FBU involvement in Africa

[Rainbow Six]

Originally Posted by Mohoender

And you reminded me that I still had to watch the belgian movie "Lumumba" (really excellent but I don't know if there is any english copy somewhere)

My cousin answered quite quickly. Here is a translation of what he wrote:

The minerals are exploited by two means. Part of it (Cu and Co) is processed on the spot in various locations (Kolwezi, Kipushi, Fungurume...). This is done in electrical oven. Then, the metal (undergoing only partial refinement) is shaped into ingot and brought by truck to the two main harbor : Durban (South Africa) and Dar Es Salaam (Tanzania).

Interesting when it comes to the relations between the FBU and the USA. Then, help might be given to US troops in Kenya not because of oil but to secure access to he harbor. Also interesting for the relations with South Africa.

Another part of the mineral (for exemple, Uranium) is brought as such still using trucks. The mineral is, then, put in "Big Bags" and sent to either the ports or to conditioning factories in South Africa.

As a resumé: always by truck (60 tons double carrier trucks), in ingots (partial refinement) or Big Bags (non-refined).

Most of it get out of Katanga through Kasumbalesa on the border with Zambia (96 km south of Lubumbashi).

Might not be the French in Katanga but the South Africans

I could have asked him some times ago but until very recently he was working in the south of Algeria extracting oil (in what they call a life base) and was out of reach. He just quit his job because he considered to have had enough with revolutions and uprisings. Fair enough when you consider that he had been several times in the RDC (Kolwezi...), Chad (When France and the CIA had a small issue with an obscure Colonel Khadaffy), Haute-Volta (the day prior to it being renamed Burkina Faso), Haiti (at the time of Baby Doc fall)...

My uncle and aunt lived in 35 African countries and went through 32 wars and revolutions. Each time they arrived somewhere we used to bet on how long the regime would last. Now, they have been residing in France for two years .

Thanks Mo, that's interesting...so from the looks of things you'd need to make sure you had some sort of power source in place for the electric ovens.

Both sea ports are on the east coast of Africa so that would present some challenges I think, particularly if we assume that the Suez Canal is no longer passable...any ships coming out of East Africa and headed for France would have to go the long way around. Durban is a long haul and I suppose is governed by what has happened in South Africa, which is something that has come up on these boards a few times before. Dar is closer so would (presumably) mean shorter journey times to the port (thinking here that the riskiest part of the venture would be the road trip from the mine to the coast). As you say though, interesting as to how a French presence in Tanzania might affect relations with the US (and others). Zanzibar might be an interesting setting.

Also, I don't think it's been mentioned in this thread, but we know from the RDF Sourcebook that there's a significant French presence in Djibouti.

Interesting info...thanks

[rcaf_777]

Originally Posted by Rainbow Six

I think, particularly if we assume that the Suez Canal is no longer passable

Are you think Nuke? or more conventional means, I mean the the Soviets want to destory to prevent the US from using it, or keep in their hands for there own use gate way to more oil in middle east

But I think in pactical terms the canal would be a mess litter with wrecks from Israel and Egypt fighting around it, or the Soviets could block it by sinking a ships in canal

[Mohoender]

Here is a link to interesting information about power supply to Kolwezi

http://www.abb.fr/industries/ap/db00...90032bfea.aspx

One step further toward a needed collaboration between France and SAR.

Durban would be interesting and the Suez Canal wouldn't be an issue. Shipping would have to go from Durban to Bordeaux with eventual stops at Cape Town, Libreville, Abidjan and Dakar.

[Rainbow Six]

Originally Posted by rcaf_777

Are you think Nuke? or more conventional means, I mean the the Soviets want to destory to prevent the US from using it, or keep in their hands for there own use gate way to more oil in middle east

But I think in pactical terms the canal would be a mess litter with wrecks from Israel and Egypt fighting around it, or the Soviets could block it by sinking a ships in canal

As NATO seem to be ones that would benefit most from a link between the Med and the Arabian Gulf (and by extension the Persian Gulf) I was thinking a Soviet nuke, but other options are equally possible.

Originally Posted by Mohoender

Here is a link to interesting information about power supply to Kolwezi

http://www.abb.fr/industries/ap/db00...90032bfea.aspx

One step further toward a needed collaboration between France and SAR.

Durban would be interesting and the Suez Canal wouldn't be an issue. Shipping would have to go from Durban to Bordeaux with eventual stops at Cape Town, Libreville, Abidjan and Dakar.

Yep, that does seem like a logical route if the Suez Canal is blocked, taking in potential FBU allies in West Africa. That said, I'm still not convinced about the stability of South Africa, especially in a V1 timeline that has a continued Cold War and (possibly) an apartheid Government remaining in power. It might be different in V2 with Mandela as President, etc. Maybe I've just read Larry Bond's Vortex too often...

[Legbreaker]

I can see a ground burst nuke being the quickest and most effective way to block the canal. Perhaps one at each end just to be sure...
Sinking ships in the channel would work, but it's slow to do and could be prevented by effective naval patrols. And there's bound to be plenty of naval assets tasked with preventing it being blocked in any way (scuttled shipping, mines, etc). Logically, a nuke seems to be the best option.

The nuke probably wouldn't be targeted at the canal itself either - more effective to land/place it a hundred metres or so to the side and let the blast throw earth and rubble into the channel. Perhaps the Soviets could get a few local fanatics to do the job - drive a nuke in a van to the bank and hit the switch...

[Mohoender]

As Leg I use to detonate two bombs.
However, could the canal still be used even if it had survive almost intact is a good question.
Then, what kind of ship will be able to travel through it?

I have not found any clear element but I just found this website (very interesting from what I read in French):
http://suezcanal.bibalex.org/Present...Home/home.aspx

As I read one of the document (from 1953) it quickly became obvious that the canal need quite some level of care and that raise many questions. With the Twilight war the ability to exploit it correctly would probably have disappeared and even if the canal still existed, most ship might not be able to sail through it anymore.

Something to think about (a question to ask also about the Panama canal which, I think, is even more complex).

[Olefin]

A late joiner to the discussion but wanted to get my two cents in. I would think that the US might want to keep the French out of Kenya at all costs. Been starting my own module there similar to what Raellus is doing but where the US got its shipment of vehicles thru to there and thus didnt need any help from France.

The refinery at Mombasa is most likely being used to make refined products for the RDF - and all the US doesnt need is the French having a say in who gets the refined products.

And the Kenyans may see how other areas in Africa are falling under French domination and not like the return of a colonial power to their country (especially as they were never a French colony to begin with).

I think the French may get a much better welcome in West Africa than they will in the East with the exception of Dijbouti which was their colony at one time. (as detailed in the RDF module)