U.S. War on Terror and Africa - Essay Example

While some causes are internal, others are due to external factors that come as a result of the relationship between Africa and other countries in the world. Examples of major crises that have happened include genocide (e.g. Rwanda genocide of the 90s), rules of dictatorship and recently a string of terrorist attacks among others. The worst blood-letting in the period of the twentieth century happened during the colonial era in King Leopold’s Congo Free State (Leavitt and Nathan 14).The costs of these conflicts cannot be in doubt nor the need and urgency to solve them.

This should happen rapidly if Africa is to navigate the current century more successfully than it did the previous century. The last century was marked by colonialism- related degradations and its debilitating legacies and post-colonial disruptions. This paper purposes to advance the understanding of African conflicts that result from terrorism, genocide, and other conflicts and how the United States has responded to the same. For over a decade, the United States has considered the Horn of Africa, as well as other parts as a significant zone in matters concerning terrorism.

Major terrorist attacks that have occurred in Africa have been linked to other terror attacks in the United States (Ba 341). For example, in 1998 there was bombing of the United States Embassy in Kenya that caused a great number of casualties. Following the attacks that occurred on September 11th 2001 against the United States, the horn has been consistently scrutinised as a strategic focal point in United States War against terrorism. For instance, in May 2003, the government of Kenya admitted that a key member of the al-Qaeda group was plotting a major attack on Western targets, confirming al Gaea’s firm presence in the country.

Djibouti’s importance to agents of terrorism is a result of its transit capabilities and events since 1999, may have increased Djibouti’s