Continued…….. Those who support us are Africans and truth-seekers worldwide who, just like ourselves, want to break free of the shackles of imperialism and neo-colonialism. African Stream grew by filling a media vacuum where unfounded claims have been the norm. From Tripoli to Khartoum and Nairobi to Goma, we highlight our people's struggles and triumphs in a space dominated by Eurocentric narratives.
So far, the imperialists' concerted efforts to discredit Traoré as a revolutionary leader have spectacularly failed, even in cases where they have used skinfolk. From General Michael Langley's baseless accusations before the US Senate Armed Services Committee to the false headlines and articles mindlessly shared across numerous platforms, Africans are no longer falling for the imperialists' tricks. The consent they work so hard to manufacture is not forthcoming. Consequently, this appears to be the next step in their playbook: To silence voices that pierce through their propaganda.
As we slowly rebuild our audience and Western smear campaigns against the Alliance of Sahel States advance, we expect the attacks on us to only amplify. So, as always, we rely on your continued support.
As the great Grenadian revolutionary Maurice Bishop used to say: Forward ever, backwards never!
Sources
https://x.com/african_stream/status/1836781485191217614
So far, the imperialists' concerted efforts to discredit Traoré as a revolutionary leader have spectacularly failed, even in cases where they have used skinfolk. From General Michael Langley's baseless accusations before the US Senate Armed Services Committee to the false headlines and articles mindlessly shared across numerous platforms, Africans are no longer falling for the imperialists' tricks. The consent they work so hard to manufacture is not forthcoming. Consequently, this appears to be the next step in their playbook: To silence voices that pierce through their propaganda.
As we slowly rebuild our audience and Western smear campaigns against the Alliance of Sahel States advance, we expect the attacks on us to only amplify. So, as always, we rely on your continued support.
As the great Grenadian revolutionary Maurice Bishop used to say: Forward ever, backwards never!
Sources
https://x.com/african_stream/status/1836781485191217614
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Media is too big
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DID IT START ON OCTOBER 7?
Check out the BBC's Amol Rajan (@amolrajan on X) parrot, an Israeli talking point while claiming to be impartial. Even though Rajan claimed not to be an Israel advocate, he said Israeli aggression against Gaza started on 7 October 2023, as if they hadn't waged 15 wars against the people of Gaza since 1948. Former footballer and now sports presenter Gary Lineker (@garylineker on X) pushed back against his categorically false claims. However, Lineker was too polite for our liking, so we went further in this reaction video and asked why a BBC journalist was claiming to be impartial while advancing the Israeli position and ignoring the Palestinian position.
Have a watch, and let us know what you think.
Consider heading to African Stream Editor-in-Chief Ahmed Kaballo’s YouTube channel (@ahmedkaballo4170) to watch our complete reaction.
Soundbite credit: @BBC
Check out the BBC's Amol Rajan (@amolrajan on X) parrot, an Israeli talking point while claiming to be impartial. Even though Rajan claimed not to be an Israel advocate, he said Israeli aggression against Gaza started on 7 October 2023, as if they hadn't waged 15 wars against the people of Gaza since 1948. Former footballer and now sports presenter Gary Lineker (@garylineker on X) pushed back against his categorically false claims. However, Lineker was too polite for our liking, so we went further in this reaction video and asked why a BBC journalist was claiming to be impartial while advancing the Israeli position and ignoring the Palestinian position.
Have a watch, and let us know what you think.
Consider heading to African Stream Editor-in-Chief Ahmed Kaballo’s YouTube channel (@ahmedkaballo4170) to watch our complete reaction.
