AFRICOM Commander Gen. Michael Langley, at Nigerien Air Base 201 in Niger September 18, 2022 (Photo: Twitter @USMC)
The Black Alliance for Peace AFRICOM Watch Bulletin #43 includes an interview with a representative of the Revolutionary Socialist League of Kenya and as always, the latest analysis and reporting on Africa.
This AFRICOM Watch Bulletin was originally published on the Black Alliance for Peace website.
The U.S./EU/NATO Axis of Domination that props up the white supremacist, colonial/capitalist project that began in 1492 is a primary enemy of African people. Effective opposition to the Axis of Domination requires bold, independent, and revolutionary action on the part of African people, the other oppressed nations in the U.S., and the working class as a whole. The organization of the workers and oppressed in the U.S. must be carried out in conjunction with the revolutionary and national democratic forces in operation around the globe. Also, Africa is central to the struggle against imperialism since its origins stem from the advent of the Atlantic slave trade, colonialism, and neo-colonialism.
What is needed are bottom-up, popular struggles which programmatically target neocolonial leadership that allow the U.S./EU/NATO Axis of Domination to oppress our people. In the U.S., for example, this leadership has consistently backed the white ruling class agenda of subversion and military intervention, from its support for the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) to its failure to oppose the Department of Defense’s 1033 program, responsible for transferring millions of dollars-worth of military equipment to local police forces that are then deployed against poor working class Black and Brown communities.
The Black Alliance for Peace and the U.S. Out of Africa Network organized a Month of Action Against AFRICOM to support the development of a mass movement to oppose the U.S./EU/NATO Axis of Domination. We must join with other genuinely progressive and revolutionary forces throughout the world to proclaim that Pan-Africanism and Proletarian Internationalism is the only real solution to the monumental social and economic problems engendered by capitalism and imperialism. Contribute to BAP’s Fall Fundraising Drive or become a monthly sustainer—because freedom isn’t free and the oppressors won’t fund our liberation. We must rely on you, the people.
U.S. Out of Africa: Voices from the Struggle
AFRICOM Watch Bulletin speaks with Ezra Otieno, who is a revolutionary organizer and a member of the Central Committee of the Revolutionary Socialist League in Kenya.
AFRICOM Watch Bulletin: What is the impact of AFRICOM on the security situation on the African continent and Kenya in particular?
Ezra Otieno: Insecurity on the African continent has increased exponentially during the years that the U.S. has been building its network of bases through AFRICOM. Billions of dollars in security assistance are being used to do so. For example, the Kenyan army is being funded by the U.S. Army to wage war in Somalia as a proxy. The majority of the people in the country do not even want the army there. But the army is there because they are being supported by imperialist U.S. power. A lot of soldiers are dying in a war that is not theirs.
In 2017, there was an attack on a Kenyan base which killed over 100 soldiers. Many Somali civilians are being killed by the army there which is being funded by the U.S. There are at least 25 military Islamist groups that have been recorded on the continent, which is up from around 5 before AFRICOM was formed. This is a very significant increase that has resulted in violence against African people. Three thousand violent events are recorded each year, and it's on the increase. For example, in Kenya, since AFRICOM was formed, there have been a lot of attacks by these militant extremist groups. In Nairobi, there was the Westgate attack, which killed, reportedly at least over 70 people. There was an attack at Garissa University which killed over 150 students. There was an attack on DusitD2 Hotel, which killed dozens of people. There are attacks on buses where people are traveling. And I'm talking of Kenya alone. The atrocities that are being committed here are very, very bad, and we cannot allow this to continue.
AWB: How does AFRICOM impact people’s struggles and the goal of African unity?
Otieno: Many people on the African continent are not informed regarding AFRICOM. The people are being kept in the dark because the details of the deals that are signed by the government with the United States are being kept away from the people. People do not know what is going on. They just have a vague idea.
Neo-colonialism seeks to fragment Africa and weaken the African state institutions, and prevent African unity and the sovereignty of the people. They want us to be their subordinates. With Pan-Africanism, we are seeking the political unity and territorial sovereignty of the African people. The enduring presence of foreign military bases, not only symbolizes the lack of unity and sovereignty, it equally enforces the fragmentation and subordination of the African people and governments.
It is our duty as progressive people, wherever we are across the world, to use Pan-Africanism as an ideology to unify Black people all over, because we believe that we can achieve this by coming together as a people, having one system of government that works for the people, and one army for the African people, an All-African People's Revolutionary Army, that will protect the interests of the African people. We cannot have foreign powers dictating to us and having military bases on the African continent. There's no African state that has a military base outside of Africa.
We should push for African unity all over the world, and we should push to shut down AFRICOM, because if we don't do that, even the Pan-African unity that we seek will just be a mirage.
AWB: Thank you for your insights and analysis!
News and Analysis
AFRICOM Says 17 al-Shabaab Killed in Latest US Airstrike in Somalia
November 13, 2022 by Dave DeCamp
The strike was the second of the month in Somalia reported by AFRICOM. There’s little accountability for US operations in Somalia since the airstrikes receive little coverage in the Western press despite the high casualty rates being reported by AFRICOM.
Who’s really behind Burkina Faso’s coup?
November 8, 2022 by TJ Coles
Western media fixates on coup supporters waving Russian flags in Burkina Faso’s capital while overlooking the long history of US and French control over the country – and its destabilizing consequences.
New World Coming: Working-class Pan-Africanism
November 5, 2022 by The People’s Forum
Mikaela Nhondo Erskog and James Counts Early discuss the historical legacy of African national liberation and socialist projects, how that legacy is relevant to struggles today, and how popular movements are rebuilding the capacity to fight for alternatives to neoliberal capitalism.
Africa Does Not Want to Be a Breeding Ground for the New Cold War
November 3, 2022 by Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research
The African Union firmly rejected the coercive efforts of the US and Western countries to use the continent as a pawn in their geopolitical agenda.
Pantsula Podcast Ep. 88: AFRICOM & "U.S. Democracy"
October 31, 2022 by Kaji Circle A-APRP
On this episode of the Pantsula Podcast, All-African People's Revolutionary Party organizers Winfred and Sadiq discuss AFRICOM and misconceptions around "U.S. democracy."
Neo-Colonialism, International Finance Capital and the Necessity of Pan-African Sovereignty
October 28, 2022 by Abayomi Azikiwe
African Union member-states are facing a critical conjuncture as the looming threats of global conflict against imperialism threatens world peace.
If you are interested in getting more directly involved in the fight to liberate Africa, please consider joining the U.S. Out of Africa Network.
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