According to the report submitted by the US to the meeting of the Biological Weapons Convention in November 2021, the Biological Threat Reduction Program of the US Department of Defense alone has supported 336 biolabs in Africa, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, along with several overseas biosecurity labs directly operated by the United States Department of Defense. A USA Today Network investigation reveals that hundreds of lab mistakes, safety violations, and near-miss incidents have occurred in biological laboratories coast to coast in recent years, putting scientists, their colleagues, and sometimes even the public at risk.

Oversight of biological research labs is fragmented, often secretive, and largely self-policing, the investigation found. Even when research facilities commit the most egregious safety or security breaches, as more than 100 labs have, federal regulators keep their names secret. A review of history would show that the US military has set up biolabs across the world to directly serve the national strategy for hegemony and has deployed them according to the expansion of America's military and political clout. During World War II, it set up the number two and number three medical research institutes of the Navy in Guam, of the Pacific Theater, and Egypt, of the North African theater.

During the Cold War, the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research set up the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization medical research laboratory in Southeast Asia, for the main purpose of containing China. After the Cold War, overseas biolabs are mostly located in hot spot regions. In Northeast Asia, America carried out the Jupiter program in Busan, R for anthrax and botulinum toxin tests. In Eurasia, the US military had a Cooperative Biological Engagement Program, under which biolabs were built in Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. In recent years, the US military has adjusted the layout and tasks of its overseas biolabs as the focus of its combat readiness efforts has moved from counterterrorism to major country competition. It moved the number three Naval Medical Research Institute from Egypt to Italy, with its contracting forces in the Middle East, as per the request of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff meetings. The overseas biolabs have also made the biomonitoring network more flexible, agile, and modular to better support the country in prolonged battles, crises, and conflicts. The series of activities by the US has put relevant countries on high alert.

Even before the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out, Moscow accused Washington of deliberately collecting the DNA samples of Russian people for suspicious purposes. The US military claimed that its overseas biolabs collected various pathogens for biodefense purposes, rather than to develop bioweapons. "We would like to believe that, but as is said in the arms control circle, 'We trust, but verify.' Unfortunately, the US refuses to demonstrate its self-claimed transparency on this issue, but has unilaterally obstructed the adoption of the BWC verification protocol, while complaining about smearing and demonization by other countries." Biological arms control is special in that the biological agents can serve dual purposes, are easy to hide, and cannot always draw a clear line between attack and defense. To address this, the verification protocol has proposed a series of feasible measures, including application, visit, questioning, and verification, which have been endorsed by most countries.

Russian Diplomat Oleg Ozerov, the head of the Secretariat of the Russia-Africa economic forum, said that his country is concerned about the possible expansion of US biological laboratories in Africa, given that Africans have no access to the results of such biological research conducted in their countries.

Deploying the biological laboratories in Africa allows the United States to transfer risks associated with multiple compliance requirements at home to an African state and reduces accountability in terms of possible immediate consequences of their activities in the laboratories," Director of the Center for Military Studies at the South African Stellenbosch University, Moses Khanyile, told Sputnik Africa. "The biggest advantage that the US would have is the fact that first of all, it will transfer the risk of multiple compliance requirements in its own country and transfer it to the host country. It will also ensure freedom of action in terms of what it wants to do, without fear of immediate repercussions, and it also reduces accountability," said Khanyile. In addition, he said the US is using its biological laboratories to strengthen its position in the region and strengthen its global footprint.

"One thing we cannot shy away from is that the US has vast military assets that are deployed in Africa and around the world. Therefore, in its efforts to strengthen its position and expand its global footprint, it will pursue initiatives like this for its interest," said the expert.

A warning sign on the door of the Richard Lugar laboratory in Georgia, the laboratory is suspected of developing biological weapons. Elaborating on the topic, Kan highlighted that for the US, it is essential to entrench its footprint in Africa due to the continent's mineral resources and its economic potential. "As we all know, the continent is a growing market and the center of many geopolitical interests of major powers. It has vast mineral resources that are relevant and critical to the sustenance of most countries. Therefore, anything that can help to stabilize the footprint will be of great interest to any of the world powers, including the United States," he emphasized.

