US Bombings in Africa: Why Are People Unaware?

On Sept. 15, the New York Times reported: “U.S. Military Seeks Authority to Expand Counterterrorism Drone War to Kenya.”

The Times reported: “The US military’s Africa Command is pressing for new authorities to carry out armed drone strikes targeting Qaeda-linked Shabab fighters in portions of eastern Kenya, potentially expanding the war zone across the border from their sanctuaries in Somalia, according to four American officials. …

“Col. Christopher P. Karns, the command’s chief spokesman, declined to comment on the new authorities. ‘AFRICOM certainly recognizes the need to apply consistent international pressure on Al-Shabab and to monitor their activity, presence, and actively confront them in order to prevent their spread,’ he said in an email. ‘This can take several forms.’”

TUNDE OSAZUA, jebho108@gmail.com, @osazuae
Osazua is coordinator of the US Out of Africa Network, a project of the Black Alliance for Peace, which is having an International Day of Action on AFRICOM on Thursday.

The group notes: “October 1, 2020 is the 12th anniversary of the launch” of AFRICOM, “a command structure with bases that are now in dozens of African nations. Yet, the existence of AFRICOM has escaped the awareness of not only the general public in the United States and the world. When four US soldiers were killed in the small African nation of Niger, even members of the US Congress were unaware of the US military’s presence in the country and the extent of the US military presence throughout Africa.”

Osazua said today: “US military efforts and drone bombing through AFRICOM are typically portrayed as an attempt to fight terrorism, but, instead, they have been shown to increase terrorism as civilians in the countries that the US bombs are driven to oppose the forces that kill their friends and family members and join terrorist groups. AFRICOM’s operations have also caused untold numbers of civilian deaths, and the US fails to properly account or atone for these civilian casualties, despite the slightly increased media scrutiny.

“The International Day of Action on AFRICOM on Oct. 1 provides an opportunity for all of us to call on the US to respect the wishes of African people and demilitarize the African continent, so Africa can begin to be a zone of peace. That way African countries can begin to provide for the needs of their people without the burden of AFRICOM and US involvement.”

Reprinted from the Institute for Public Accuracy.