NLG International Committee joins Oct. 1 Day of Action on AFRICOM

The National Lawyers Guild International Committee has joined organizations from across the Americas and most of the world that have endorsed and plan to participate today—the 12th anniversary of the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM)’s launch—in the Black Alliance for Peace (BAP)’s International Day of Action on AFRICOM.

AFRICOM has long been a priority of the NLG’s Africa Subcommittee.

In an article published September 30 in Black Agenda Report, BAP’s Africa Team states: “The International Day of Action on AFRICOM aims to raise the public’s awareness about the U.S. military’s existence in Africa, and how the presence of U.S. forces exacerbates violence and instability throughout the continent.”

BAP National Organizer Ajamu Baraka says AFRICOM is a key global command structure the U.S. state has set up to coordinate its colonial project of continued global domination through military aggression. “Through its regional commands and more than 800 military bases, the United States is able to project offensive military actions in support of its objective of ‘Full Spectrum Dominance,’ a cornerstone of U.S. geopolitical strategy.”

BAP, along with the organizations and individuals who have signed on to support this day, sees AFRICOM as an instrument of U.S. military and political domination. Hence, it threatens peace.

Margaret Kimberley, a member of BAP’s Africa Team and BAP’s Coordinating Committee, says, “The U.S. never had a good reason to establish a formalized military presence in Africa. Today, it is clear the United States coordinated with European countries like France to militarily counter the growing influence of China to ensure Africa remained firmly tethered to Western economic interests.”

The International Day of Action on AFRICOM supports BAP’s campaign to shut down AFRICOM.

This campaign demands: 1) the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) oppose AFRICOM and conduct hearings on its impact on the African continent with the full participation of members of U.S. and African civil society, 2) a complete withdrawal of U.S. forces from Africa, 3) supporting calls for Africa to be demilitarized and established as a zone of peace, and 4) along with AFRICOM, all U.S. global command structures and bases be closed down.

We call on everyone who believes in peace and self-determination to join us in our campaign to shut down AFRICOM by supporting this International Day of Action on AFRICOM.

Take action:

You can download materials and action information at BAP’s resources page.

We encourage you to share these social media resources below along with the links above today, Oct. 1, as part of the Day of Action.