Soundbite credit: @BBC
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Continued………Sources
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/starmer-visits-gaza-spy-planes-air-base
https://israelpalestinenews.org/jerusalem-christians-face-easter-under-israeli-crackdown
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2024/03/18/israel-s-15-wars-on-gaza_6630789_4.html
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/starmer-visits-gaza-spy-planes-air-base
https://israelpalestinenews.org/jerusalem-christians-face-easter-under-israeli-crackdown
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2024/03/18/israel-s-15-wars-on-gaza_6630789_4.html
Middle East Eye
Starmer tells troops at base deploying Gaza spy planes 'the whole world is relying on you'
UK prime minister visited a controversial British airbase in Cyprus from which the Royal Air Force flies spy planes over Gaza
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ISRAEL’S DESTRUCTION OF LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
Israel is a US-backed settler colony in West Asia that is instrumental in furthering an imperialist agenda not only in the Middle East but across the world. Its reach extends far beyond Palestine, with a documented history of supporting right-wing and authoritarian regimes in the Americas. In this clip, Niki Franco (@venusroots on Instagram), an organiser, writer, podcaster and study-space facilitator, explains why this ideology is problematic to the Global South.
Despite who sits in the White House, the US continues to distribute aid to Tel Aviv. These funds have not only bankrolled Israel’s military campaigns in Gaza for nearly 77 years but also fuelled its global arms industry.
Israel is a US-backed settler colony in West Asia that is instrumental in furthering an imperialist agenda not only in the Middle East but across the world. Its reach extends far beyond Palestine, with a documented history of supporting right-wing and authoritarian regimes in the Americas. In this clip, Niki Franco (@venusroots on Instagram), an organiser, writer, podcaster and study-space facilitator, explains why this ideology is problematic to the Global South.
Despite who sits in the White House, the US continues to distribute aid to Tel Aviv. These funds have not only bankrolled Israel’s military campaigns in Gaza for nearly 77 years but also fuelled its global arms industry.
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Continued………Now, Israel ranks eighth in arms exports globally. Yet, since World War II, it has been the single largest recipient country of US aid, with at least $310 billion (adjusted for inflation) in economic and military assistance, according to the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). Since 7 October 2023, Tel Aviv has received at least $17.9 billion in US military aid, the highest amount in a single year since the US began supporting Israel.
Israel has helped destabilise Latin American and Caribbean countries. For example, Israel supplied the Guatemalan military regime with weapons, training, and logistical support during the 36-year civil war that k*lled more than 200,000 people. Meanwhile, in the Caribbean, particularly in Haiti, ravaged by gang violence, weapons such as Israeli-made Galil assault rifles have been seized and traced back to Israeli weapons manufacturers.
Moreover, in Africa, Israel has historically supported brutal regimes like apartheid South Africa. And, in recent times, Israeli firms have been accused of supplying weapons and surveillance equipment to militia groups in South Sudan despite arms embargoes.
Video credit: @venusroots (Instagram)
Sources
https://cja.org/what-we-do/litigation/the-guatemala-genocide-case/
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2003/6/5/israels-latin-american-trail-of-terror
https://www.thecairoreview.com/essays/is-israels-star-fading-in-latin-america/
https://www.cfr.org/article/us-aid-israel-four-charts
https://usafacts.org/articles/how-much-military-aid-does-the-us-give-to-israel/
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/aid-sent-to-israel/
https://www.ynetnews.com/business/article/bj9ion2ijg
https://www.jfeed.com/news-israel/st8aa7
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-03-27/israel-aims-to-export-arms-once-embargoed-for-its-bombing-of-gaza
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/10/23/israel-maintains-robust-arms-trade-with-rogue-regimes
https://www.unodc.org/unodc/frontpage/2024/April/haiti_-gangs-have-more-firepower-than-the-police.html
https://www.sipri.org/node/6119
Israel has helped destabilise Latin American and Caribbean countries. For example, Israel supplied the Guatemalan military regime with weapons, training, and logistical support during the 36-year civil war that k*lled more than 200,000 people. Meanwhile, in the Caribbean, particularly in Haiti, ravaged by gang violence, weapons such as Israeli-made Galil assault rifles have been seized and traced back to Israeli weapons manufacturers.
Moreover, in Africa, Israel has historically supported brutal regimes like apartheid South Africa. And, in recent times, Israeli firms have been accused of supplying weapons and surveillance equipment to militia groups in South Sudan despite arms embargoes.
