WASHINGTON’S ACTIONS HAVE BEEN CALCULATED TO ENSURE THAT A STRONG SOMALI STATE NEVER RISE AGAIN

With great fanfare from the international corporate media, the West African nation of Sierra Leone has committed 850 soldiers to the African Union’s forces in Somalia. In reality, Sierra Leone’s soldiers have become cogs in the imperial reconquest of Africa, with Somalia as ground zero.

Following the U.S.-backed invasion of Somalia by Ethiopia, in 2006, Washington and its European allies, including the old colonial rulers, Italy and Britain, propped up a puppet government in the capital city, Mogadishu, while simultaneously encouraging the breakaway regions of Puntland and Somaliland. The capital is occupied by AMISOM, the African Union’s military force in Somalia, which is paid for by United Nations and, for all practical purposes, an extension of U.S. foreign policy on the continent. AMISOM’s largest contingents are from the U.S. client states Uganda and Burundi, and the force is commanded by a Ugandan. Another contingent hails from Somalia’s neighbor to the north, Djibouti, a tiny country that is little more than a military base for the United States and France. Djibouti is the main center of operations for AFRICOM, the U.S. Africa Command.

Although the Americans pay constant lip service to the idea of a permanent national Somali government and to the territorial integrity of country, Washington’s actions have been calculated to ensure that a strong Somali state never rise again. Vast areas of the country have been occupied by Somalia’s historical enemies, Ethiopia and Kenya. The Ogaden region of Ethiopia is populated mainly by people of Somali origin, against whom Ethiopia’s military regime has waged a brutal counterinsurgency war. Parts of northern Kenya are largely inhabited by ethnic Somalis. Both Ethiopia and Kenya view an intact and unified Somalia as against their national interests. Yet these are the countries, along with Uganda, to which the U.S. has, in the words of one Somali analyst, “subcontracted” the war against the Islamist Shabaab – which the U.S. claims is part of its war on terror.

Oil companies also have an interest in a weak Somali government, and have already begun operations in the secessionist regions of Puntland and Somaliland.”

Kenya and Ethiopia can be expected to pursue what they consider to be their own national interests, bringing large parts of Somalia under their direct or indirect control, while fulfilling their obligations to the U.S. master. Ethiopia, especially, has exhibited the utmost contempt for Somali civilians under their control, arming and financing their own warlords and criminal gangs. Somalis widely believe that Kenya wants their oil.

But the truth is, the people that will ultimately get the oil are the multinational energy corporations favored by the United States and its European allies. These oil companies also have an interest in a weak Somali government, and have already begun operations in the secessionist Somaliland. In the national capital at Mogadishu, the international community – meaning, the United States and its allies – is overseeing the writing of a new Somali Constitution, one that effectively partitions the country into two territories: Somaliland, and Somalia (Puntland and South Central Somalia. These same international overseers have warned that any “spoilers” that oppose the new order will be dealt with, harshly. Thus, we see that the recolonization of Africa is well underway – with the enthusiastic collaboration of other Africans.

NGO condemns deployment of S. Leone troops in Somalia

Early in  last year 850 Sierra Leonean soldiers would have left the shores of Sierra Leone on a mission to Somalia. Just as the soldiers are leaving the shores of Sierra Leone, President Ernest Bai Koroma was rewarded with a meeting with President Barack Obama in the White House in recognition of his role in supporting imperialism’s proxy wars in Africa and their mad rush for African resources. 

The mission of the Sierra Leone soldiers, most of whom are poorly paid in normal circumstances, is to fight the Islamist group Al-shabaab. In reality, this is an imperialist sponsored project in which the Sierra Leonean army will be doing the biding of America’s proxy-war in Africa as mercenaries. The cost of the mission’s logistics and salaries for the soldiers will be paid for by the US. This is a case of Africans paid to kill other Africans. 

PACM issued a press release one year ago when the announcement of Sierra Leone’s participation in the Al-Shabaab war in Somalia first came out. Our position remains the same. We reaffirm our view that war cannot bring peace and that the deployment of Sierra Leonean soldiers in Somalia is wrong. 

We believe that the problem in Somalia cannot be resolved by military action. The deployment of Sierra Leonean forces there will only be seen by the people of Somalia as an attempt by the rulers of Sierra Leone to be part of the greater conspiracy, sponsored by western imperialist forces to dominate and further the long suffering of the people of Somalia and deepen the conflict. The deployment might also endanger Sierra Leonean citizens.

We do not oppose the involvement of Sierra Leonean soldiers in other African problems, but we believe that, in this case, the “solution” is driven by outside forces PACM wonders how Sierra Leonean soldiers can use military force to bring peace in Somalia where US forces have failed in 1993, Ethiopian troops, Kenyan forces, far more equipped and organise have failed. 

PACM wishes to state that we equally oppose all forms of violence including Al-Shabaab’s use of terrorist tactics of killing innocent people in their so-called war to institute sharia law in Somalia.

PACM joins the progressive chorus of African peace campaigners, to call for a peaceful resolution to the Somalia conflict as well as the conflicts in Mali and Nigeria and to oppose the new vigour of imperialism in Africa. We also call on the Government of Sierra Leone, who are so willing to serve as puppet of Western imperialism and neo-colonialism to pursue a peaceful political resolution of the Somalia conflict.

ON THE ROLE OF THE AFRICAN UNION (AU)

PACM condemns the role that the AU is playing in the new scramble for Africa. We hold the view that the AU has become an instrument in the hands of imperialism and neo-colonialism in its most voracious current form in Somalia, Libya, Mali etc. 

PACM notes with utter dismay that whilst the Organisation for African Unity (OAU) was formed in May 1963 for the total liberation of Africa from foreign domination and for African unity, now the AU has become an instrument in the hands of foreigners for the recolonisation and reconquest of Africa – a shame to the current African leadership. 

WHO WE ARE

The Pan-Afrikan Community Movement (PACM) is a grassroots Pan-Africanist, community based movement of youths, students, women, employed and unemployed workers in urban and rural Sierra Leone. We stand for the self-emancipation and self determination of the oppressed and exploited Afrikan masses at home and abroad. We are opposed to privatisation, racism, sexism, neo-colonialism, and imperialist proxy wars in Africa.

For more information please call: + 232 (0) 88 878 273 or 
Email: pacm1898@gmail.com

Stop the War, Hands Off Somalia!
Stop the recolonisation of Africa, Now!!
End Imperialist Proxy Wars in Africa Now!!!

 

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Contact Glen Ford at Glen.Ford@BlackAgendaReport.com.