Tag: East Africa

Another American Death

I regret that I must write this post……we have enough US dead on the international battlefield…..over the weekend another special ops trooper has been killed and 4 others wounded….this time in Somalia…..

There are more than 7,300 US Special Operations forces soldiers operating around the world, reports the New York Times, and one lost his life in Africa on Friday. The BBC reports the incident in southwest Somalia was believed to be an ambush by al-Shabab militants; four other American service members were injured. The Times calls the death the “first to have been publicized in Africa since an ambush in Niger in October.” The American forces were serving near Jamaame alongside Somali troops and supported by armed surveillance aircraft.

The BBC reports President Trump has broadened the involvement of US military in Somalia, but the Times notes the US is thought to be moving toward a reeling in of counterterrorism forces in Africa as part of a Pentagon reshuffling that would put the emphasis on Russia, China, and other larger world powers. While al-Shabab was pushed out of the capital city of Mogadishu nearly 7 years ago, the BBC reports it occupies areas around the city. “The mission’s objectives were to clear al-Shabab from contested areas,” United States Africa Command said in a statement following the attack.

I regret that I must do these posts…..it is time for the troops to come home….they have proven all they need to….let them return to their families and get some much deserved rest.

Our condolences go out the the family of this special ops trooper…..

Rwanda–24 Years Later

24 years ago the world turned its back on the African nation of Rwanda and the humanitarian crisis that ensued…..

Pres, Clinton was the typical coward and turned a blind eye to the events unfolding in Rwanda…..I wrote about this on the 20th anniversary of the crisis…..

https://lobotero.com/2014/06/06/did-we-really-care/

I relive this event because of something that has happened in Rwanda…..

Mass graves that authorities say could contain more than 2,000 bodies have been discovered in Rwanda nearly a quarter-century after the country’s genocide, and further graves are being sought nearby. The new discovery is being called the most significant in a long time in this East African nation that is still recovering from the 1994 killings of more than 800,000 ethnic Tutsi and moderate ethnic Hutus. Some Rwandans are shocked and dismayed that residents of the community outside the capital, Kigali, where the mass graves were found kept quiet about them for so many years. Between 2,000 and 3,000 people are thought to be buried in the graves based on the number of area residents who went missing during the genocide, Rashid Rwigamba, an official with the genocide survivors’ organization Ibuka, tells the AP.

The information leading to the discovery came from a local landlord who at first refused to answer questions about the suspected mass graves until threatened with arrest, Rwigamba says. The landlord was later arrested, suspected of taking part in the killings and accused of knowing where people had been buried all along, he adds. Houses and toilets that had been built on top of the graves have been destroyed to make way for the search. “The exercise is ongoing and we have identified another house we suspect was built on a piece of land where victims were buried,” Rwigamba says. Bodies found so far include those of babies, based on the clothing that has been found. During the genocide, a roadblock manned by Hutu militias was established meters away from the sites of the mass graves, survivors tell the AP.

This is a chapter of American foreign policy that we had rather forget but some of us do not want us to forget the death of thousands that we could have helped and possibly prevented.

America talks a good game about human suffering but we do as little as possible to alleviate it….this is typical American foreign policy and it is about to get worse.

Closing Thought –30Nov17

Say It Ain’t So!

In these days of some many conflicts some things are usually going to go wrong…..and this may well have been one of those times…..

Possible US Special ops and a massacre of local Somalis…..

MOGADISHU, Somalia—It was around five in the morning when Abdullahi Elmi heard the gunfire. Sitting in his small home in Bariire, in southern Somalia, the farm administrator had been recording the names of the laborers who had worked the day before. Stacks of accounting books sprawled on the floor around him. Across the room, his wife sat with their 3-year-old son who dozed as his mother rocked him back and forth in her arms.

When the sound of gunshots began, Abdullahi thought they were too far away to be heading toward his farm. But within seconds they seemed to grow louder, and closer, sending Abdullahi and his wife, carrying their young son, sprinting through the nearby forest of banana trees in search of safety.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/strong-evidence-that-us-special-operations-forces-massacred-civilians-in-somalia

I do hope that this is just a misreporting of something that happened and that US forces are not involved…..