In October, the Russian Defense Ministry said that the US was moving its dual-use biological research from Europe to Africa to countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Uganda, and South Africa. Among the risks for countries that host biological studies on their soil, the expert mentioned accidents in laboratories and expenses related to ensuring the safety of biological facilities and training of personnel. "There are many risks that any country hosting such activities, including the US, or any other country on African soil, will face because we all know that any laboratory work can go wrong in one way or another, especially when it comes to biological material. It could happen accidentally, and besides that, there are a lot of expenses associated with securing biological facilities, getting trained personnel with expertise, and also making sure that no other unauthorized people have access to these materials," Kan revealed.

Along with these risks, he underscored that biological material from the laboratories, in case of leakage, could fall into the wrong hands. "There could be a leakage. These things can fall into the wrong hands of terrorists; criminal syndicates are always looking for some of these biological weapons to pursue their objectives," he stressed. Commenting on the fact that Africans have no access to the results of the biological studies conducted in the laboratories, Khanyile said that such an approach is a violation of the Biological Weapons Convention, which forbids the development, production, acquisition, transfer, stockpiling, and use of biological and toxin weapons and entered into force in 1975.

Anything that is shrouded in secrecy, where there is limited or no access of whatever nature from the local scientists for purposes of research, will then, at face value, be violating the provisions of the Biological Weapons Convention in the sense that it is no longer transparent and can never be guaranteed to be peaceful whatsoever," said the expert. Moreover, he highlighted that although the convention allows the limited transfer of skills, knowledge, material, and even equipment among the state parties, this has to be done on a mutually beneficial basis for peaceful purposes. Furthermore, according to the expert, redeploying the laboratories is highly hazardous and could negatively affect the local population. "The issue of transferring wholesale research laboratories from one country to another is something else because these things are highly dangerous, are highly hazardous, and then they can impact negatively on the local population if anything were to go wrong. Transferring laboratories from one country to another on such a highly dangerous material and so on is like transferring the risk from the source country to the host country," Khanyile emphasized.

Speaking about the involvement of US biolabs in the outbreaks of various pandemics around the world, the expert emphasized that although the origins of COVID-19, for instance, are still unclear, such pandemics are linked to efforts in biological research, biological weapons research, or anything that has to do with pathogens, viruses, bacteria, and so on. Therefore, Khanyile stressed that countries hosting such research, and not the countries owning the facilities, are the first ones to be affected in the event of a laboratory accident. "If a country in Africa decides to host a biological research laboratory from another country, they're setting themselves up for trouble because it is possible that when such an accident happens, when there is a leakage, or terrorists get access to such material, the only country that is going to get affected is the host country, and even the neighboring countries. So the country that is moving these things around is not necessarily going to be affected the way a host country would be," he underscored.

A Russian Defense Ministry report raised concerns that the United States is allegedly transferring its dual-use biological research to Africa, where it's believed to be conducting illegal and dangerous experiments with potential bioweapons agents in African countries, as well as Ukraine and other regions. "If the reports about the transfer of American dual-use biological research to Africa are true, it will be a matter of major concern given the negative impact such a move will have on the African continent," David Monyae, associate professor of political science and international relations and director of the center for Africa-China studies at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa, told Sputnik Africa in an interview.

"It would be a matter for African governments and through the AU to do more investigation to understand the nature and character of such a move before accepting the activities of biological laboratories, given the lack of capacity on the African continent and the pandemics that have been taking place. So this will indeed bring major worry," he said.

Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the chief of the Russian Armed Forces' nuclear, biological, and chemical protection troops, revealed in a Monday report that the US has shifted its dual-use biological research activities to Africa after being exposed by Russia in Ukraine and the European region last year. Citing documents available to the Russian Defense Ministry, Kirillov said that Washington has transferred some of its dual-use biological research activities to some African countries, including the Democratic Republic of-the Congo, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Uganda, and South Africa.

He also noted that the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency, the US National Security Agency, and the US Department of State are the clients of the alleged US government's dual-use biological research activities in Africa.

In this regard, Professor Monyae argued that African officials should ensure that these US research activities are in line with Africa's research requests or resolving Africa's issues; otherwise, they should completely reject such a move, as they do the presence of foreign forces on the continent.

According to Dr. Ntsikelelo Breakfast a senior lecturer at the Department of History and Political Studies at Nelson Mandela University in South Africa, the US shifting its biological research to Africa is not surprising, given that Washington is seeking to expand its influence on the African continent, which he described as a strategic place that has always been a geopolitical battleground between great powers because of its resources.