Video credit: @venusroots (Instagram)
Sources
https://cja.org/what-we-do/litigation/the-guatemala-genocide-case/
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2003/6/5/israels-latin-american-trail-of-terror
https://www.thecairoreview.com/essays/is-israels-star-fading-in-latin-america/
https://www.cfr.org/article/us-aid-israel-four-charts
https://usafacts.org/articles/how-much-military-aid-does-the-us-give-to-israel/
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/aid-sent-to-israel/
https://www.ynetnews.com/business/article/bj9ion2ijg
https://www.jfeed.com/news-israel/st8aa7
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-03-27/israel-aims-to-export-arms-once-embargoed-for-its-bombing-of-gaza
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/10/23/israel-maintains-robust-arms-trade-with-rogue-regimes
https://www.unodc.org/unodc/frontpage/2024/April/haiti_-gangs-have-more-firepower-than-the-police.html
https://www.sipri.org/node/6119
Al Jazeera
Israel’s Latin American trail of terror
“I learned an infinite amount of things in Israel, and to that country I owe part of my essence, my human and military achievements” said Colombian paramilitary leader and indicted drug trafficker Carlos Castao in his ghostwritten autobiography, Mi Confesin.
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Today, we remember an underrated giant of Pan-Africanism and Mali’s first president, Modibo Keïta, who passed away on 16 May 1977.
Keïta was born on 4 June 1915 in a French colony, then called French Sudan. He was already brilliant in his youth, securing a spot at the most rigorous and prestigious French colonial West Africa school. Yet, he hated colonialism from a young age. His teachers described him as ‘very intelligent but anti-French.’
He formed the Union Soudanaise-Rassemblement Démocratique Africain (Sudanese Union-African Democratic Party or US-RDA), a political party that led his country to independence. As a committed Pan-Africanist, Keïta worked relentlessly to unify French Sudan with other African states. In 1959, he co-founded the Mali Federation, consisting of the then-French colonies of Senegal and French Sudan.
Keïta was born on 4 June 1915 in a French colony, then called French Sudan. He was already brilliant in his youth, securing a spot at the most rigorous and prestigious French colonial West Africa school. Yet, he hated colonialism from a young age. His teachers described him as ‘very intelligent but anti-French.’
He formed the Union Soudanaise-Rassemblement Démocratique Africain (Sudanese Union-African Democratic Party or US-RDA), a political party that led his country to independence. As a committed Pan-Africanist, Keïta worked relentlessly to unify French Sudan with other African states. In 1959, he co-founded the Mali Federation, consisting of the then-French colonies of Senegal and French Sudan.
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Continued……. However, his Senegalese counterpart did not share his anti-imperialist stance regarding France, causing the federation to splinter. Then, the Republic of Mali, as we know it today, was born.
Keïta became Mali’s first president in 1960. An ardent anti-imperialist, he forged a new sovereign currency for Mali, which lasted until his overthrow in 1968. The Keïta government transformed education, and government-supported farming cooperatives became the backbone of the economy. Mali became a close friend of revolutionary governments worldwide, from Cuba to Vietnam. The government organised youth weeks for ethnic groups and regions to represent their heritage while supporting the revolution.
Keïta never stopped fighting for a unified socialist Africa. In 1961, Mali joined the Union of African States, also known as the Ghana-Guinea-Mali Union. He was close with revolutionary Pan-African leaders, such as Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah (1909-72), Guinea’s Ahmed Sékou Touré (1922-84), Egypt’s Gamal Abdel Nasser (1918-70) and Algeria’s Ahmed Ben Bella (1916-2012).
Today, as we remember Keïta, we join in solidarity with Mali’s current leader, Assimi Goïta, leading the country through a revolution in partnership with the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
Sources
https://modibo-keita.site/la-quete-de-lunite-africaine/
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qIyVGQtlsgntLEKBNTwtecZ8lKx_UoZ-/view?usp=drive_link
Modibo Keita - Portrait Inedit du President by Daouda Tekete
https://modibo-keita.site/soutien-aux-mouvements-de-liberation-nationale/
Africa Mia (2020), Richard Minier, Édouard Salier
http://www1.rfi.fr/musiqueen/articles/123/article_8341.asp
Keïta became Mali’s first president in 1960. An ardent anti-imperialist, he forged a new sovereign currency for Mali, which lasted until his overthrow in 1968. The Keïta government transformed education, and government-supported farming cooperatives became the backbone of the economy. Mali became a close friend of revolutionary governments worldwide, from Cuba to Vietnam. The government organised youth weeks for ethnic groups and regions to represent their heritage while supporting the revolution.
