NguNick Turse, TomDispatch, November 14, 2023
I-Global War on Terror yaseMelika ibone ingxenye yayo yezingqinamba, izinhlekelele, nokuhlulwa ngokuphelele. Phakathi neminyaka engu-20-kanye yokungenelela okuhlomile, i-United States ibuke imizamo yayo ingena ngendlela emangalisayo, kusukela e-Iraq ngo-2014 kuya e-Afghanistan ngo-2021. kodwa e-Afrika.
“Impi yethu yamaphekula iqala nge-al-Qaeda, kodwa ayigcini lapho. Ngeke iphele kuze kube yilapho wonke amaqembu amaphekula afinyelela emhlabeni wonke atholakele, amiswa, futhi anqotshiwe,” kusho uMongameli uGeorge W. Bush abantu baseMelika ngemva nje kokuhlasela kuka-9/11, ephawula ngokuqondile ukuthi lawo masosha ayenemiklamo “ezifundeni ezinkulu” zase-Afrika.
Ukuze iqhubekele phambili, i-US yaqala umzamo weminyaka eminingi wokuhlinzeka ngosizo lwezokuphepha oluningi, iqeqesha izinkulungwane zezikhulu zamasosha ase-Afrika, yamisa inqwaba yezikhulu, ukuthumela ama-commandos ayo kuzo zonke izinhlobo zemishini, dala amandla ommeleli, qalisa isiteleka se-drone, ngisho nokuzibandakanya ngqo ukulwa emhlabathini namasosha ase-Afrika. Abaningi baseMelika, kuhlanganise amalungu eCongress, abazi ngezinga lale misebenzi. Ngenxa yalokho, bambalwa abaqaphela ukuthi impi yamathunzi yaseMelika lapho iye yehluleka kangakanani.
Izinombolo ezingahluziwe zizodwa zikhuluma ngokujula kwenhlekelele. Njengoba i-United States iqala izimpi zayo zaphakade ngo-2002 nango-2003, uMnyango Wezwe wabala inani amaphekula ayisishiyagalolunye e-Afrika. Kulo nyaka, amaqembu aphikisayo amaSulumane kulelo zwekazi, ngokusho kwePentagon, asevele ehlasele i-6,756. Ngamanye amazwi, selokhu i-United States iqinise imisebenzi yayo yokulwa nobushokobezi e-Afrika, ubushokobezi bunyuke ngo-75,000%.
Vumela lokho kucwile isikhashana.
I-75,000%.
Ukungqubuzana Okuyohlala Ebubini
Izimpi zase-US e-Afghanistan nase-Iraq zavula impumelelo yezempi 2001 futhi 2003 eyangena ngokushesha emisebenzini ewukuklolodela. Kuwo womabili la mazwe, izinhlelo zeWashington zazincike ekhonweni layo lokudala amabutho esizwe angasiza futhi agcine ethathe izintambo zokulwa namabutho ezitha. Womabili amasosha akhiwe yi-US, ekugcineni, azodilika. E-Afghanistan, impi eyathatha iminyaka eyishumi nambili yaphela ngo-2021 ngokuzulazula kwebutho laseMelika elakhiwe, elixhaswe ngemali, eliqeqeshwe, nelihlomile njengoba iTaliban iphinde yathumba izwe. E-Iraq, i-Islamic State icishe yanqoba Ibutho lase-Iraq elakhiwe yi-US ngo-2014, okuphoqa iWashington ukuthi iphinde ingene engxabanweni. Amasosha ase-US hlala uxabene e-Iraq naseSyria engumakhelwane kuze kube namuhla.
