Black Leader Calls on Clinton to ‘Stay the Course’ in Somalia

The head of an influential African-American think tank called on the Clinton Administration on Thursday to “stay the course” in Somalia and reject growing demands from Capitol Hill for a hasty withdrawal of U.S. forces from the troubled African nation.

At a press conference that marked the emergence of a potentially powerful constituency in support of American military involvement in Somalia, Randall Robinson, executive director of TransAfrica, said that the sudden removal of U.S. troops could plunge the country back into anarchy and starvation and damage U.N. peacekeeping efforts elsewhere.

Robinson, who often takes a leading role on foreign policy issues of importance to American blacks, sought to balance the growing impatience of some lawmakers--including two of the most powerful members of Congress, Sens. Bob Dole (R-Kan.) and Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.)--with the Somalia mission. U.S. troops in Somalia have come under attack from militiamen aligned with warlord Mohammed Farah Aidid, and both Dole and Byrd, in separate statements, have demanded an early withdrawal of U.S. forces.

“I find the recent suggestion of Sen. Dole and Sen. Byrd both sadly misinformed and dangerously irresponsible, for the United States cannot retreat from the world, particularly if we no longer have the capacity or the commitment to police the world alone,” Robinson said.

TransAfrica, which maintains close ties to the Congressional Black Caucus and most major American black organizations, has demonstrated considerable influence on some issues in the past. For example, it led the eventually successful campaign for sanctions against the white South African government during the Ronald Reagan Administration, which opposed such steps.

In the past, Robinson has been sharply critical of any U.S. interference in the internal affairs of African countries. But he said he is convinced that most Somalis continue to welcome U.S. forces, despite efforts by Aidid’s militia to drive the Americans out.