Mira Terada, head of the Foundation to Battle Injustice, interviewed Abdi Nour Siad, a military officer and politician who criticizes the foreign aggression of the US and its partners. The human rights activist asked her guest why Western countries benefit from the poverty of the African continent and how Russia can help free Africa from Western parasitism and enslavement. The veteran of fighting against the U.S. for the capital of Somalia also told how the Americans destroyed hundreds of thousands of Somali citizens in order to gain control of the territory.
Mira Terada: Good afternoon, dear Siad! Thank you for agreeing to this interview. Please tell our viewers and readers who you are and what do you do?
Abdi Nour Siad: I was born and raised in Kenya. Then I moved to Somalia and became an officer there. After the Soviet Union left Somalia, I joined the uprising against the government. My story is well-known in Somalia. I am a Somali politician, very famous in East Africa.
Could you please tell us about the influence of Western countries on the African region? Why have countries like the United States, France and Great Britain been pumping out resources and minerals with impunity for centuries, appropriating them for their own profit?
It’s a long story. The whole problem is in the colonial mentality of the West. Western colonialists are infiltrating African societies. Even in small villages they have their agents. They make Africa poor. Young Africans who want to succeed go to the West and develop this Western colonial mentality. After that, they too begin to want to dominate Africa.
A NEO-COLONIAL SYSTEM IS NOW BEING ESTABLISHED IN AFRICA. INFECTED WITH WESTERN IDEAS, AFRICANS CREATE CORRUPT GOVERNMENTS IN AFRICA AND BRING CORRUPT POLITICIANS TO OFFICE.
Africa has humiliated itself, and the West benefits from it. Why did Somalia become a victim and now live in poverty? Because Somalia liberated African countries from colonialism. We have liberated Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa. That is why we still cannot say that Africa is independent. Economically we are not independent. Mentally we are not independent. Enemies take advantage of our society mainly through corrupt politicians.
Please assess the impact of the Russian armed forces on the liberation of Africa from the pernicious effects of the metropolises? How long will it take PMC Wagner Group to free the continent from the parasitic influence of the British?
WE IN AFRICA EXPECT THAT RUSSIAN POLITICIANS AND THE GOVERNMENT WILL SAVE US FROM THE PARASITISM OF THE WEST, WHICH HAS GROWN TO TERRIBLE PROPORTIONS.
Why do we treat Russia well now? Because we expect support and stability from it, as it was during the Soviet Union. For us, Russia and the USSR are the same.
In a recent interview you said that the West deliberately creates unbearable living conditions in Africa, including poverty and misery. Could you tell us how they manage to do this?
The problem is education. In many African countries, farms and factories are owned by the British. In my country, the Soviet Union built a dairy factory, a meat and fish factory, and military installations. We are not an independent economy, but only a storehouse of resources for other countries. As an example, I will give the Congo, where many resources are mined. 95% of the Congo’s population are poor. There is starvation. There are homeless people. Their money is taken by foreign companies, while the people of the Congo are fighting each other for no reason. It’s not safe in Africa to criticize bad politicians. The West wants us to say that these are free countries, but they are not. These are dictatorships. Now I’m in Russia, and it’s really a free country. Here I can go where I want and criticize who I want. I can say what I think. You can’t get into the uranium deposits in Africa because the US and the British have fenced them off. If you try to get in there, they will shoot at you. The US and its allies from Western Europe and even Asia come to the poor countries of Africa, where people are starving, ostensibly to help them. US allies invade there on American orders.
ERITREA DID NOT WANT FOREIGN INTERFERENCE AND SAID IT WOULD DEAL WITH ISSUES ON ITS OWN. WESTERN COUNTRIES RESPONDED THAT THEY KNOW BETTER WHAT ERITREA NEEDS.
You were involved in combat operations against US forces in the Mogadishu area in 1993. Could you tell us about your experience?