My day is rough and it is done….be back tomorrow….my friends….chuq

OMG! It’s Somalia (Again)

I am sure that every American is aware of the tragedy in Somalia if for no other reason than they have watched the movie, “Blackhawk Down”.

There seems to be a slow trickle of US troops back into the country of Somalia to fight terror…I recently gave my thoughts on this…….

Source: Somalia–Take A Right At Ethiopia – In Saner Thought

The Trump plan is to return special ops operatives into the country to fight the growing ISIS presence in East Africa…..the first encounter for our troops did not end so well….

The death of Navy SEAL Kyle Milliken and the wounding of two more U.S. troops in Somalia this month marked the first deadly engagement for American forces in the country since the Battle of Mogadishu of October 1993. The two events differ in notable respects, not least in their magnitude—the battle of October 3-4, 1993, resulted in 18 Americans killed and 79 wounded. But both operations reflect the adverse conditions that U.S. special-operations forces, and the United States more broadly, face in the world’s most dysfunctional states.

Back in the summer of 1993, warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid bedeviled an international coalition that was trying to restore order and build democracy in the midst of a vicious civil war in Somalia. A ruthless clan leader known for firing artillery into civilian neighborhoods and starving opposing clans into submission, Aidid had made himself the chief obstacle to the nation-building project. The Clinton administration had removed a large U.S. Marine force months earlier and transferred authority over the remaining international troops to the United Nations. Madeleine Albright, Clinton’s UN ambassador, declared at the time, “[W]e will embark on an unprecedented enterprise aimed at nothing less than the restoration of an entire country as a proud, functioning and viable member of the community of nations.”

Source: How American Special Operators Gradually Returned to Somalia – The Atlantic

There seems to be a push to insert American troops into every corner of the globe all with the intention of armed conflict.

The dangers of this type of foreign policy, if we can call it that, are too numerous to count.  And yet the American people are perfectly fine with this world-wide escalation…..and apparently the deaths that will go with it.

Why?

Somalia–Take A Right At Ethiopia

My regulars know that I am always watch conflicts around the world……because in some way the US will become involved up to our ears….and that means death and destruction.

How many out there saw the movie “Black Hawk Down”?

A movie about the US limited deployment to the East African country of Somalia….and our involvement did not end well.  Military deaths occurred and we did what we did in Lebanon in the 1980’s….we cut and run as quickly as possible.

I bring up this sad part of our military history because of something I read the other day……

President Trump’s recommendations from the Pentagon are starting to trickle in, and they seem to everywhere involve more escalations of US involvement and increased flexibility for the Pentagon to order airstrikes in various countries to target “apparent threats.”

And while it’s not as high profile as recommendations expected later this week in places like Syria, that’s the case for Somalia as well, where the Pentagon is seeking increased aid for the Somali Army, moving US special forces closer to the front lines, and loosening up restrictions on airstrikes.

AFRICOM chief Gen. Thomas Waldhauser described Somalia as “our most perplexing challenge,” saying that the US needs to shift its focus toward weakening al-Shabaab enough that the African Union forces that have been in Somalia for a decade can finally defeat them.

Despite being presented as a “fresh perspective” on the long fight in Somalia, the Pentagon recommendation is their go-tell plan in wars everywhere: more direct US involvement, more embedding of forces, and more airstrikes with less restrictions, a plan which hasn’t worked well anywhere else.

(antiwar.com)

The US is setting up a possible replay of the 1990’s situation….the only thing that makes sense is Einstein’s quote.

The Islamic State Threat in Somalia

Time for me to get back to real issues…..there is enough hearsay these days to make one dizzy……

News about ISIS has been slow in coming with the exception of the chest thumping about how it will be defeated…..but while Americans were celebrating and whining over the results of the election….ISIS has been quietly expanding.

First it was expanding into Libya…the conflict there was the perfect set of conditions and then they sneaked into Afghanistan and have been quietly making head way in capturing territory.

And now they have found a foothold in Somalia….al-Shabaab, an AQ affiliate, has been making noise in the country for decades….but now the conditions were ripe and ISIS has come calling…..