E-Afrika, i-US yethula umkhankaso ofanayo ekuqaleni kwawo-2000, isekela futhi iqeqesha amasosha ase-Afrika ukusuka eMali entshonalanga kuya eSomalia empumalanga futhi ukudala amandla ommeleli lokho bekuzolwa kanye nama-commandos aseMelika. Ukuze afeze imisebenzi yawo, amasosha ase-US asungula i- inethiwekhi yezindawo ezingaphandle ngaphesheya kwesigaba esisenyakatho yezwekazi, kuhlanganise nezisekelo ezibalulekile ze-drone - kusukela I-Camp Lemonnier kanye nesizinda sayo sesathelayithi I-Chabelley Airfield esizweni esishiswe yilanga sase-Djibouti ukuze I-Air Base 201 e-Agadez, e-Niger - kanye nezikhungo ezincane ezinamabutho amancane amasosha akhethekile aseMelika emazweni asukela eLibya naseNiger kuya eCentral African Republic naseNingizimu Sudan.
Iminyaka ecishe ibe yishumi, impi yaseWashington e-Afrika yahlala ingaphansi kwezinga eliphezulu. Kwabe sekufika isinqumo esathumela iLibya kanye nesifunda esikhulu saseSahel endaweni engakaze ilulame.
"Sifikile, sabona, washona," uNobhala Wezwe uHillary Clinton joked ngemuva komkhankaso we-NATO oholwa yi-US usize ekuketuleni uColonel Muammar el-Qaddafi, owayengundlovukayiphikiswa waseLibya, ngo-2011. UMengameli uBarack Obama ukushayele ihlombe lokhu kungenelela njengokuyimpumelelo, kodwa iLibya yashibilika yaze yacishe yahluleka. U-Obama uzophinde avume ukuthi “ukwehluleka ukuhlela usuku lwangemva kwalokho” ukwehlulwa kukaQaddafi kwaba “iphutha elibi kakhulu” yobumongameli bakhe.
Njengoba umholi waseLibya ewa, ama-Tuareg fighters enkonzweni yakhe aphanga izikhali zombuso wakhe, abuyela ezweni lawo e-Mali, futhi aqala ukuthatha ingxenye esenyakatho yesizwe. Ukuthukuthela kwamasosha aseMali ngenxa yokungaphenduli kahle kukahulumeni kwaholela ekuketulweni kwamasosha ngo-2012. Yayiholwa u-Amadou Sanogo, isikhulu esafunda isiNgisi eTexas futhi saqeqeshwa njengesikhulu sezempi e-Georgia, iziyalezo zezobunhloli bezempi e-Arizona, futhi safundiswa yi-US Marines eVirginia.
Ngemva kokuketula uhulumeni wentando yeningi waseMali, uSanogo kanye neqembu lakhe babonakale bengenalo usizi ekulweni namaphekula. Njengoba izwe lisesiphithiphithini, lawo maqhawe eTuareg amemezela izwe elizimele, kodwa abekwa eceleni ama-Islamist ayehlome ehlome asungula uhlobo olubi lomthetho we-Shariah, lwadala inkinga yobuntu. Umkhankaso ohlanganyelwe we-Franco-American-African-African uvimbele ukuwa kweMali kodwa wadudulela amasosha ezindaweni eziseduze nemingcele yeBurkina Faso kanye neNiger.
Kusukela ngaleso sikhathi, lawo mazwe aseSahel yaseNtshonalanga Afrika abelokhu ekhungethwe amaqembu amaphekula aguquke, ahlukana, futhi azisungula kabusha. Ngaphansi kwamabhanela amnyama ebutho le-jihadist, amadoda agibele izithuthuthu - ababili ebhayisikilini, begqoke izibuko zelanga nezigqoko, futhi behlome ngama-Kalashnikovs - bavame ukubhonga ezigodini ukuze baphoqelele okweshumi (intela yamaSulumane); ukweba izilwane; futhi asabise, ahlasele futhi abulale izakhamuzi. Ukuhlasela okungapheli okunjalo kuye kwacekela phansi iBurkina Faso, iMali, neNiger futhi manje sekuthinta omakhelwane babo abaseningizimu eduze neGulf of Guinea. Udlame lwaseTogo naseBenin, ngokwesibonelo, lweqe ngamaphesenti angama-633 no-718% ngonyaka odlule, ngokusho kwePentagon.
