Introduction: Michael Parenti on Somalia and Operation Restore Hope
“Just days before he left office in January 1993, President Bush sent troops to Somalia supposedly to safeguard food distribution to its hungry people. Here seemed to be another worthy humanitarian cause. But why would Bush, who spent an entire career in public office untroubled by poverty and hunger at home and abroad, suddenly be so moved to fight famine in Somalia? Why not any of the other African countries in which famine raged? And why such an elaborate military undertaking for humanitarian ‘famine relief’?” (“Against Empire.” San Francisco: City Lights Books, 1995, p. 122).
Perhaps the following declassified documents will help explain why Somalia was the chosen country. The following documents have been obtained using the Freedom of Information Act, and are posted online for the first time.
As of now, no documents concerning the initial contact between Conoco and the US government concerning Operation Restore Hope have been made available. This initial contact came in at least 1991, as is demonstrated in “Mogadishu Assessment Mission, Oct. 17-20: Preliminary Report” (22 October 1991) below.
Document Collection
Conoco: “This goose laying golden eggs”
“Petroleum Exploration: Conoco Searches for Oil in Somalia.” Cable from US Embassy in Mogadishu to State Department Headquarters. 21 March 1990. Cable Number: Mogadishu 02844. Source: Freedom of Information Act release (2006-01-286) to Keith Yearman.
“The largest and most purposeful enterprise going on in Somalia at the present time is Conoco’s quest for oil…Conoco is investing in oil exploration in Somalia on a scale unmatched by its rivals, building roads and airstrips, chartering one of the national airline’s three planes full time, and sending seismic survey teams to the edge of [Somaliland National Movement]-controlled territory… The benefits to all if Conoco finds oil, and the immediate benefits to the economy of Conoco’s spending, whether oil is found or not, are so apparent that no one has tried to kill this goose laying golden eggs…
“The most important part of the ‘whole story,’ perhaps, is that even if Conoco finds oil in significant amounts, there will have to be additional steps and much more investment before Somalia can benefit. The first prerequisite will be that Somalia achieve internal peace. [President of Conoco Somalia Raymond] Marchand explains to [Somali government] officials that if there is no peace, then neither Conoco nor anyone else will be able to get the oil out. A pipeline, pumping station and terminal would cost in the neighborhood of UDS 500 to 800 million…”
The Kott Delegation
The U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu was closed on January 5, 1991, due to the security situation in Somalia. The former embassy building was heavily damaged in the following months. Somali diplomatic affairs were, in the interim, run out of the US Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. In October 1991, a State Department team headed by Bob Kott (of the African Affairs Bureau) was dispatched to Somalia to explore the possibility of opening a new, scaled-down embassy. Of particular importance are two documents concerning this delegation. In the first, “Mogadishu Assessment Mission,” Conoco assured the State Department of the delegation’s security. This drew a sharp rebuke from the Deputy Chief of Mission in Nairobi, Robert Southwick. The second document, “Mogadishu Assessment Mission, Oct. 17-20: Preliminary Report,” stresses the role the US government should play in supporting US corporations in Somalia, “especially in the oil sector.”
1. “Travel of Mogadishu Assessment Team.” Cable from State Department Headquarters to US Embassy in Nairobi. 10 October 1991. Cable Number: State 336658. Source: Freedom of Information Act release (2005-05-361) to Keith Yearman. The State Department announces Bob Kott will lead a delegation to Mogadishu to “assess the feasibility of re-opening a small embassy in Mogadishu.
2. “Mogadishu Assessment Mission.” Cable from US Embassy in Nairobi to State Department Headquarters. 11 October 1991. Cable Number: Nairobi 24866. Source: Freedom of Information Act release (2005-05-183) to Keith Yearman. John Fox, Political Officer at the Embassy in Nairobi, spoke with a source (likely Marchand) to “assess the situation in Mogadishu as it regards the safety of the [State Department] assessment mission scheduled to arrive there next week.
“Conoco, a non-[US government] entity, has basically given the ‘green light’ for this mission. It is not Conoco’s call to do so. Conoco’s security is excellent. Their guards are well-paid and well-armed and the company’s security zone is adjacent to the K-7 compound, the focal point of interest for this assessment team. In all likelihood, team members, under the Conoco umbrella, will encounter no security problems on the ground, do their business and go home. Then again, the security situation could change suddenly and dramatically (it already has numerous times since the fall of the Barre gover nment) and someone could get hurt. If the latter be the case, Conoco, which has no legal responsibility to protect USG personnel, will say ‘we tried our best’ and the USG is faced with both an embarrassing political and legal dilemma. A mission of this importance may warrant the use of US military or [Diplomatic Security Service] assets.”
3. “Mogadishu Assessment Mission, Oct. 17-20: Preliminary Report.” Cable from US Embassy in Nairobi to State Department Headquarters. 22 October 1991. Source: Freedom of Information Act release (2004-04-554) to Keith Yearman. This is a report on the Kott delegation. The purpose was to “evaluate the political and security situations and to examine available properties, in order to give the department the information required to make a decision regarding the re-opening of a small diplomatic mission in Mogadishu.”
“There are, at present, few American citizens in Somalia. Conoco (Somalia), Ltd., however, anticipates re-commencing oil exploration work in southern Somalia within the next several months. According to Conoco, this would involve the introduction of 50-60 Amcit employees into Somalia. If the security situation does not deteriorate, it would be realistic to project a total presence of around 100 Amcits in southern Somalia by the middle of 1992. Such a community would justify a consular presence in Mogadishu.”
“There are, at present, only two US firms (Conoco and Turnkey) operating in Somalia. Others, especially in the oil sector, are considering resuming operations. These firms will sometimes require the type of diplomatic support best provided by a permanent diplomatic mission
to be continued……..next week