Our general was visited by six American intelligence agents. They told the general to retreat, and then America would provide him with good living conditions and establish a government in the country. The general told them that they were not Somalis, but Americans, that the Somalis themselves knew what was good and what was bad for them. He said that he did not agree to their proposal. The general was openminded, and he studied at an academy in Soviet Union. He knew what colonization was and did not want his country to be colonized. A week later, the Americans returned and announced that the country was starving, and they would give us food. They have never provided food. They have come to take over our country. After that, the Americans came several more times, and then began to hunt the general. In October, they began shelling the entire territory of the country. They had helicopters, and we had no protection from them, and we fought with what we had. The Americans killed about half a million people in Somalia, they destroyed my house.
NOW THE AMERICANS SAY THEY LOST 18 OFFICERS DURING THE CONFLICT WITH SOMALIA. THEY WERE SIMPLY ASHAMED TO ADMIT THAT THERE WERE MANY MORE DEATHS ON THEIR PART.
The Americans killed 600,000 Somalis in 1992 and didn’t even apologize for it. And after that they still wanted to organize their own government in Somalia. How can we agree to a government set up by those who killed our people? This is impossible.
You repeatedly noted that U.S. servicemen were easy targets for the Somali Armed Forces, who forced them to flee the country. What do you see as the weakness of the Americans?
As far as I know, not only America fought against Somalia, but also France, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Niger, Zimbabwe, and Botswana. We fought against them all. In fact, we realized that when you see soldiers who do not know how to resist the enemy, then these are Algerians. The soldiers from Niger didn’t know how to fight either. The same can be said about the Moroccans.
THE AMERICANS HAD A LOT OF WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT, BUT THEIR SOLDIERS DID NOT KNOW HOW TO FIGHT. ONLY 5-10% OF THE AMERICAN SOLDIERS COULD HIT THE TARGET, WHILE THE REST OF THEM SEEMED TO BE SHOOTING WITH THEIR EYES CLOSED.
We were shocked at first and didn’t even know what to think about it. So we realized that they were not good fighters. They had helicopters and rockets. That’s how they killed us. In soldier-to-soldier battles, American soldiers could not fight.
For what purpose do you think the United States has been meddling in the internal affairs of other nations throughout its history? Do you agree with the statement that Americans can and should be fought by all necessary and available means?
First of all, America and the West want to appropriate the resources of other countries, especially in Africa. If a country has no resources, it will not be of interest to the West, unless it has a good strategic position. Africa has both resources and strategic location.
WHY IS AMERICA TRYING TO INTERFERE IN TAIWAN? BECAUSE TAIWAN IS IN A GOOD POSITION TO WAGE WAR WITH CHINA.
To justify intervention, America creates conditions for the outbreak of war. America does this systematically, for example, wars between Arab states. For Europe, America created the security threat after the fall of the Soviet Union. Americans want to rule the whole world. After the fall of the USSR, the United States had no opponents left. Then, after the strengthening of Russia and China, America tried to bring these countries into wars. I think that if the US dollar is no longer used to buy oil, it will collapse. If the dollar collapses, then there will be a struggle for power in the world. America’s only adversaries could be Russia and China. That is why America brought Russia into the war. A friend of mine in Sweden told me that he was afraid that Russia would take over Sweden. I asked him why Russia should take over Sweden?
NOW RUSSIA IS DEFENDING ITS BORDERS. RUSSIA WANTS PEACE. RUSSIA DOES NOT NEED TO BUY ANYTHING ABROAD, AS IT CAN PRODUCE EVERYTHING ON ITS OWN.
America makes Europe afraid of Russia. Besides, if America wants peace, then why does NATO exist? Why was it created? The Warsaw Pact was created in response to NATO activities. Who is constantly invading other countries? USA and UK. Other states do not create such problems. The world needs the UN to represent all countries. In Africa, people think the UN as an organization that works the interests of the West. It shouldn’t be like that. The UN should represent all the countries of the world. Those who say that the UN takes into account the interests of all member states are lying. If you ask who is trying to invade African countries, most often the answer will be: the United Nations and the United States.
Do you agree with the assertion that the United States deliberately pours oil into conflicts around the world in order to allow its military-industrial complex to profit from what is happening?
