20 years ago, the CIA and Joint Special Operations Command under George W. Bush began supporting warlords in Somalia to target and kill what the U.S. deemed to be ‘Islamists,’ escalating tensions in the area. 6 years later, the Bush administration began an undeclared war in Somalia launching airstrikes as part of the nation’s imperialist expansion efforts, popularly referred to as the “War on Terror,” starting in Mogadishu with reports claiming that the strikes eventually expanded to all parts of Somalia. These drone and airstrikes were, and are, conducted by AFRICOM (United States Africa Command) which was established in 2007 by Bush and later expanded under Obama. Since then, scores of Somali people have been murdered by drones, cruise missile strikes, AC-130 gunships, naval bombardments and attack helicopters by both the CIA and by US Special Operations Command under AFRICOM. According to Airwars, this has resulted in a total of 249 U.S actions in Somalia since 2007 resulting in approximately 2,682 deaths of Somali people as of today. U.S. attacks in Somalia trigger a great deal of people to flee the violence, inflicting the displacement of 188,000 people in 2019 and 295,000 people in 2020. AFRICOM has, reluctantly, admitted to only 5 casualties in Somalia after denying any for so long, yet no families affected by AFRICOM have been compensated. Thousands of Somali people, many with no ties to any actors in the conflict, have been murdered and countless more have had their lives altered through injury and displacement. Reports indicate that these same folks receive death threats if they dare speak out against U.S. war crimes.

“There’s no way we can seek justice. How do people who get bombed in the dark by a plane get justice?” – survivor who left her village because of drone attacks where she lost her son, son-in-law and nephew who had no affiliations with Al-shabaab -TRT World

U.S. airstrikes in Somalia are hitting an all time high during the coronavirus pandemic, despite calls for armistice from many countries including U.S. allies. The Trump administration and now the Biden administration continue the mission to enact violence against Somalia’s people. Even though U.S. troops were relocated to other parts of East Africa in early January, there has been a rapid increase of U.S. airstrikes in Somalia, of which at the current rate will greatly exceed the number of airstrikes committed in prior years.

Background:

The U.S. ruling class continues to defend the existence of AFRICOM on the basis that it stems from the rise of “extremist organizations” in Africa, but the Pentagon has been in Somalia long before any such organizations existed. In 2001, the Bush administration dispatched CIA and Special Operations Command to Somalia to support warlords in the hunting down and killing of “Islamists,” as part of America’s globally violent response to 9/11. The more money and weapons the U.S. gave the warlords, the more violent they became, provoking a stronger reaction and opposition. The ICU, (Islamic Courts Union) an association consisting of 13 groups, finally came together in 2005 as a response to the warlords in order to develop a sort of government that would usher in a new state that would make attempts to throw what they deemed to be Somalia’s oppressive warlords out of the country in an attempt to strive for stability. In response, the United States funded the creation of the Warlord Alliance in 2006 to seize control of Mogadishu and challenge the influence of the ICU, but their offensive failed and the ICU was [briefly] successful. This angered the Bush administration and culminated in support for the 2006 Ethiopian invasion of Somalia, which resulted in the massacre of approximately 8,000 people. Massive war crimes were committed by Ethiopia, with the CIA on the grounds executing renditions of torture on Somali people and Special Operations forces participating via AC-130 gunships. Violence was further perpetuated as famine was another horrendous outcome of this invasion resulting in a quarter-million Somalis dying from starvation in 2010-2012 because of the chaos caused by U.S. imperialist efforts. The violent war completely disrupted the economy of the country and all of the local food distribution systems. Al-shabaab was the youngest group and had the least sphere of influence in the ICU, but once the war began, the other groups disbanded back to their local territories while al-shabaab fought the insurgency against the Ethiopian troops, temporarily driving them out. Al-shabaab resorted to begging Saudi princelings for money in 2012, after Kenyan forces, influenced by the U.S., invaded and forced al-Shabaab from their base in the port city of Kismayo. This financial assistance required al-shabaab’s allegiance to al-Qaeda, taking place 11 years after George W. Bush had started attacking Somalia days after September 11, and 6 years after the Washington backed Ethiopian war on Somalia began; thus, the U.S. war on terror in Somalia predates the existence of any “extremist” organization in Somalia, and in fact (as seen in other nations) actually commenced their inception.

