Events

{PREVIOUS EVENTS}

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7 May 2013

Oppose British

imperialism in Africa

P R O T E S T

11am – 4pm

Lancaster House, Cleveland Row, SW1A 1BB

DEMONSTRATE AND SPEAK OUT AGAINST:

• Britain funding AMISOM, a proxy war of ‘Africans killing Africans’

• The theft of Somalia’s oil through new secretive contracts with criminal firms Shell, ENI, Genel Energy & ConocoPhillips

• British private Navies, military & EU NAVFOR in Somalia’s waters

• Britain and UN enforcing a sectarian clan-based 4.5 government on Somalia & division through an imposed federal system

• The racist criminalisation of Somali people in Britain

• MI5 and police harassment of Somali people in Britain

PROXY WAR IN SOMALIA – FUNDED BY BRITAIN

Britain’s support to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) is funded from various British government bodies, including the Ministry of Defence. In 2011 alone, 48.2% of the total funds contributed to the AMISOM EU trust fund, amounting to £15m, came from Britain. Why is Britain funding a proxy war in Africa?

7 MAY 2013 CONFERENCE – IMPERIALISTS SCRAMBLE FOR SOMALIA

Britain’s conference on Somalia in London on 7 May 2013 is purely to further the interests of British imperialism in the region, such as controlling the shipping lanes and natural resources like oil and gas. Britain, through the UN, is enforcing a new sectarian federal government model on to Somalia, to ensure it can divide and exploit the nation.

SOMALIA… LIBYA… MALI… WHERE NEXT?

In February 2013, it was announced British military ‘advisors’ will be sent to Somalia. Under Obama, the US also pledges to send new troops.In March 2013, British troops also entered Mali. The Secretary for Defence Philip Hammond said it was to counter ‘threats’ to British ‘national interests’, just as Cameron said in 2012 that Somalia ‘directly threatens British interests’ and increased AMISOM funding.

British military interventions in Africa since 1945 :

1948 Ghana (Gold Coast): suppression of riots
1948-49 Somalia: preventing re-unification of the country, keeping protectorate
1948-51 Eritrea: suppression of the Shifta revolt
1951-54 Suez: Canal Zone
1952-56 Kenya: suppression of Mau Mau revolt. 11,500 Mau Mau were killed
1954 Egypt: intervention on the Nile
1956 Egypt: Suez crisis and invasion
1958 Malawi (Nyasaland): suppression of riots
1960-61 Cameroon: aid to the government
1961 Tanzania (Zanzibar): suppression of revolt
1963 Swaziland: Reinforcements sent to cover period of strike
1963 Tanzania (Zanzibar): preparations for election
1964 Tanzania (Tanganyika): army mutiny
1964 Uganda: Army mutiny
1964 Kenya: Army mutiny
1965 Mauritius: Suppression of riots
1965 Botswana (Bechuanaland): guarding the BBC’s Francistown radio station
1967 Libya: Guarding oil installations and preventing coup against King Idris
1973 Egypt: RAF moves UN troops after Yom Kippur war
1995 Angola: Operation Chantress with UN after civil war
1997 Congo: Operation Determinate
1998 Congo: Operation Ladbrook
2000 Sierra Leone: Intervention in civil war and attacks on Gambia
2003 Congo: Operation Coral
2003 Sierra Leone: Operation Keeling
2004 Cote D’Ivoire: Operation Phillis
2008-13 Somalia: Funding/training of AMISOM troops
2011 Libya: British backed NATO bombing
2013 Somalia: British military ‘advisors’ enter the country to ‘advise’
2013 Mali: British military troops enter alongside ex-colonisers France

DEMAND SELF-DETERMINATION

Britain has no record of ‘helping’ any country in the world using its military, or its multinational corporations. Britain’s pledge to spend 0.7% of gross-national income on ‘aid’ by 2013 is an insultto African people living in absolute poverty.

British ‘aid’ is largely being used to bribe and buy off regional actors who help imperialism, to rob the continent of its natural resources. Its no coincidence ‘aid’ for Somalia was increased 208% between 2010 and 2015, followed by Nigeria at 116% – these are both oil rich and geopolitically vital nations for imperialist plunder. Additionally, 40 percent of UK’s aid to Somalia will go to Somaliland, where Britain is building an regional enclave to serve its own interests.

We have to tell the British government that Somalia, and Africa, are not ‘for sale’.

African people demand self determination and development, not exploitation, poverty, war, racism, manipulation and plunder.

WHAT CAMERON WON’T BE TALKING ABOUT

The illegal abduction and torture of British Somali Mahdi Hashi. Racist UKBA deportation and detention of Somalis and Africans. The criminalisation of Somali people. Racist British media campaigns against Somali people. British terror and wars across the middle east and north Africa. Poverty in Britain and the cuts, forcing many Somali people into deep poverty

On May 7 the British government will hold another conference intended to cement its carve-up of Somalia and secure British interests in the oil-rich Horn of Africa.

David Cameron and Somali president Sheikh Mohamud

Hands off Somalia was set up after Britain’s first Somalia conference last year to protest against this imperialist plunder and expose Britain’s lies of Somalia as a ‘failed state’ that needs British ‘help’. The British government is a war mongering and corrupt authority that can play no progressive role in helping its own people, let alone the nations it oppresses abroad.

Through the new federal government plan, Britain along with the UN, and US have played a key role in the balkanisation and further division of Somalia into different provinces, deliberately playing one off against the other. Last year, the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) was disbanded and replaced by a Somali Federal Government (SFG) which has also failed to deliver for Somali people. The SFG acts as a cover for the interests of different outside countries, all fighting for a share of East African energy resources.

Hassan Mohamud, a little too eager to meet Somalia’s imperialist oppressor?

Somalia – and particularly Somaliland which Britain is maneuvering to control – has been described as ‘a potential Saudi Arabia of East Africa’.

Join us on 7 May to demand self-determination for Somalia, against all imperialist, corporate and environmental exploitation of the country.

Hands off Somalia!

Hands off Africa!

Hands off Somalia meets every week to discuss its work. If you are interested in finding out more please contact us or follow us on Facebook

Hands off Somalia!

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