By Mafa Kwanisai Mafa

For seventeen long years, the United States Africa Command AFRICOM has stood as the blunt instrument of Western neocolonialism on African soil.

Ostensibly created to “secure peace and stability,” its true purpose has always been far darker: the maintenance of a global economic order designed to exploit Africa’s riches, subjugate its people, and ensure the continuity of foreign dominance.

AFRICOM is not merely a military presence; it is the linchpin of a system that undermines sovereignty, fosters corruption, and enforces the servitude of African nations to Western interests.

Africa, our continent, has been a battleground for imperialist ambitions for centuries. From the violent colonisation of the 19th century to the economic plunder facilitated through structural adjustment programs in the 1980s and 1990s, and now to military domination under AFRICOM, the story is clear: our resources, our labour, and our sovereignty have been systematically targeted.

Today, the militarism of the United States does not operate in isolation; it is intertwined with a complex web of institutions, agreements, and local actors that perpetuate Africa’s subjugation.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, and the predatory structures of global capitalism work hand in glove with AFRICOM to ensure that African nations remain economically dependent, politically pliant, and socially destabilised.

AFRICOM’s very presence signifies an assault on African independence. Its bases, scattered across the continent from Djibouti in the Horn of Africa to Niger and Somalia in the Sahel, project the power of a foreign empire into the heart of sovereign nations.

These bases are not tools for peace; they are instruments of control, capable of rapid military intervention to protect the interests of multinational corporations, extractive industries, and puppet governments.

They are a constant reminder that Africa is not allowed to chart its own destiny. The people of Africa, from the Sahara to the Cape, remain under the shadow of foreign guns and foreign agendas, their natural wealth siphoned off while foreign powers dictate the terms of “security.”

The economic dimension of this neo-colonial project is equally devastating. Multinational corporations, often shielded by foreign militaries, extract Africa’s natural resources with little regard for local communities.

Mining operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo, oil exploitation in Nigeria’s Niger Delta, and rare earth extraction in Zimbabwe and South Africa illustrate the grim reality: African people labour under inhumane conditions while foreign actors reap enormous profits.

These corporations operate with impunity, facilitated by governments that act as agents of Western powers rather than champions of their citizens. The term “comprador” describes these leaders aptly as an elite class that sells their nation’s sovereignty for personal enrichment and political survival.

Yet, even within these conditions of oppression, Africa has never been a passive victim. Across the Sahel, revolutionary movements confront the presence of foreign military forces and the local regimes that serve imperialist interests.

In Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda, popular mobilisations have challenged governments propped up by U.S. influence, demonstrating that resistance is not only possible but inevitable.

These struggles are part of a broader Pan-African fight to reclaim sovereignty, dignity, and justice. The momentum of these movements proves that organised, collective action can disrupt the imperialist machinery and lay the foundation for a free Africa.

We must recognise that AFRICOM is but one face of imperialism. The broader system encompasses economic levers, political subversion, and cultural domination. Foreign aid, trade agreements, and debt obligations have long been used to manipulate African nations into compliance. Structural adjustment programs imposed by the IMF and World Bank during the late 20th century forced African countries to slash public spending, liberalise markets, and open their economies to foreign control, all under the guise of “development.”

These policies decimated local industries, worsened inequality, and entrenched dependency. Today, these economic chains are reinforced by military might, creating a state of “security dependency” in which African nations rely on external forces to maintain their internal order, rather than on their own people and institutions.

The exploitation of Africa’s human and natural resources is further compounded by the climate crisis, which disproportionately affects the Global South. Foreign corporations profit from resource extraction while leaving behind environmental devastation that undermines local livelihoods.

In countries like Nigeria and Ghana, oil spills and deforestation have destroyed ecosystems critical to communities’ survival. Meanwhile, U.S.-backed regimes and multinational corporations continue to enforce policies that prioritise profit over life, deepening the chasm between rich and poor, North and South.