Amasosha aqeqeshwe yi-US esifundeni awakwazanga ukumisa lokhu kuhlasela futhi izakhamizi zihlupheke kabuhlungu. Phakathi no-2002 no-2003, amaphekula abangela ukufa kwabantu abangu-23 kuphela e-Afrika. Kulo nyaka, ngokwePentagon, ukuhlasela kwamaphekula esifundeni saseSahel kuphela kuholele ekufeni kwabantu abayizi-9,818 - okuwukunyuka okungama-42,500%.
Ngaso leso sikhathi, phakathi nemikhankaso yabo yokulwa nobushokobezi, abalingani bezempi baseMelika esifundeni benze unya lwabo olubi kakhulu, okuhlanganisa nokubulawa kwabantu ngokungemthetho. Ngo-2020, ngokwesibonelo, umholi wezombangazwe ophakeme eBurkina Faso wavuma ukuthi umbutho wezokuphepha wezwe lakhe wawuqhuba. ukubulawa okuhlosiwe. “Siyakwenza lokhu, kodwa asikumemezeli ophahleni lwezindlu,” wangitshela, ephawula ukuthi ukubulawa okunjalo kwakuzuzisa impi.
Amasosha aseMelika afundiswe kuleso sifunda abe nohlobo olulodwa kuphela “lwempumelelo” ebonakala: ukuketula ohulumeni i-United States ebaqeqeshele ukubavikela. Okungenani Izikhulu eziyi-15 ezihlomule kulolu sizo baye bahileleka ekuketulweni umbuso izikhathi ezingu-12 eNtshonalanga Afrika kanye naseSahel enkulu phakathi nempi yokulwa namaphekula. Uhlu luhlanganisa izikhulu zaseBurkina Faso (2014, 2015, kanye kabili ngo-2022); I-Chad (2021); Gambia (2014); iGuinea (2021); I-Mali (2012, 2020, kanye no-2021); i-Mauritania (2008); kanye neNiger (2023). Okungenani abaholi abahlanu wokuketulwa umbuso kukaJulayi eNiger, ngokwesibonelo, wathola usizo lwaseMelika, ngokusho kwesikhulu saseMelika. Bona-ke baqoka amalungu amahlanu aqeqeshwe e-US ombutho wezokuphepha waseNiger ukuthi asebenze njengababusi balelozwe.
Ukuketulwa kwezempi kwalolo hlobo kuye kwalingana unya olubekwe amacala amakhulu ngenkathi ibukela phansi izinhloso zaseMelika, nokho i-United States isaqhubeka nokuhlinzeka imibuso enjalo ngokusekela ukulwa nobushokobezi. Thatha UColonel Assimi Goïta, owasebenza ne-US Special Operations Forces, wabamba iqhaza ezivivinyweni zokuqeqesha zase-US, futhi waya e-Joint Special Operations University eFlorida ngaphambi kokuketula uhulumeni waseMali ngo-2020. UGoita wabe esethatha umsebenzi wokuba iphini likamongameli kuhulumeni wezinguquko othweswe icala ngokusemthethweni lokubuyisela izwe ukubusa kwabantu, kuphela ukuphinde bathathe amandla ngo-2021.
Ngawo lowo nyaka, i-junta yakhe kubikwa ukuthi yagunyaza ukuthunyelwa kwamasosha aseRussia axhumene ne-Wagner ukuthi alwe nezidlamlilo zamaSulumane ngemuva kweminyaka ecishe ibe ngamashumi amabili yemizamo ehlulekile yokulwa nobushokobezi esekelwa yiNtshonalanga. Kusukela lapho, uWagner - iqembu lamasosha elasungulwa ngongasekho Yevgeny Prigozhin, a owayengumthengisi we-hot-dog waphenduka i-warlord - ifakiwe ku amakhulu okuhlukumeza amalungelo abantu eceleni kwamasosha aseMaliya asebenesikhathi eside esekelwa yi-US, kufaka phakathi i-2022 ukubulala eyabulala izakhamuzi ezingu-500.
