The hidden threats of the US military bases in African nations

 

The U.S. and Cameroonian forces. Photo credit: dronecenter.bard.edu

The United States maintains a network of military outposts across Africa through cooperative security locations, forward operating sites, and drone bases, often in cooperation with host nations. Despite its claims that it does not want permanent bases, the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) operates under various arrangements in multiple countries.

 

The US government argues that its bases' access points throughout Africa are essential for fighting extremist organizations like Boko Haram and al-Qaeda affiliates, especially in the Sahel and Horn of Africa regions, as well as for advancing its counterterrorism goals, securing strategic interests, and countering the influence of rival powers like China and Russia.

 

However, this raises concerns about the veracity of those bases in African nations, considering the attacks on other nations using US-established bases. I don't think it makes sense for America to convince the world that establishing bases is to combat terrorism, as no nation faces global dangers like the United States. More significantly, neither China nor Russia poses a threat to the Black Continent.

 

Following the widespread independence of African countries, the US administration and the West implemented a number of misleading programs to persuade African leaders of their advantages. However, given America's history of aggression against oil-producing nations like Iraq, Iran, and Libya, it is simple to accept that America has bases in Africa, not because it cares for the continent's citizens.

 

Securing access to Africa's abundant natural resources, particularly oil and gold, and maintaining U.S. geopolitical dominance in a continent increasingly sought by foreign investment and influence are the fundamental reasons why the US established bases in African nations. As a result, the US bases serve as a reminder to rival nations like China and Russia that "our bases are there, so don't come close."

 

I believe that strategic access to key geographic locations, such as Djibouti - Camp Lemonier, Kenya - Manda Bay, Niger - Air Base 101, Niamey, and Air Base 201, Egypt -MFO South Camp, Egypt - MFO South Camp, and Cameroon - Contingency Location Garoua, would enable a rapid attack on any rich resource country. In my opinion, America’s aggression against rich source nations should serve as a lesson to African leaders to prevent the setting up of bases in African countries.

 

The United States used military equipment stationed at bases in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, such as San Isidro Air Base and Las Américas International Airport, which were authorized for U.S. use for counter-narcotics operations, to launch its attack on Venezuela and capture its president, Nicholas Maduro. After Libya and Iraq yesterday and Venezuela today, which African nation is next?

 

AFRICOM frequently overshadows diplomatic and humanitarian organizations, weakens African sovereignty, and displaces civilian development initiatives. It also encourages internal repression by supporting authoritarian regimes.

American military installations in African nations present a complex threat that includes worries about sovereignty, neo-colonial influence, and the possibility of further instability. Ghana's first president, Kwame Nkrumah, saw this threat and warned the newly independent African nations before he was deposed and died in exile. 

The hypothetical scenario of Trump seeking the Ark of the Covenant to invade Ethiopia

 

The Ark of the Covenant. Photo credit: azbyka.ru/

Donald Trump has become a greedy and politically combative president who wants everything he believes will “Make America Great Again." The US president wants Venezuela's oil reserves, as well as Greenland, the world's largest island, which is currently under the control of the Danish government. I don’t doubt that Trump would have attacked Ethiopia if the Ark of God were still there or if he knew its whereabouts.

 

As a counterpoint to reliance on military power, some people take pride in their chariots, while others take pride in their horses. However, since there is no evidence that the Ark of the Covenant was in America but rather in Ethiopia, Africa's pride is in its spiritual and heavenly might, aside from the abundant resources on the continent that industrialized nations continue to plunder and later call the Black Continent “a shithole.”

 

The Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament both describe the Ark of the Covenant as a holy chest built by the Israelites at God's direction. It was constructed in accordance with instructions from God that Moses received while the Israelites were camped at Mount Sinai, about a year after their flight from Egypt.

 

The chest was made of acacia wood, overlaid with pure gold both inside and out, and measured approximately 2.5 cubits long, 1.5 cubits wide, and 1.5 cubits high (about 111 cm × 67 cm × 67 cm or 44 in × 26 in × 26 in). Four gold rings were attached to its sides, through which gold-plated acacia wood poles were inserted for carrying the Ark, ensuring that no one would touch it directly.

 

The most important aspect of the Ark was its golden lid, sometimes called the mercy seat or propitiatory cover. It had two golden cherubim facing each other with their wings spread wide, signifying the presence of God. Biblical stories state that God communicated through the Ark by speaking from between the cherubim on the mercy seat.

 

The Ark of the Covenant housed the two stone tablets of the Ten Commandments, which were inscribed by God and delivered to Moses on Mount Sinai. In addition, later traditions state that it also contained a jar of manna and Aaron’s rod that had budded, though these items were not present when the Ark was moved into Solomon’s Temple.

 

God's bond with Israel was symbolized by the Ark, which stood for His holy presence among His people.  During the Israelites' wilderness adventure, it was carried by the Levites and was crucial to several significant occasions, including the fall of Jericho and the crossing of the Jordan River.

 

Ethiopian Orthodox history holds that Menelik I, the son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, transported the Ark of the Covenant to Ethiopia. Since ancient times, it has been kept at the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Axum. The 14th-century book Kebra Nagast, which describes the fabled voyage of Menelik and the purported transfer of the Ark from Jerusalem to Ethiopia, is the source of this fundamental Ethiopian identity idea.

 

The Ark of the Covenant was eventually relocated to the Most Holy Place of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem around 1026 BCE, and only the high priest had access to it once a year on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, when he would sprinkle sacrificial blood on the mercy seat to atone for the sins of the populace. However, despite the Ark's vital function, its ultimate fate is still unknown.

 

"Why would Donald Trump target the Ark of the Covenant in Ethiopia? Donald Trump, in my opinion, would have attacked Ethiopia for the Ark of the Covenant for two reasons."

 

Since the Bible does not mention the modern nation of America by name, nor does it reference any of the 50 current U.S. states or the country as a political entity, but rather African countries, such as Egypt, Libya, Ethiopia, and the region of Nubia, which includes parts of modern Sudan, jealous Trump will be forced to invade Ethiopia like Venezuela to take possession of the Ark of the Covenant.

 

According to the Bible, Obed-Edom the Gittite had the Ark of the Covenant temporarily in his home for three months. During that time, it bestowed blessings upon him and his family. 2 Samuel 6:11 describes this incident. Trump would have taken control of the Ark for the United States to fulfill his political dreams, to “Make America Great Again.”

 

When the oxen stumbled, and the ark tipped, Uzzah reached out to steady it, but he was struck dead for his rude actions. Although Uzzah's goal was to prevent the ark from collapsing, his actions violated the divine decree that only the designated Levites could touch it. Donald Trump would still try despite this account.