Pentagon’s African Biolabs: Russia Warns of Global Pathogen Threat
08:40 GMT 24.12.2024 (Updated: 13:36 GMT 24.12.2024)
© AP Photo / PETER COSGROVE
Subscribe
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The US military-biological presence on the African continent is growing at a rapid pace, Deputy Chief of the Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Forces of the Russian armed forces Major General Aleksey Rtishev said on Tuesday.
"The documents at our disposal confirm that the US military-biological presence on the African continent is increasing rapidly," Rtishev told a briefing.
The United States deployed branches of naval military medical center in Ghana and Djibouti, Rtishev added.
"Active work in the region is being carried out by research organizations of the US Department of Defense. For example, branches of the military medical center of the naval forces are located in Ghana and Djibouti, where active work is being carried out in natural foci of diseases, isolation and sequencing of pathogens," Rtishev said.
17 December, 12:10 GMT
American specialists capable of enhancing the pathogenic functions of microorganisms are actively working in Africa, Rtishev said. He added that the US government views the region as a rich reservoir of dangerous infectious agents and a testing ground for experimental drugs, and Washington is using a biological risk management system in Africa that has already been tested in Georgia and Ukraine.
The US is actively engaged in:
Nigeria: A joint medical research center and a military medical laboratory for the armed forces were established in 2024.
Kenya: The US Army Military Medical Center has deployed a network of field stations to monitor the spread of infectious diseases throughout Equatorial Africa.
Senegal: A new $35 million laboratory facility is nearing completion. This project involves the same Pentagon contractors that have worked in the former Soviet Union, including Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine.
Ghana and Djibouti: The US. has established branches of the National Naval Medical Center and is actively addressing natural disease outbreaks and isolating pathogens.
The United States is conducting a project in 18 African countries to study the characteristics of infection occurrence and the resistance of pathogens to medical treatments.
According to Aleksey Rtishev, Washington is deliberately exploiting the economic challenges African nations face in the health sector to organize research initiatives, the general warns. Rtishev noted that the US fears that Russia and China could expose American military and biological programs.
The United States often does not disclose the ultimate goals of its experiments to partners, who are often unaware of the risks involved, he said.
