SACP+Condemns+US+military+attacks+on+Somalia

THE SACP CONDEMNS THE RECENT US MILITARY ATTACKS IN SOMALIA AND CALLS FOR PEACE AND THE FULL IMMEDIATE WITHDRAWAL OF ALL US TROOPS FROM ALL PARTS OF THE CONTINENT
The SACP expresses its deep shock and absolute condemnation of the US military bombardment carried out in Somalia and lately the deployment of ground forces in Somalian territory. The recent overt US military attack in the last 16 years on African soil inaugurates the full-scale application of Bush’s dangerous energy and security strategy in the African continent, especially in the Horn of Africa.

There is little doubt that these imperialist attacks, as in Iraq, will set in motion a cycle of terminal violence in the region. Only time will determine the predictable reproduction of clan based and religious strife, the intensification of sectarian divisions to thrive on and underpin US regional occupation and militarization of the Horn of Africa.

The consequences are predictably devastating for dignified life and will undoubtedly cause major disruptions in peace for the people in the Horn of Africa region.

Contrary to claims by the dominant Western media, the murderous military strikes were completely arbitrary, offensive and have no justifiable basis in international law. The attacks demonstrate Bush administration’s devotion to unilateralism and plunderous aggression, complete disregard of lives in pursuit for profits and contempt for African governments and multilateral institutions such as the African Union.

The silence of African governments smacks of proxy imperialist complicity. The permits to use their infrastructure also demonstrates the snowballing effect in allowing imperialist dictates to hoodwink governments into unpredictable military pacts with Washington.

In the past few years the US has conceptualized a dangerous policy for Africa entailing substantial military presence in the continent. It has undertaken training of African troops in offensive maneuvers, consolidated its influence to a barrage of puppet regimes, extracted massive concessions from African governments to use their ports, harbours and airspaces for offensive operations against any perceived threats on their security and energy needs.

This comes against the backdrop of the collapse of its imperialist strategy in the Middle East which was met with active struggles and resistance by anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist and democratic social forces. This resistance struggles proved to the world, the possibility to significantly impede imperialist aggression through active popular mobilisation.

Various military establishments including the Combined-Joined Strategic Task Team for the Horn of Africa, the US European Command, the US Central Command and the US Pacific Command have placed increasing attention on the continent to secure its vast oil deposits in countries such as Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Congo Republic, and the Horn of Africa. The acquisition of oil exploration concessions and the subsequent extraction of corporate super-profits by multinational US oil firms will relegate African lives to secondary importance. They will now be maimed on suspicions of terrorism. Environmental degradation and labour exploitation are also set to intensify.

The SACP stands firm in our assessment that behind the veil of fighting terrorism, there is now an unbridled US strategy to Iraqi-ise the horn of Africa. The US currently has over 1800 troops in Djibouti alone, from which the recent attacks on Somalia were launched, including establishments in many African countries. The US army covered by some “African Contingency Operations Training Assistance” (ACOTA) program, provides the cover to dispense military education and training of African troops involved in peace-keeping operations, humanitarian relief efforts. The US has however disingenuously used these programs to stretch its anti-terrorist training program and counter terrorist and infantry tactics. In securing the strategic positions for African oil, the Bush administration is now more inclined to support authoritarian regimes and consolidate its relations with despotic African leadership such as in the case of Equatorial Guinea.

The SACP condemns the military attacks on Somalia and calls on African governments, with active popular backing of our people, to express total condemnation of shifting US policy in the Middle East to Africa and


 * To review all military ties and pacts that allows the presence of US troops in Africa
 * The withdrawal of US military and all its troops and facilities in the continent
 * On the South African government, in its capacity as a member of the UN Security Council, to take an active stance on this imperialist invasion of Somalia by the US and its Ethiopian proxy
 * The AU to be central to the resolution of the problems besieging Somalia

We further call on all our people to


 * Mobilize for peace and social and economic justice, against militarism, imperialism and war
 * To build a broad continental, anti-imperialist ‘Peace Movement” in the continent.

Issued by: SACP

CONTACT: Malesela Maleka Spokesperson South African Communist Party (SACP) Tel: 011 339 3621 Fax: 011 339 4244 Cell: 082 226 1802 Email: **Malesela@sacp.org.za** Website: **http://www.sacp.org.za/**

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