Minneapolis activists call for U.S. military out of Africa

When Americans think about U.S. military involvement overseas, the Middle East often comes to mind. But on Oct. 17, Minneapolis residents gathered to turn attention to U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) and to call for U.S. forces to leave the continent.

The newly formed U.S. Out of Africa committee and several other local activist groups held a joint rally outside Mayday Bookstore near the University of Minnesota, calling for the withdrawal of U.S. military forces from Africa and an end to AFRICOM.

“We are here today as part of an ongoing effort to build a movement that has a power to end US imperialism in Africa and all over the world,” said Nicholas Tolliber, founder of U.S. Out of Africa and a member of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee. “We demand the abolition of AFRICOM, the US military command in Africa. We demand the closure of all US bases and the complete withdrawal of all US forces from the African continent. We want an end to US military operations.”

Established in 2007, AFRICOM is responsible for U.S. military operations and relations with 53 African nations, including security operations, involvement in regional conflicts and airstrikes.

“AFRICOM has been responsible for genocide on the continent of Africa for 20 years or more and beyond,” said Trahern Crews, co-founder of Black Lives Matter Minnesota. “When we look at Rwanda, when we look at Sudan, when we look at Eritrea, AFRICOM is present.”

Among activists’ most serious concerns are civilian deaths from AFRICOM operations, particularly airstrikes. Since April 2020, AFRICOM’s website has hosted a civilian harm reporting page where people can submit reports of civilian harm and call for accountability.

In its most recent quarterly assessment, covering the period ending June 30, 2026, AFRICOM said it received three new reports of civilian harm and closed two cases during the quarter. Six cases remain open, and their results have not been released.

One of the closed cases stemmed from a Nov. 17, 2025, report, filed after several media reports and a submission to the portal said U.S. military operations Nov. 14-15, 2025, in Jamaame, Somalia, killed 10 to 12 people and destroyed homes and businesses.

“U.S. Africa Command assessed all available information and determined that the reports did not meet the ‘more likely than not’ threshold that U.S. military operations resulted in civilian harm,” the report said.

In a statement to the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, an AFRICOM spokesperson said the command “takes all feasible measures to mitigate civilian harm during operations” and “assesses all credible allegations.” The spokesperson said the command’s consideration of civilian harm includes death, physical injury and damage to or destruction of civilian property, and that the results of open and closed assessments are published in its quarterly civilian harm reports. The spokesperson referred questions about U.S. force posture in Africa to the Department of War.

“We demand an end to genocide in Sudan, an end to the atrocity and exploitation in Congo and accountability for everyone committing, financing, or enabling violence against African communities,” said Alissa Washington, executive director of the Wrongfully Incarcerated and Over-Sentenced Families Council of Minnesota. “Our answer to this suffering must center African people’s demand for peace, sovereignty and justice. We reject the idea that expanding US military power would deliver their liberation.”

Though the operations take place on the other side of the world, Tolliber said Minnesotans are closely connected to the country’s military involvement and need to be aware of its consequences.

“I think it’s super important because U.S. imperialism in Africa is so undercovered and we need to take efforts as the anti-war movement to spotlight anywhere where the US is doing harm and it is destructive,” Tolliber said. “One of the places that the US has been most destructive, most exploited is in Africa.”

Activists said Minnesota has a direct hand in AFRICOM’s work through Honeywell’s aerospace operations in the state.

According to Honeywell’s website, Minneapolis is a production hub for navigation devices such as microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), ring laser gyroscopes (RLGs) and inertial measurement units (IMUs), which the company says are used in commercial, defense, space and advanced air mobility applications.

“Ruggedized inertial devices guide military aircraft, helicopters, missiles and ground vehicles to mission success, even when GPS isn’t available,” the website states.

“Here in Minneapolis, they produce a part that’s called the IMU, which essentially helps guide guided missiles and guide drones. It is an integral component in the production of these missiles, and it’s only made here in Minneapolis,” Tolliber said. “So we are a crucial, essential production point of the death and destruction that is happening, that enables the U.S. to engage in these air campaigns where it just indiscriminately bombs countries that it does not like.”

The Spokesman-Recorder reached out to Honeywell for comment on its Minneapolis operations but did not receive a response by press time.

Izzy Canizares is a contributing writer for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. He welcomes reader responses at isabellacani0102@gmail.com.