Naphezu kwakho konke lokhu, usizo lwamasosha aseMelika eMali alukaze luphele. Ngenkathi ukuketula umbuso kuka-Goïta kwango-2020 nango-2021 kwaqala izithibelo kwezinye izinhlobo zosizo lwezokuphepha lwaseMelika, amadola entela aseMelika aqhubekile nokuxhasa amabutho akhe. Ngokusho koMnyango Wezwe, i-US inikeze imali engaphezu kwezigidi ezingu-$16 kusizo lwezokuphepha e-Mali ngo-2020 futhi cishe i-$ 5 million ngo-2021. Kusukela ngoJulayi, i-Bureau of Counterterrorism yomnyango yayilinde imvume yekhongolose ukuze idlulisele enye imali eyizigidi ezimbili zamaRandi e-Mali. (UMnyango Wezwe awuzange uphendule TomDispatchisicelo sokubuyekezwa mayelana nesimo salolo xhaso.)
I-Decade Yeminyaka Eyishumi
Ngakolunye uhlangothi lwezwekazi, eSomalia, ukuminza kanye nokusimama kube yiziqondiso zemizamo yezempi yase-US.
"Amaphekula ahlobene ne-Al Qaeda kanye namaqembu amaphekula endabuko abekhona futhi asaqhubeka nokuba khona kulesi sifunda," kusho isikhulu esiphezulu sePentagon ngo-2002. "Laba bashokobezi bazosabisa izisebenzi nezinsiza zase-US." Kodwa lapho sicindezelwa usongo olusakazeka ngempela, lesi sikhulu savuma ukuthi ngisho nabalandeli bamaSulumane abeqisayo “abakaze bahlanganyele ezenzweni zobuphekula ngaphandle kweSomalia.” Naphezu kwalokho, amabutho e-US Special Operations athunyelwa lapho ngo-2002, alandelwa usizo lwezempi, abeluleki, abaqeqeshi, nosonkontileka abazimele.
Eminyakeni engaphezu kwengu-20 kamuva, amasosha aseMelika asaqhuba umkhankaso wokulwa nobushokobezi eSomalia, ikakhulukazi emelene neqembu lamaphekula amaSulumane i-al-Shabaab. Kuze kube manje, iWashington inikeze izigidigidi zamaRandi ngosizo lokulwa nobushokobezi, ngokusho kwe-a umbiko wakamuva we-Costs of War Project. AmaMelika nawo aqhubekile iziteleka zomoya ezingaphezu kuka-280 kanye nokuhlasela kwama-commando lapho, ngenkathi i-CIA kanye nabaqhubi abakhethekile bakhe amandla endawo abamele ukwenza imisebenzi yezempi esezingeni eliphansi.
Selokhu uMengameli uJoe Biden athatha izintambo ngoJanuwari 2021, i-US yethule ukuhlasela kwezindiza okumenyezelwe okungu-31 eSomalia, okuyisibalo esiphindwe kasithupha kwesenziwe ngesikhathi sokuphatha kukaMongameli u-Obama, nakuba singaphansi kakhulu kwerekhodi eliphezulu elabekwa uMongameli uTrump, abaphathi bakhe bethula ukuhlasela kuka-208 kusuka. 2017 kuya ku-2021.
