the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Jul 22, 2024
On June 25, the Kenyan government sent several hundred police to patrol Haiti, as the first contingent of what the U.S. had promised to be a “multinational” force. The U.S. is calling this a “peacekeeping force,” in a country that U.S. imperial domination has turned into the poorest in the Western hemisphere. Haiti is so wracked by poverty, corruption, and gang violence, that the Haitian government, military and police force have completely collapsed. (For more details, see the article on Haiti in this newspaper.)
In reality, the Kenyan police are a force of brutal repression. On that same day, June 25th, as Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, was rocked by mass protests, the Kenyan police shot and killed at least two dozen people and arrested hundreds more.
As for Kenyan President William Ruto, he is nothing but a brutal dictator. Back in 2007, when Ruto was deputy president of Kenya, he orchestrated a brutal campaign of ethnic violence following a disputed election campaign. More than 1,300 people were killed. Many were hacked to death. Others were burnt up alive inside their own homes. In 2009, the International Criminal Court charged Ruto with crimes against humanity, although it later dropped those charges after witnesses “recanted” their testimony or disappeared.
The U.S. government is now deepening its ties with the Kenyan military and police. In return for sending police to Haiti, the U.S. is sending the Kenyan government over 250 million dollars in military aid, along with logistical support and equipment. The Biden administration also named the Kenyan government a “major non-NATO ally,” meaning much more U.S. military and foreign aid in the future. Kenya was the first sub-Saharan African government to get this designation. This U.S. sponsored military build-up is most likely an extension of the U.S. wars and rivalries against Russian and Chinese powers.
To mark these deepening ties, on May 23, Ruto paid an official visit to Washington, D.C. President Biden honored him with a state dinner, the first time a U.S. president hosted an African leader with a state dinner since 2008. Ruto also met with top U.S. business executives from Google, Microsoft, Mastercard and other top companies in order to boost the country’s expanding status as a hub of technology and commerce in East Africa. “Silicon Savannah,” in reference to the country’s vast grasslands, is the new brand name.
None of this spells a lessening of poverty, nor of violence for the people of either Kenya or Haiti.