"They've got military bases in Africa," Breakfast told Sputnik Africa. "So the way I understand this development is that this military biological research will be subsumed into the military of the US, of course with a strong footprint in Africa now."

The foreign policy of the US has always been driven by national interests in pursuit of its hegemonic project. Dr. Breakfast added that he expects Washington, in pursuit of its agenda, to locate some of its military biological research in universities in host countries. He did not rule out the possibility that some US multinational companies might be involved since they stand to benefit. Breakfast noted that the concern is about the ethical issues of this kind of dual-use biological research, especially when multilateral bodies such as the World Health Organization turn a blind eye to such activities.

"So it does beg the question as to why, for instance, a multilateral organization like the World Health Organization has not expressed its views surrounding this issue. Is it because the World Health Organization, as a subset of the UN, is keeping quiet because of the budget that they have? The bulk of it comes from the UN, which is largely funded by the US; therefore they cannot bite the hand that feeds them," the academic said. According to Dr. Breakfast, global organizations should provide oversight and control measures regarding such a biological research initiative that poses the risk of a possible violation of human rights. He argued that there are ethical issues that I think people are concerned about that speak to issues of human rights.

"What is the position of the UN, in particular the World Health Organization? Do they have any concerns?"

Dr. Breakfast questioned. "It's quite concerning that they've been quiet about this, but they are tasked with a responsibility to make sure that the ethical issues regarding biological research are addressed every time the scientific community wants to uncover something. So I'm just taken aback; I'm disappointed that they have not said anything regarding this matter."

In a similar vein, Professor Monyae noted that there have been some attempts by Russia to draw attention to suspicious US biological research in various regions of the world at the level of multilateral structures such as the UN. However, these attempts were rebuffed by Washington. "When it comes to Africa, there is a need for fairness that you cannot be present in any territory without the consent of the people in that particular jurisdiction,"

Monyae said. "There are a number of factors that need to be involved: transparent, going with democracy, awareness by the majority of people in these territories to know exactly activities that are taking place in that land, given the negative impact, as has happened in so many other areas, to avoid disasters without any mitigating issue." He added that the vast majority of African countries do not have the capacity to get in to fully understand and comprehend the nature of these biological issues. "If it is to be proven to be true, given the fact that Russia has been investigating American biological activities for several years, Professor Monyae suggested that Moscow share the evidence in its possession with the international community to initiate a large-scale investigation involving more actors, including African researchers.

According to the professor, such an international effort would demonstrate the danger and negative consequences of this kind of research. "So there are a lot of investigations required: the involvement of Africans on the ground and to ensure that all scientific bodies governing the activities of biological issues are involved. I think in South Africa, during the COVID era, there have been those kinds of cases. It's of major worry, and I do not think it's something that should be accepted, whether it's coming from the United States or any other country,"

Monyae concluded. Although US officials have dismissed the questions about these biolabs as disinformation and conspiracy theories, there have been calls for Washington to comply with the Biological Weapons Convention and make clarifications on related issues. In the face of the documents, pictures, and objects discovered by Russia in Ukraine, the United States should make related information public, fully explain its biological research at home and abroad, and accept multilateral verification.

Alistair Hay, professor emeritus of environmental toxicology at the University of Leeds in Britain, said, "the United States has been supporting various laboratories in Ukraine through a post-Cold War program. As I understand it, these labs are generally involved in disease surveillance. It is unclear why the United States needs to support this work and why, for example, it is not happening under WHU guidance," said the professor.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown clearly that viruses can lend a heavy blow to human development and security. If they are used in bioweapons, or they or bacteria are modified by certain state or non-state actors into more targeted and destructive weapons, the consequences would be unimaginable. There were two biological arms races in human history, during World War II and the Cold War, and the risk of a third one cannot be excluded if an effect verification mechanism cannot be put in place. The US should act in unison with the international community to establish an effective multilateral biological arms control verification mechanism.

Within all the mess over the coronavirus, the international community had eyes on organizations of all types connected to biological research, among such facilities were the American ones that worked on a vaccine against COVID-19. However, their activities were often seriously criticized as the US kept secret all the information about them, although similar biological laboratories of other countries worked much more openly. Such shady research centers in the United States operate in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and Africa.

