The United States led coalition military withdraw from Afghanistan was no surprise as it was announced way earlier by then President Donald Trump fed up by the rising cost of the two decades long war. Nor are the current on goings and the impact it is having on the state.
Afghanistan is now on it’s way to being a failed state even after the coalition reportedly spent more than two trillion dollars since the start of the war most of it on military contractors based in the US.
The Taliban have not forgotten the unceremonious way they way kicked out of Kabul and sent back to the mountains where they faced years of indiscriminate bombing and killings.
They have now turned that anger towards the people they believe and know to have collaborated with the occupiers. The coalition promised peace and stability by investing in training of the Afghan national army and setting up infrastructure in the oil rich regions.
Historical context
However, they ignored the key cause of the original problem that led them to invade the country.
What is happening in Afghanistan is not new and has been seen countless times in other areas in which the western occupiers have led with self interest and total disregard of local circumstances. The puppet government and it’s leaders as usual have been the first to evacuate leaving the citizens to fend for themselves.
The same images of helicopters evacuating staff at American installations was seen at the US withdraw in Vietnam and Somalia.
During the aftermath of the January 2021 general elections in Uganda, an American warship as part of it’s military exercises docked off the coast of Mombasa driving excitement among National Unity Platform supporters who thought that it was meant to send a signal to the Ugandan government of an imminent attack.
Lessons for Africa
The question is, why would any sane person in the light of different cases of failed military invasions worldwide wish such a fate on themselves? This is a rhetorical question. It indeed defies logic but also gives a sneak peek into why the Western countries can continuously get away with such gross injustices.
Selfishness is the key driver of such desires.
Countries like Somalia, Iraq and Iran among others have become failed states years after the liberators left. This is a constant reminder that solutions to internal problems always lie within. White saviors have no motivation beyond imperialism and self enrichment.
What citizens of countries like Uganda ought to do is to use channels and audiences such as the UN general assembly to demand for accountability for the actions of these western powers. President Muammar Gadaffi of Libya once made a call for this at the UN Security council. He was unceremoniously overthrown by a NATO led coalition shortly after.
This did not deter others like President Yoweri Museveni to repeat his call even amidst threats for a similar fate. He advised that local regional blocks like SADC, AMISOM do the interventions where necessary as has been successfully implemented in Somalia.
