil pipeline. This threat directly opposes U.S. AFRICA COMMAND's (USAFRICOM) strategic and operational goals of security and stability throughout the East African region. Consequently, USAFRICOM must immediately engage these nations to help put into place security measures to mitigate attacks from these groups.