Forum Post: ANOTHER WAR - a view from people not funded by corporations and banks

http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=580

The Mali rebellion is blowback from the U.S./NATO ouster of Gaddafi from Libya; efforts to gain control of African resources (oil, uranium, etc.) and competition with China are driving miltiary policies disguised as 'War on Terrorism', say Greens

WASHINGTON, DC -- The Obama Administration is pursuing policies in Africa that threaten regional stability and innocent populations, including military intervention in Mali and establishment of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), said Green Party leaders.

"AFRICOM represents a continuing escalation of U.S. military presence in Africa, imposing economic dependence, political domination, and control over the continent's mineral and other resources. The U.S./NATO attack on Libya opened the door to further U.S. military actions in Africa. The African Union, which has 17,000 African troops in Somalia, is working for the U.S., under CIA direction. Meanwhile, the war in Congo continues, in which military forces on the Pentagon payroll have perpetrated the worst slaughter since World War II, while the U.S. has blocked efforts to hold the Rwandan government accountable for war crimes in the conflict," said Thomas Muhammad, co-chair of the Green Party Black Caucus (http://www.gp.org/caucuses/black/index.php) and chair of National United Black Front (http://www.nbufdallas.net) Dallas Chapter. (See "US Drones over the D.R.C.?" Ann Garrison interviews Maurice Carney, Executive Director of Friends of the Congo, KPFA, January 13, 2013, http://www.anngarrison.com/audio/us-drones-over-the-drc)

Under current plans, troops from the 1st Infantry Division will be sent to Africa to contain al-Qaeda in Mali, but also to conduct training programs, exercises, and operations in 35 countries and set the stage for future military intervention. The troops will have the capability to deploy drones in Africa, if given permission.

"The Obama Administration is using the situation in Mali as an opportunity to bring Africa under the U.S. sphere of influence -- to block Chinese influence and win control over precious resources, which include oil, petroleum, diamonds, copper, gold, iron, cobalt, uranium, bauxite, silver, certain kinds of wood, and fruit. U.S. operations are justified by the White House as an extension of the War on Terror and fight against al-Qaeda. Unfortunately, the terror is suffered by Africans who face internal conflicts that are aggravated by U.S. meddling, funding for extremists and oppressive and corrupt regimes, and in some cases air assaults on their homes," said Romi Elnagar, a member of the Green Party's International Committee (http://www.gp.org/committees/intl).

Greens noted that the U.S./NATO assault on Libya and aid for Libyan rebels empowered radical Islamic movements to threaten neighboring countries. These include the Wahabi rebels in Mali, which are supported by the corrupt Wahabist royal family of Saudi Arabia, which is allied with the U.S. Some of the north African rebel movements have thus received aid that can be traced to countries outside Africa, including the U.S.

Moderate Islamist Tuaregs, many of whom suffered reprisals because of the Libyan war and have legitimate demands for human rights and self-determination, have been caught in the middle in Mali, between extremists who have joined the rebellion and the Malian government aided by Western powers trying to quash their bid for independence. France has its own neo-colonial interests in the region, especially access to uranium in Tuareg areas for French nuclear reactors.

The Obama Administration is thus playing a dangerous and reckless game with the lives of innocent Africans, with blowback that may threaten U.S. security. (See "Mali, Wahabis and Saudis; Following the Money Trail" by Thomas C. Mountain, Black Agenda Report, January 8, 2013, http://blackagendareport.com/content/mali-wahabis-and-saudis-following-money-trail).

The Green Party of the United States opposed President Obama's military campaign in Libya, opposes intervention in Mali, and continues to promote constructive and humane engagement with African nations instead of imperial policies like AFRICOM, which was authorized by President Bush in 2007.

"The resistance to al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb -- which gained more beachheads in Africa as a result of the U.S.-led ouster of Gaddafi -- must take place in Africa, led by Africans, without U.S. interference, which will only cause greater damage," said Greg Gerritt, International Committee member and liaison to the African Greens Forum (http://www.africangreens.org).

"Instead of exercising military might, the U.S. should work with African leaders to promote self-determination and independence and reverse the devastating effects of the West's racist colonial legacy in Africa. A Green foreign policy regarding Africa would include closing of military bases, increased humanitarian assistance for developing countries, especially aid for the fights against AIDS and other diseases, trade pacts that encourage workers rights, food and agricultural security, a clean environment, and greenhouse gas emissions reductions that are parallel with reductions in the U.S., since many of the worst effects of climate changes will be felt in Africa," added Mr. Gerritt.