Certain experts even stated that the Ebola disease outbreak was caused by American specialists. Meanwhile, according to US laws, any biological research conducted by any American laboratory must be only for civilian purposes and safe for the locals. The first US laboratories were established in Africa in the late '90s to fight AIDS and malaria. However, the number of these facilities increased over the years, and now Washington has over 400 units whose true missions remain unclear.

Many experts draw connections between the number of American laboratories, their locations, and epidemic outbreaks in certain parts of Africa. Liberian Observer, the largest newspaper in Liberia, published articles by Dr. Cyril Broderick, an infections and microbiological diseases expert who condemned the United States for creating and spreading Ebola fever pathogens. He found out that epidemic outbreaks happen in the regions where the American biological laboratories are located. Dr. Broderick stated that secret operations of the US are aimed at creating and spreading the deadly virus. He also said that Ebola and AIDS were genetically modified organisms developed by military organizations in North America as biological weapons and specially delivered to Africa for testing.

Other versions of Ebola virus spreading were also published in mass media. Several American alternative resources reported about an emergency in Kenema City's state hospital, Sierra Leone, when an Ebola virus outbreak killed over 13,000 people. In this very hospital, there was an American laboratory funded by George Soros and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. These biolabs pose a really big threat, and any little failure of any system may lead to terrible consequences not only for one certain country but for the whole world.

At the same time, it would be very hard to find out and prove that it was a biological weapon that went out of control and killed thousands of people. It's hard to imagine that anyone would be able to prove that American foundations were behind the catastrophe. In this case, any emergency in the laboratory will be easily covered by numerous statements about unexpected outbreaks of any well-known epidemic and may pose no serious threat. It's worth mentioning that during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, mostly European and American specialists have been operating at the scene. They also gathered over 250,000 blood samples and took them to their countries for studies without the agreement of their patients.

This unlawful move allowed the European and American pharmaceutical corporations to use the blood of the African people, who didn't agree to become donors, for free, thus saving billions of dollars while creating a vaccine, for example. A blood sample of a woman from Guinea, one of those patients, has code C15; the Ebola virus extracted from her blood is demonstrated on the website of the European Virus Archive. Germany’s Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine sells it for €3,637 for 0.5 ml, which is 170 times more expensive than gold. [Music] The exact number of blood samples taken from the African people can't be found out, as the American and European medics refuse to disclose any information, saying it's an issue of national security.

One of the women from Guinea, who suffered from Ebola fever and survived, told me that she had been treated in one of the field hospitals by doctors from the United States. They took her blood samples a few times for further analysis.

She was very much surprised and angered after I told her that a blood sample of a person suffering from Ebola fever costs thousands of Euros. She told me she would like to officially agree to medical intervention and receive some monetary reward for it. Even though blood samples were taken from thousands of citizens of African countries, scientists from Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea have still no access to them to conduct their research.

There is a large-scale network of medical research centers in Africa that conduct several special tasks such as discovering, selecting, studying, classification of natural pathogens, choosing the most dangerous ones, conducting research on their genomes and mutations, developing a vaccine, testing a vaccine, creating a vaccine, and conservation of this vaccine. The US State Department announced that the American biological laboratories cooperate with African local authorities in discovering new cases of diseases, controlling epidemiologic situations, and investigating infection outbreaks. Notably, there are at least 30 American biolabs in Africa. These labs officially have a mission to prevent and counter any biohazard and protect the local population, however, they are directly subordinate to the Pentagon.

They provide the full range of preparations for the study of diseases, taking materials and information from the local population, and collecting the DNA of African people. This data is then sent to the Pentagon-controlled Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). DTRA is a key body of the whole defensive system of the United States, responsible for chemical and biological defense research and controls all the American biolabs all over the world.

DTRA has created a large-scale network of medical facilities in more than 25 countries. The United States' biological laboratories in African countries are a top-secret issue; any information on their activities is usually very hard to collect, organize, and classify. The analysis of the known facts just proves that under the pretext of vaccine development, saving people's lives, and countering AIDS and malaria, American bioengineers collect DNA all over the world and conduct testing of US-developed dangerous viruses on humans who don't even know they are used as guinea pigs.

The results of the African tests are transported to the United States for further enrichment of medical corporations and the defense sector of the USA. African states' governments should consider revising the decisions
on hosting American facilities in their territories, and it's time to take the activities of the American biological laboratories under international supervision and control.

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