It has been said that Africa is the one continent on earth with the richest resources and poorest people. The problem, of course, is centuries of colonial exploitation, but do not expect that story to be a part of the official explanation given by any empire, including our own. No empire has ever said to its people that it was invading another nation for its spoils. Instead, every empire invades to be helpful, or to protect itself from threats that may never quite present themselves.
The U.S. has identified the little nation of Eritrea as a destabilizing force in the Horn of Africa. The tiny nation of about 6 million has been accused of helping the resistence fighers in Somolia, although hard evidence has never been produced. It is possible that they have been convicted of a more serious charge- the crime of neutrality. They won’t play ball with the African front groups of the American Empire like AFRICOM.
I do not claim to know what is happening with U.S. policy in Africa, but we do know enough to say the official U.S. version, as expressed in the corporate media, should be tested up against other interpretations like this from Glen Ford of the Black Agenda Report:
“The U.S. is stalking Africa like an imperial predator. Eritrea is on the short list of who’s going to be attacked next. Eritrea, says the U.S., creates instability. However, “it is not little Eritrea that is destabilizing the Horn of Africa, but the United States, which has made the region a front line in its so-called War on Terror.”
http://www.blackagendareport.com/content/where-will-us-strike-next-africa
Eritrea is the break-off nation from Ethiopia. Eritrea has access to the gulf; Ethiopia does not. USA wants an airbase on the horn of Africa across the Red Sea from Yeman and Saudi Arabia. Djibouti is a
port for Ethiopia. The USA is building a $6 billion base in Djibouti. Eritrea threatened to bomb the base and raised a stink, since USA has backed Ethiopia in Ethiopia’s attempt to take back Eritrea in 2000. USA is making life tough for Eritrea because it wants a stable place for its drone attacks to Yemen and general airbase support off the Arabic peninsula. We used the bases in Ethiopia in 2006 to support the attack on Somalia. I
Thanks Kent. You are thoughtful and informed as always.