The reality is, there has long been transnational interest in Africa’s natural resources. AFRICOM is ushering in another scramble for Africa, and in the case of Somalia, the oil corporations of Europe, the U.S. and Canada are engaged in the search for petroleum. Somalia’s coastline is on the Indian Ocean and is an access point to the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf of Aden, at the mouth of the Red Sea, both areas being significant geo-politically for the control of shipping lanes as it relates to energy resources and the military.

HOA PALS condemns the continued U.S. attacks in Somalia, as we strongly oppose military aggression and state sanctioned brutality enacted on the working class, poor people globally. We recognize that it is not sufficient to only call for accountability and transparency for war crimes, which is why we demand an immediate ceasefire and prompt removal of all U.S. military action in Somalia. We denounce the devastation enforced on Somalia made possible with the financial support of U.S. tax dollars. People around the world, and specifically here in the U.S. must demand the U.S. get out of Africa, and demand the shut down of AFRICOM!

 

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U.S. Out of Africa: Voices from the Struggle

 

AWB: What is HOA PALS? 

HOA PALS: We are members of the Horn of Africa and the black diaspora that wish to unify our communities on the basis of Pan Africanism and liberation movement building. 

The Horn of Africa are the 8 countries: Uganda, Sudan , South Sudan, Kenya, Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia. We understand that these states were carved up and divided by European colonizers and we are inclusive of everyone of African descent. 

We are building a platform that seeks to educate the diaspora, challenge us to learn and unlearn, increase consciousness, and become better comrades for liberation struggles here and abroad. We want to focus on the foundations of political education, building mutual aid networks, and collaborating with like-minded organizations from the diaspora.Our aim is to unify all of the people of the Horn of Africa region and the collective diaspora to unite within the framework of global African unity and the black radical tradition.

We are strictly an independent organization. We do not/will not have affiliations with organizations linked to exploiters under the guise of “spreading democracy to the global south” as that is counteractive to the work we do here. We aim to arm the people with proper analysis, education, and theory to transform our generation and society. We seek to create a supportive space where we engage in meaningful self-criticism, growth & political consciousness so that we may be better comrades to each other and to the mission at large. We are building a community of radical thinkers that are internationalist and pan Africanist in nature.We are Pan Africans for Liberation and Solidarity.

AWB: Tell me about your campaign. 

HOA PALS: Last week we launched the #ShutDownAFRICOMSomalia and #USoutofSomalia campaign to call for the removal of all U.S. military actions in Somalia and raise awareness of the dire situation there. As the U.S. continues to close in on the expansion and control of Africa (AFRICOM currently assumes responsibility for military relations with 53 out of 54 African countries), we must continue to counter any propaganda. Currently our campaign consists of three main parts: a social media campaign to raise awareness, a webinar to deepen and learn directly  from/with  Somali journalists and organizers, and mutual aid to provide direct support to those impacted by the U.S shadow war in Somalia. 

AWB: How can people support your efforts?

HOA PALS:

 

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Demand An End to the U.S. Shadow War in Somalia

This campaign from HOA PALS advocates for the removal of all U.S. military actions in Somalia and raise awareness of the dire situation there.

March 2, 2021 by Horn of Africa Pan-Africans for Liberation and Solidarity

 

US Forces in Somalia

Airwars has gathered information on US strikes in Somalia since the beginning of the War on Terror under George Bush, including an estimate of civilians killed during those airstrikes.

March 11, 2021 by Airwars

 

Somalia : Family Members of Drone Strike Survivors Face Threats For Going Public

Mohamed Osman Abdi and his family faced relentless threats and ago following a drone strike that targeted their home in which relatives were killed, deaths that the US failed to acknowledge.

February 28, 2021 by Halgan Media Staff

 

Movements Not Saviors: Lessons from Bobi Wine’s Tweet for Juan Guaido

Bobi Wine’s flirtation with US Venezuelan puppet Juan Guaido indicates that the Ugandan is also auditioning for the imperial puppet job.

March 10, 2021 by Netfa Freeman and Jemima Pierre

 

Freedom Rider: Trump/Biden Foreign Policy

Biden rules like Trump regarding Venezuela, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Palestine and Haiti, because the two imperial parties serve the same masters.

March 10, 2021 by Margaret Kimberley

 

Two US Parties, One Imperial Policy

Both imperialist parties are committed to the same fundamental agenda: to maintain and expand US global colonial capitalist hegemony.

March 2, 2021 by Ajamu Baraka

 

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Banner photo: U.S. drone in flight. AFRICOM has been conducting drone and airstrikes in Somalia since its inception in 2007. (Isaac Brekken/Getty)