Keïta never stopped fighting for a unified socialist Africa. In 1961, Mali joined the Union of African States, also known as the Ghana-Guinea-Mali Union. He was close with revolutionary Pan-African leaders, such as Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah (1909-72), Guinea’s Ahmed Sékou Touré (1922-84), Egypt’s Gamal Abdel Nasser (1918-70) and Algeria’s Ahmed Ben Bella (1916-2012).
Today, as we remember Keïta, we join in solidarity with Mali’s current leader, Assimi Goïta, leading the country through a revolution in partnership with the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
Sources
https://modibo-keita.site/la-quete-de-lunite-africaine/
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qIyVGQtlsgntLEKBNTwtecZ8lKx_UoZ-/view?usp=drive_link
Modibo Keita - Portrait Inedit du President by Daouda Tekete
https://modibo-keita.site/soutien-aux-mouvements-de-liberation-nationale/
Africa Mia (2020), Richard Minier, Édouard Salier
http://www1.rfi.fr/musiqueen/articles/123/article_8341.asp
Site Modibo Keita | UNE FIGURE AFRICAINE MARQUANTE
La quête de l’unité africaine | Site Modibo Keita
Panafricaniste, Modibo Keita a consacré toute son intelligence et toute son énergie a la grande œuvre de reconstruction de l'unité africaine.
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U.S. VS. CHINA & RUSSIA IN AFRICA
Western attitudes toward development in Africa have changed little since colonialism. The Lobito corridor is a case in point.
As explained by journalist David Hundeyin (@DavidHundeyin on X), the key purpose for this rail line linking the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Angola’s port town of Lobito is, like many colonial projects, extractive. The West Africa Weekly (@WestAfricaWeek on X) founder told Press TV that the corridor was designed to maximise the extraction of the DRC’s and Zambia’s resources, like copper, but it left little benefit to the people. As per Hundeyin, the Lobito corridor would have made more sense if it ended in Luanda, Angola’s capital city, where more people would have used it.
How different are China and Russia? While the Chinese have also been interested in securing minerals, resource extraction has not driven their engagement with Africa.
Western attitudes toward development in Africa have changed little since colonialism. The Lobito corridor is a case in point.
As explained by journalist David Hundeyin (@DavidHundeyin on X), the key purpose for this rail line linking the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Angola’s port town of Lobito is, like many colonial projects, extractive. The West Africa Weekly (@WestAfricaWeek on X) founder told Press TV that the corridor was designed to maximise the extraction of the DRC’s and Zambia’s resources, like copper, but it left little benefit to the people. As per Hundeyin, the Lobito corridor would have made more sense if it ended in Luanda, Angola’s capital city, where more people would have used it.
How different are China and Russia? While the Chinese have also been interested in securing minerals, resource extraction has not driven their engagement with Africa.
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Continued……. They have laid down about 100,000 kilometres of roads and over 10,000 kilometres of rail in about 25 years. An example is the 1,860-kilometre Tazara railway connecting Tanzania and Zambia, constructed in the 1970s for $406 million when China had not yet welcomed the foreign direct investment it had used to develop its country rapidly. The New York Times called the deal ‘generous,’ with the loan being interest-free and featuring a five-year grace period.
Hundeyin also cites Russia, which, aside from its involvement in the liberation of Africa when it was part of the former Soviet Union, has become a security partner for Burkina Faso in the thick of a war to reclaim their country from t*rrorism. In 2024, Burkina Faso President Ibrahim Traoré said that Russia bears no paternalism, unlike France, which has reportedly blocked weapons deliveries.
Have a watch, and let us know what you make of it.