Confronting this reality requires a revolutionary Pan-Africanist vision, one that situates Africa’s liberation as inseparable from the dismantling of imperialist power structures. The fight is not merely about the withdrawal of foreign troops; it is about the reclamation of Africa’s sovereignty, resources, and dignity.

The demands are clear: the complete withdrawal of U.S. forces from Africa, the demilitarisation of the continent, and the closure of foreign military bases worldwide. These are not abstract ideals; they are concrete steps toward a world in which African nations control their own destinies.

Historical examples provide both inspiration and guidance. The struggle against apartheid in South Africa, led by Nelson Mandela, the African National Congress, and allied international movements, demonstrates the power of sustained resistance.

Zimbabwe’s own liberation struggle against colonial rule under the leadership of Robert Mugabe, Joshua Nkomo, and other patriots provides a template for confronting external and internal oppressors alike.

Across the continent, Pan-Africanist movements, from Kwame Nkrumah’s vision of a united Africa to Patrice Lumumba’s call for genuine independence, remind us that the fight against imperialism is ongoing and requires both unity and courage.

Today, African youth and grassroots movements are picking up the mantle. The mass protests in Nigeria against the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) are an example of how young Africans are willing to challenge oppressive structures, including those supported by foreign powers.

In Sudan and Ethiopia, popular uprisings have resisted both domestic authoritarianism and external interference. These movements, though localised, form part of a continental wave of consciousness that recognises the link between domestic injustice and imperialist exploitation.

Seizing this moment demands more than protest; it requires organisation, strategy, and a Pan-African vision that transcends national borders. The Month of Action, as a unified response to AFRICOM and imperialist domination, is an opportunity to elevate these demands, to connect local struggles with continental liberation, and to expose the networks of exploitation that bind African nations to foreign interests.

Activists, intellectuals, and ordinary citizens must work together to challenge the empire at its source, dismantling both the military and economic instruments of control.

Education and political consciousness are central to this struggle. African people must understand the mechanisms of imperialism, from the IMF and World Bank to AFRICOM and multinational corporations. They must expose the role of comprador elites who sell out their nations, and they must reclaim African history, culture, and economic agency.

Pan-Africanism is not a mere slogan; it is a blueprint for emancipation, a strategy for uniting the continent against external and internal forces that perpetuate dependency.

The path forward also requires solidarity with oppressed peoples globally. Africa’s struggle against imperialism is part of a broader fight against global domination by powerful states and corporate interests.

Just as Cuba resisted decades of U.S. sanctions, and Palestine resists Israeli occupation, Africa too must assert its right to self-determination and sovereignty. Solidarity networks, from international movements to regional coalitions like the African Union, must be harnessed to confront imperialism and support African-led solutions to Africa’s problems.

Ultimately, the fight against AFRICOM, neo-colonialism, and economic exploitation is inseparable from the broader struggle for justice, equality, and human dignity. Every base closed, every foreign troop withdrawn, every corrupt comprador unseated represents a step toward the Africa envisioned by our freedom fighters: An Africa that is self-reliant, united, and capable of determining its own destiny. It is an Africa that prioritises its people over profit, community over imperial mandates, and sovereignty over subjugation.

The time for half measures has passed. The African continent stands at a crossroads. Will we continue to allow foreign powers to dictate our futures, to plunder our resources, and to impose militarised dependency?

Or will we, with the courage of our ancestors and the vision of Pan-Africanism, rise to reclaim our destiny? The answer is clear. AFRICOM must go. Imperialism must be resisted. Africa must rise.

Let this Month of Action be a clarion call to every African, every ally, and every freedom-loving person across the globe: the fight for our continent is not over, but victory is possible.

Together, we will dismantle the chains of imperialism, close the foreign bases, end militarisation, and build an Africa that is truly free, sovereign, and united. The struggle is long, but history has shown that African resilience, solidarity, and revolutionary spirit are unmatched. The empire will not dictate our future. Africa will.