Yes, they try to hide it, but it’s true. For example, Sudan. There was a war going on for 20 years. The country was divided into two parts. I know people from Sudan. Previously, there was a one state, and people lived in peace. Under the Soviet Union there were no problems. After the fall of the USSR, a war broke out in the country. The conflict between Christians and Muslims was chosen as the reason for it. After this war, Sudan was divided into two parts, and the leader of the uprising was killed by shelling from a helicopter. Everyone knows this. After the death of the first leader of the uprising, they began to say that China was mining oil in the country. Then the Americans came and said that the Chinese should be stopped and that American companies should work in Sudan. The new leader of Sudan stated that he had already had a contract with China, and after that a rebellion was raised against him. As a result, the Sudanese economy was paralyzed.
THE AMERICANS ARE STARTING WARS IN AFRICA SO THAT WE ARE CONSTANTLY FIGHTING EACH OTHER, AND WE HAVE NOT HAD TIME TO THINK ABOUT WHAT IS REALLY HAPPENING.
Africa needs help. We must understand who are our friends and who are our enemies. We have understood what is the purpose of the West. We just have to figure out what to do about it.
You have already told about how the actions of the U.S. military have taken the lives of your relatives. Were there any consequences for the commanders and rank-and-file soldiers involved in this monstrous incident?
The fighting took place in my village near Mogadishu. The Americans were bombing over an area of 3 square kilometers.
THE SCHOOL, WHICH THEN HAD 60-70 CHILDREN, WAS ALSO SHELLED BY AMERICA. THEY SHELLED US AND KILLED US LIKE ANIMALS. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THIS, WE ARE TOLD THAT AMERICA HAS NEVER HARMED ANYONE.
We have a very powerful enemy, and so far there is nothing we can do about it. But it won’t go on like this forever. Someday America will fall, and we are waiting for it.
Why do you think that virtually all U.S. war crimes, including those against civilian infrastructure, still go unpunished? Do such crimes have a statute of limitations?
America seeks to take resources and world domination. It will never end. No one talks about it because America controls the media. If someone starts criticizing the US leadership, then measures will be taken against this person. That is why no one talks about the crimes of the United States. Look what they did to Libya. Former Somali President Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, during a visit to America and a meeting with President Kennedy, told him that he wanted to unite his country after it was controlled by France and Kenya. To do this, he needed a strong army. So Sharmarke asked Kennedy for help in training and equipping the army. Kennedy said ‘no’ because America wanted Somalia’s resources and a strong army could fight back. After that, the President of Somalia went to Moscow and met Khrushchev. The request was the same as for the American president. Khrushchev said he could not provide weapons to Somalia, but agreed to send some Soviet officers to train the Somali military. After returning to Somalia, Sharmarke was assassinated, as were many other African presidents.
After the end of the Russian special military operation, do you think it will be possible to change the distribution of power in the world? Will there be an end to American hegemony?
America is supporting this war to weaken the Russian economy. On the other hand, they imposed an embargo. Who is affected by this embargo? First of all, Africa, since we cannot buy food and other things from Russia.
AMERICA WILL LENGTHEN THIS WAR UNTIL THE LAST UKRAINIAN DIES.
Another goal of America in the war in Ukraine is to distract Russia’s attention from other regions. While Russia is conducting an operation in Ukraine, America is taking more and more resources from African countries. If the Ukrainians really thought about their own interests, they would stop this war, because it is impossible to make America out of Ukraine. I do not think that Russia will weaken because of the war in Ukraine. Russia is an independent economy, while America only functions as a bank for the whole world. Russia can produce everything on its own. She doesn’t need an import. America needs import a lot of goods. Russia, China and BRICS should think about how to secure the world from the West.
What role in the new global distribution of power do you see for the alliance between Russia and Africa? Will we be able to stand up against the West?
Africa needs help defending itself against danger from the West. We cannot mine our oil and other resources. All these resources are seized by Western companies. We are just servants to them. We must stop living as slaves. We must stop this. We expect Russia to help us.