A U.S.-backed Ethiopian invasion of neighboring Somalia has occupied the capital, Mogadishu, and other major cities in Southern Somalia. An Ethiopian force of 15,000 troops, tanks and war planes attacked the fighters of the Union of Islamic Courts at Baidao.
At the time of the of the Dec. 20 invasion, the UIC was the functioning government for most of Southern Somalia. Facing a more powerful enemy, UIC forces retreated from Mogadishu and Kismayo, a port town to the south of Mogadishu.
|
Hundreds of Somalis have died and thousands have been displaced by the invasion.
Ethiopia has one of the largest and best-equipped armies in Africa. They are also one of the largest recipients of U.S. aid. The Ethiopian government is a partner with the United States in the “war on terror” in Africa.
U.S. seeks greater control of Somalia, East Africa
For the United States, Somalia—one of the poorest countries in the world—is of key geo-political importance. It lies at a commercial crossroads between the Middle East and Asia. A large portion of the world’s oil tankers, particularly European and Chinese, pass along its coast.
The recent invasion was supported and encouraged by the Bush administration. General John Abizaid, commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East and East Africa, visited Ethiopia shortly before the invasion. The State Department and the Pentagon immediately proclaimed their support for the invasion.
The Dec. 27 issue of the New York Times reported that U.S. officials “have given Ethiopia, one [of] its closest allies in Africa, their tacit approval to do what is necessary to neutralize the Islamists.”
The Bush administration claims that the UIC is linked to Al Qaeda and that Ethiopia’s invasion is justified by Washington’s so-called war on terror. This is simply imperialist double-speak. It is an excuse for military aggression against the Somali people.
U.S. warships have been patrolling the Somalia coast since the invasion began. Kenya, at the request of the United States, has rushed troops to its border and sealed it. Kenya borders Somalia to the south. It is also a Washington ally in the “war on terror.”
The United States and several European countries are now preparing for a U.N. military occupation of the country.
On Jan. 3, U.S. State Department spokesman Scott McCormack said that U.S. warships were preparing to deliver “humanitarian” aid to Somalia. This is a thinly veiled threat of landing U.S. troops in Somalia to aid in the occupation of the country.
In 1992 the U.S. military invaded the country under the pretext of a humanitarian mission. U.S. forces suffered significant losses at the hands of Somali fighters and withdrew from the country in defeat.
The U.S. also has 1,500 special forces troops stationed in Djibouti and a large strike force in neighboring Uganda. Djibouti borders Somalia to the north and sits a few miles away from Saudi Arabia across the opening to the Red Sea.
Somalis respond to occupation
The invasion of Somalia began on Dec 20. But Ethiopia already had moved over 2,000 troops into Somalia well before then. The force was there to protect the U.N.-organized Transitional Federal Government. Headquarted in Baidao, the TFG has no popular support in Somalia.
The existence of Ethiopian troops was a clear provocation and an attempt to undermine Somali sovereignty. According
|
The UIC, with growing popular support, was on the verge of uniting the southern part of the country. Funded by business people desperate for some semblance of order, the Courts gained widespread popularity because they offered stability and clamped down on criminal gangs and lawlessness. Somalia has had no central government since 1991.
On Dec. 30, the prime minister of the U.S.-backed TFG, Ali Mohammed Gedi, rode into Mogadishu on the back of Ethiopian tanks. He was greeted by rock-throwing protesters. Somalis in the capital already have taken to the streets in the thousands to protest the Ethiopian occupation.
Gedi’s first action was to declare three months of martial law. He also issued an order for all forces to hand over their arms “or face the consequences.” Very few arms have been turned in.
UIC spokesmen continue to report that they will resist the U.S.-backed Ethiopian occupation. Two Ethiopian soldiers were killed in an ambush on Jan. 2 by UIC forces.
U.S. imperialism continues to pursue its main goal of dominating the Middle East and countries in the proximity of the region. Any country or force that maintains even the slightest independence from U.S. plans in the larger region remains a target. In Somalia, as elsewhere, the United States government fears political movements that rally the people on the basis of independent development.
The United States also fears China’s growing economic partnerships with countries in Africa. Defeating competitors for access to newly discovered oil in Africa is a primary objective of U.S. imperialism.
China is Sudan’s largest trading partner. Sudan is just north of Ethiopia and Somalia. Over the past four years, Sudan has been repeatedly sanctioned and threatened with U.S. intervention. Its crime in the eyes of the imperialists is its independence and resistance to foreign occupation.
Recolonizing and neo-colonizing Africa to secure its dominance in the larger region is on the immediate agenda for U.S. imperialism. Billions of dollars are being funneled to African countries in order to secure their compliance. Control of world markets and trade, especially oil, provides the main impetus for U.S. strategy in Iraq, Somalia, Sudan and the entire Middle East and East Africa.
Faced with impending defeat in Iraq and opposition to the war at home, the Pentagon is prepared to carry out more aggression in the coming years in order to secure U.S. dominance in the world and thwart growing resistance to their plans.