On 26 October, about more than 50 heavily-armed Somali Islamic State (IS) fighters seized Qandala, a sparsely populated town in Somalia’s Puntland federal state on a rugged mountainous coastal strip overlooking the Gulf of Aden. It was a small, but highly symbolic, step forward for the group and demonstrates again how armed extremists exploit state disorder and local tensions to develop safe havens and rebuild after otherwise debilitating defeats. Unless Puntland treats this threat seriously and resolves internal tensions like that in the Qandala area and conflicts with neighbouring federal states, IS in Somalia could grow in strength and destabilise much larger parts of Somalia.

Source: The Islamic State Threat in Somalia | World Affairs Journal

The US already has troops operating in Somalia…..will this be an escalation in the making?

It feels good to get back to work after all these months….

Chinese presence in Africa shows global ambition

While everyone is playing Pokemon (off topic observation–could NSA be using Pokemon to gain entry into your system?) the world is getting more polarized………

Every body that watches international situations will know about the Chinese build-up in the South China Sea…..a build-up that got the US attention to the point of dispatching a flotilla to the region for….”just in case”…..

But while they were freaking out over the South China Sea the country, China, was quietly establishing itself in East Africa….that is establishing itself militarily in East Africa…..

China has begun construction for a military post at a key location in eastern Africa, right next door to a US one. A 90-acre plot which is due for completion next year, the the naval outpost is expected to feature weapons stores, ship and helicopter maintenance facilities and possibly a small contingent of Chinese marines or special forces, according to foreign officers and experts monitoring its development.

China has invested huge amounts in East Africa, especially in Ethiopia, one of the world’s fastest growing economies — wants to be able to protect its interests and investments throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

Source: Chinese presence in Africa shows global ambition | Africa | Worldbulletin News

Chinese presence in Africa shows global ambition

I thought I had heard this before and may have written about it so I checked my archives and there it is……..about 2 years ago I wrote on this situation here on IST……..(in case you missed the original)

Source: While You Were Otherwise Distracted – In Saner Thought

But that aside the US is watching this situation I am sure ….but if we have any troops in the region it may be a good idea to put them on some sort of alert or watch or whatever they do these with potentially dangerous situations….

Oh, To Be In Somaliland

Before we go any further…this is NOT about the country where the Blackhawk went down and Hollywood made a movie…..that was Somalia.

On another note…my readers know that I am championing the independence of Western Sahara from Morocco and the recognition of the state of Palestine…so I am not a stranger to a people’s desire for independence and/or recognition…..and this where the country of Somaliland comes into the conversation.

I know this area a bit for back in the day I was stationed in Ethiopia the area now is known as Eritrea…..so I am familiar with this region……

But first a bit about the country Somaliland…….

A breakaway, semi-desert territory on the coast of the Gulf of Aden, Somaliland declared independence after the overthrow of Somali military dictator Siad Barre in 1991.

The move followed a secessionist struggle during which Siad Barre’s forces pursued rebel guerrillas in the territory. Tens of thousands of people were killed and towns were flattened.

Though not internationally recognised, Somaliland has a working political system, government institutions, a police force and its own currency.

The former British protectorate has also escaped much of the chaos and violence that plague Somalia.

Map of Somaliland

The full country profile can be read here……

Source: Somaliland profile – BBC News

With that out of the way…..after 25 years of autonomy this country has been looking for official recognition……

“Even if they don’t recognise us, our independence is by virtue of our existence and by virtue of our liberty,” said Yussef Ali, who had taken his four young sons to join the crowds that lined Independence Avenue to watch the May 18 independence parade under the harsh sun.

On May 18, 1991, Somaliland declared its independence from Somalia. Twenty-five years on, it still has not received legal recognition from the international community. 

“Even if they don’t recognise us, our independence is by virtue of our existence and by virtue of our liberty,” said Yussef Ali, who had taken his four young sons to join the crowds that lined Independence Avenue to watch the May 18 independence parade under the harsh sun.

Around 500,000 Somalilanders were expected to fill the streets of the capital, Hargeisa, for the big day. But despite the festivities and the resolve of its people, Somaliland is straining after a quarter of a century of non-statehood. Its economy is fragile, making this apparent against the odds success story vulnerable.