Impi yaseMelika ethathe isikhathi eside, engadalulwanga eSomalia isibe yimbangela yodlame kulelo zwe, ngokusho kwe-Costs of War Project. "I-US ayigcini nje ngokubamba iqhaza ezingxabanweni eSomalia, kodwa, kunalokho, isibe yingxenye yokuqhubekela phambili kwezingxabano eSomalia," kubika. Ẹniọlá Ànúolúwapọ Ṣóyẹmí, umfundisi wefilosofi yezombangazwe nenqubomgomo yomphakathi e-Blavatnik School of Government e-Oxford University. Wabhala: "Izinqubomgomo zokulwa nobuphekula zase-US ziqinisekisa ukuthi ingxabano iyaqhubeka unomphela."
I-Epicenter of International Terrorism
"Ukweseka ukuthuthukiswa kwamasosha aqeqeshiwe nanekhono kunomthelela ekwandiseni ezokuphepha nokuzinza e-Afrika," kusho uGeneral William Ward, isikhulu sokuqala se-US Africa Command (AFRICOM) - okuyinhlangano eyisambulela eyengamele imizamo yezempi yase-US ezwenikazi - ngo-2010, ngaphambi kwalokho. wehliswa esikhundleni ukukhwabanisa nokuchitha imali. Izibikezelo zakhe “zokwanda kokuvikeleka nokuzinza” azikaze zenzeke.
Nakuba ukwanda okungama-75,000% kokuhlaselwa kwabashokobezi kanye nokwenyuka kwezingu-42,500% kwabashonile kule minyaka engamashumi amabili edlule kuyinto emangazayo, ukwanda kwakamuva kubi kakhulu. "Ukwanda okungamaphesenti angu-50 kwezigameko zokubulawa kwabantu eziboshwe namaqembu aphikisayo amaSulumane eSahel naseSomalia onyakeni odlule kudlule izinga eliphezulu ngo-2015," ngokombiko wangoJulayi we-Africa Centre for Strategic Studies, isikhungo sokucwaninga soMnyango Wezokuvikela. "I-Afrika ibhekane nokwanda okuphindwe kane kwezigameko zodlame ezibikiwe ezixhumene namaqembu angama-Islamist kule minyaka eyishumi edlule… Cishe ingxenye yalokho kukhula kwenzeke eminyakeni emithathu edlule."
Eminyakeni engamashumi amabili nambili edlule, uGeorge W. Bush wamemezela ukuqala kweMpi Yomhlaba Wonke Yobuphekula. "I-Taliban kumele ithathe isinyathelo, futhi ithathe isinyathelo ngokushesha," esho wagcizelela. "Bazonikela ngamaphekula, noma bahlanganyele esiphethweni sabo." Namuhla, kunjalo, i-Taliban ibusa kakhulu e-Afghanistan, i-al-Qaeda ayizange "imiswe futhi ihlulwe," futhi amanye amaqembu amaphekula asesabalele e-Afrika (nakwezinye izindawo). Okuwukuphela kwendlela “yokunqoba ubuphekula,” kugomela uBush, “kwakuwukubuqeda futhi bubhubhise lapho bukhula khona.” Nokho selikhulile, futhi lasakazeka, futhi sekuvele inqwaba yamaqembu amasosha.
Bush waxwayiswa ukuthi amaphekula ayenamacebo “ezifunda ezinkulu” zase-Afrika kodwa “wayeqiniseka ngokunqoba okuzayo,” eqinisekisa abantu baseMelika ukuthi “ngeke sikhathale, ngeke sintengantenge, futhi ngeke sehluleke.” Emazweni ngamazwe kulelo zwekazi, i-US iye yahluleka ngempela futhi ukwehluleka kwayo kukhokhelwe abantu base-Afrika abavamile ababulawa, abalimala, futhi baxoshwa ngamaqembu amaphekula uBush athembisa ukuthi "azowanqoba." Ngasekuqaleni konyaka, uGeneral Michael Langley, umkhuzi wamanje we-AFRICOM, unikeze okungenzeka kube yisinqumo sokugcina mayelana nezimpi Zaphakade ZaseMelika kulelo zwekazi. “Afrika,” wamemezela, “manje isiyisizinda sobuphekula bomhlaba wonke.”
