Somalia: US must not abandon civilian victims of its air strikes after troop withdrawal
Withdrawal of ground troops does not necessarily mean an end to US military action in Somalia, which has included dozens of air strikes each year, many originating from bases outside of Somalia. Previous Amnesty International research has shown how these strikes have repeatedly resulted in civilian deaths and injuries, including as a result of attacks which appear to have violated international humanitarian law.
"Whether or not US ground troops leave Somalia, AFRICOM must immediately implement a strategy to ensure that it does not abandon any progress made towards accountability for US military actions – including their reporting on civilian casualty allegations,” said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International’s Director for East and Southern Africa.
Regardless of having boots on the ground or not, AFRICOM still must ensure justice and reparation for the civilian victims of violations of international humanitarian law and their families. And if air strikes continue, AFRICOM must ensure they take all feasible precautions to spare civilians.
"Regardless of having boots on the ground or not, AFRICOM still
must ensure justice and reparation for the civilian victims of
violations of international humanitarian law and their families. And if
air strikes continue, AFRICOM must ensure they take all feasible
precautions to spare civilians.”
Ramping up the US air war
Since President Trump came to power in 2017, AFRICOM has ramped up
its air war in Somalia, carrying out a total of 196 air strikes, using
both drones and manned aircraft. According to the NGO Airwars, this included 38 strikes in 2017; 48 strikes in 2018; 61 strikes in 2019; and 49 strikes so far this year.
Amnesty
International has investigated nine US strikes in Lower Shabelle,
Galgudud and Middle Juba regions since 2017 and found 21 civilians were
killed and 11 injured, including many as a result of apparent violations
of international humanitarian law.
Besides civilian casualties
from these strikes, the wider conflict – in which the armed group
Al-Shabaab poses an ever-present threat to civilians – has killed
thousands of civilians and displaced hundreds of thousands. According to the United Nations, at least 295,000 people have left Lower Shabelle so far this year, many of them fleeing conflict and insecurity.
Most
end up in internally displaced persons camps in or near Mogadishu,
where they risk exploitation and abuse, including sexual violence. Women
and children are particularly vulnerable to abuse, marginalization, and
exclusion.
Steps towards accountability
Since April 2019, following investigations and advocacy from Amnesty
International, AFRICOM has admitted to killing five Somali civilians and
injuring eight others in four separate air strikes. None of the
families or victims have been compensated by the US or Somalia
governments.
Then, in April 2020, AFRICOM published its first quarterly assessment of civilian casualty reports – the first glimmer of transparency in more than a decade of its military operations in Somalia.
"These
welcome steps show that, when confronted with credible reporting of the
facts on the ground – which bolster what families of the victims have
long been saying – AFRICOM is capable of investigating and reporting on
civilian casualties. Now the US government must take the next steps and
ensure that victims of violations and their families see justice and
reparation,” said Deprose Muchena.
‘Out of sight, out of mind’ is not a concept that exists in international law, and AFRICOM has an ongoing duty of care to the civilians impacted by its operations. Deprose Muchena
"The troop withdrawal must not derail this momentum. ‘Out of
sight, out of mind’ is not a concept that exists in international law,
and AFRICOM has an ongoing duty of care to the civilians impacted by its
operations.”
- Amnesty International -
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Somalia: US must not abandon civilian victims of its air strikes after troop withdrawal
The US military must not wash its hands of international legal obligations towards civilian victims of US air strikes in Somalia, Amnesty International said, following a Pentagon announcement that troops will be removed by January 2021.