“It’s absolutely unfair,” said Saad Ali Shire, the minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation, after a conference the preceding day titled, The Republic of Somaliland: The Case for Recognition.

“We can’t get international credit or foreign investment to build the country and create jobs as we are not recognised.”

Source: Somaliland: 25 years as an unrecognised state – Al Jazeera English

The world needs to give this country what it needs….recognition.

The chances are that this could very well slide into the category of Somalia without the world’s help….personally, we already have enough “hot spots” in the world we cannot afford too many more…..

Time to do the right thing!

Older Than We Thought?

As my regulars may know is that my daughter and I have this running battle about Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons ……that debate is ongoing….but that is not about this piece I read…

It is commonly known that “Lucy” found in Ethiopia in the decades gone by was maybe the first human to walk upright…..  but wait!  we have a new candidate…….

It’s just a small piece of a jawbone with five teeth, but its discovery in Ethiopia is changing the timeline of human origins. Researchers say the bone is from an individual who lived 2.8 million years ago and belonged to the genus Homo, the lineage from which modern humans emerged. In fact, this is the earliest known member of the group ever found—by about 400,000 years, reports AP. A student from Arizona State University found the fossil in 2013 in the same general area where one of the most famous fossils in history was discovered, that of “Lucy,” an ape-like ancestor that lived about 3 million years ago. The newly discovered fossil might be the link between Lucy, or Australopithecus afarensis, and the first primitive humans, reports the BBC.

“That’s what we are arguing,” says Brian Villmoare of the University of Nevada in Las Vegas. “By finding this jaw bone we’ve figured out where that trajectory started. This is the first Homo. It marks in all likelihood a major adaptive transition.” It’s not clear yet whether the fossil belongs to a species of Homo previously known, such as Homo habilis, or is an entirely new one, reports the Guardian. An expert from George Washington University not involved with the find says it seems safe to conclude that the creature was either at the start of the Homo line or “within shouting distance.”

They keep finding these older and older evidence of our ancestors…..but so fare NO one has confirmed that ancient aliens had anything to do with it……but some keep hoping.

Somalia: Revenge Best Served Cold

Inkwell Institute

East Africa Desk

 

I am sure that most action loving movie goers have see “Black Hawk Down”…..the story of a disastrous operation in Somalia in 1993 in the battle of Mogadishu…….many American troops were killed and as a result we soon decided that Somalia was a hopeless cause battling the war lord militants……

But even though the main body of US troops departed there has been a small but active team of American special forces operating in the country.  The objective is the destruction of Al Shabaab, Islamist extremists….now after about 20 years the US has successfully taken out the key figure in Al Shabaab……….the world learned that a US missile strike in southern Somalia on Monday had targeted Ahmed Godane, the leader of Al Shabaab, a terrorist with a $7 million bounty on his head.

 

The US is immediately began the back slapping…..why?  Analysts predict that if Godane has been killed, the group that he has led since 2008 will splinter. Over the last three years Godane has tightened his grip on the organization, ousting, alienating, or killing internal critics and rivals. Godane’s unassailable position gave Al Shabaab a certain ruthless direction but leaves it no clear successor.

So we have given Al Shabaab a lethal attack?  CIA analysts want you to believe that this will no longer be a threat in East Africa……as usual those guys have NO idea what is going on in the world…….

(Newser) – Somalian Islamic extremist rebels al-Shabab named Abu Ubeid Ahmed Omar to be their new leader following the killing of the previous leader by a US airstrike, said a commander of the group. The Somali militants unanimously selected Omar today at a meeting in an undisclosed location in Somalia, said rebel commander Abu Mohammed. Omar is believed to be an assumed name, and the new leader’s real name is not known. The Somali group had to appoint a new leader following the death of Ahmed Abdi Godane, the group’s spiritual leader who was killed by an airstrike on Monday.

My first reaction to the news was….are you guys high?  You just painted a target on the dude’s ass.

My second reaction is………..Once again the CIA has proven, at least to me, that they have NO clue what is happening in East Africa……….what about all their other “actionable” intel?

Time for new thinking in DC and international relations……..our people now are clueless.  Time after time these people have blown the analysis of a situation…….why do we continue to trust a group that has continuously been proven to be wrong and ill informed?