U.S. drone bases are multiplying on the African continent: Niger has agreed to hosting surveillance drones on its soil”; neighboring Burkina Faso already has one; two new drone facilities are opening in Ethiopia and the Seychelles; and UN peacekeepers in Congo want to use U.S. drones. Drones, which have terrorized Somalia from AFRICOM’s base in Djibouti for the past seven years, have become the centerpiece of the modern U.S. version of gunboat diplomacy.
March and Rally at the White House
Saturday, April 13
Assemble at 12 noon
Lafayette Park – 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
The targeting of Africa and its vast natural resources by the Pentagon and CIA is in full swing.
Having killed thousands of people through U.S. drone strikes in the Middle East, Central Asia and the Horn of Africa, the U.S. government is now putting all of Africa in the crosshairs.
The Pentagon is establishing a drone base headquarters in Niger and a network of drone bases throughout the continent.
In late December 2012, the United States announced a plan to send military missions to as many as 35 countries on the African continent.
After engaging in centuries of colonial plunder and the kidnapping of millions into slavery, the U.S. and European powers are bringing a new wave of militarism to Africa.
Under the guise of “fighting terrorism” or “saving civilians,” the United States, France and Britain are invading and bombing African countries.
Now they will step up their campaign of killing African people by the employment of Pentagon and CIA drone aircraft located in a network of bases being established by the Pentagon throughout the continent.
The U.S. functions as a death squad government, permitting the president and military leaders to create secret “kill lists” of people who have been selected for assassination. There is no due process, no trial, no evidence – the individuals are selected to be murdered and they are killed, and many civilians who are nearby also die. Drones are the weapon of choice.
Over 3,000 people have been murdered by U.S. drone strikes in the last few years, including a large number of children among the many civilians who have been slaughtered by these robotic killing machines.
Sitting in offices thousands of miles away from their targets, U.S. operators routinely decide to “push the button” and kill their unsuspecting targets on the ground with hellfire missiles fired from unseen drone aircraft. In Pakistan and Afghanistan, villagers have staged mass protests against drone strikes after their kids were incinerated while they were collecting firewood or farming in nearby fields.
In the 19th century, it was a common tactic of imperialists to use gunboats to move around the world and assert their will, answering challenges to their authority with bullets and cannon shot. The use, or threat of the use, of naval force was used by Britain, the United States and other imperialist nations to force exploitative terms of trade and political accommodations on various political entities around the world.
The United States government’s drone program serves the same general purpose as gunboat diplomacy. It enables the United States to extend its military power over any country that lacks the ability, or will, to shoot down the aircraft.
Join us at the White House for a march and rally on Saturday, April 13 to let the world know that the people of this country are demanding “Drones Out of Africa and Everywhere!”
Initial endorsers:
ANSWER Coalition
Cynthia McKinney, former Congressperson
Akbar Muhammad, International Rep. of Nation of Islam
Revival of Pan Africanism Forum
CRI-Panafricain
Democratic Union of Gambian Activists – D.C.
Ramsey Clark, former U.S. Attorney General
Nisa Muhammad, writer Final Call newspaper
Jared Ball, radio host, WPFW (Pacifica)
Rev. Graylan Hagler, Senior Minister, Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ
Imam Mahdi Bray, Freedom Coalition
Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, Executive Director, Partnership for Civil Justice Fund
American-Iranian Friendship Committee (AIFC)
Peta Lindsay, Party for Socialism and Liberation
Haiti Liberté
and others.
Endorse the April 13 action now!
The April 13 “U.S. Drones Out of Africa and Everywhere!” March and Rally at the White House takes place during a nationwide month of action opposing drones that also includes National Days Against Drones Actions in San Diego April 4-7 and the Ground the Drones, End the Wars weekend of education and action in Syracuse, N.Y., April 26-28. Details
Source: ANSWER Coalition
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