Video credit: @PressTV (X)
Sources
https://www.lobitocorridor.org/history-background
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-03-07/Chinese-FM-No-global-modernization-without-African-modernization-1BxFfuxzKRW/p.html
https://malawi24.com/2024/09/09/tazara-revitalization-a-beacon-of-china-africa-cooperation
https://archive.ph/lguqb
https://www.nytimes.com/1971/01/29/archives/tanzaniazambia-railway-a-bridge-to-china.html
https://x.com/i/status/1800843998141051293
Hundeyin also cites Russia, which, aside from its involvement in the liberation of Africa when it was part of the former Soviet Union, has become a security partner for Burkina Faso in the thick of a war to reclaim their country from t*rrorism. In 2024, Burkina Faso President Ibrahim Traoré said that Russia bears no paternalism, unlike France, which has reportedly blocked weapons deliveries.
Have a watch, and let us know what you make of it.
Video credit: @PressTV (X)
Sources
https://www.lobitocorridor.org/history-background
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-03-07/Chinese-FM-No-global-modernization-without-African-modernization-1BxFfuxzKRW/p.html
https://malawi24.com/2024/09/09/tazara-revitalization-a-beacon-of-china-africa-cooperation
https://archive.ph/lguqb
https://www.nytimes.com/1971/01/29/archives/tanzaniazambia-railway-a-bridge-to-china.html
https://x.com/i/status/1800843998141051293
Lobito Corridor IPA
Lobito Corridor History & Background
The Lobito Corridor is connected by a stretch of railway infrastructure snaking through mineral- and oil-rich parts of Angola, the DRC, and Zambia. It connects Southern and Central Africa, and provides access to Eastern Africa and a pathway to the Atlantic…
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ELON MUSK: CEO, LIES INC.
Elon Musk (@elonmusk) has posted another lie about South Africa to his 220-million followers on X. The billionaire claims the country of his birth has passed 142 laws discriminating against the non-Black population. In particular, he claims that his satellite Internet provider Starlink is being denied a licence there - because he’s not Black. What makes Musk’s falsehoods especially dangerous is that he has the ear of Donald Trump. The US President and his administration have targeted South Africa, relying on misinformation to justify measures such as stopping aid.
Musk’s claim about Starlink does not stand up to scrutiny. In South Africa, the firm is required to comply with Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) rules, an overdue corrective measure to colonial-era exclusion. These require foreign companies to reserve 30% ownership for historically disadvantaged South Africans.
Elon Musk (@elonmusk) has posted another lie about South Africa to his 220-million followers on X. The billionaire claims the country of his birth has passed 142 laws discriminating against the non-Black population. In particular, he claims that his satellite Internet provider Starlink is being denied a licence there - because he’s not Black. What makes Musk’s falsehoods especially dangerous is that he has the ear of Donald Trump. The US President and his administration have targeted South Africa, relying on misinformation to justify measures such as stopping aid.
Musk’s claim about Starlink does not stand up to scrutiny. In South Africa, the firm is required to comply with Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) rules, an overdue corrective measure to colonial-era exclusion. These require foreign companies to reserve 30% ownership for historically disadvantaged South Africans.
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Continued……. Starlink had requested an exemption, arguing that it was a barrier to market entry. According to online news platform The South African, Musk had not even applied for a licence by late March - despite earlier rants about South Africa’s supposedly ‘racist’ laws. If we peel back the mask, what is his real complaint? He wanted a free pass to undercut local investors.
Another of his lies that’s had real-world consequences is that White South Africans of Dutch descent are persecuted. Members of that community have just been welcomed in the US, after Donald Trump invited them to claim asylum, repeating Musk’s claim. Musk referred to the country’s recent Land Expropriation Law as evidence. This allows land seizures in very limited circumstances and with compensation. The motivation of the law is to correct historical injustices that mean the lion’s share of South Africa’s valuable land is in the hands of the White minority. This owns 72% of commercial farmland, despite making up only 7.2% of the population. Black South Africans make up 81.4% of the population but control only 4%.
Many argue the law does not go far enough. For example, South Africa’s Economic Freedom Fighters party wants to scrap compensation, arguing the land was stolen.
Sources
https://www.joburgetc.com/business/eff-starlink-cryptocurrency-bbe-compliance-south-africa/
https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1922990397136990647
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c77887npl2mo
https://www.joburgetc.com/business/musk-bee-barrier-south-africa-starlink/
https://www.thesouthafrican.com/lifestyle/starlink-south-africa-internet-price-elon-musk-bee-latest/
https://x.com/Newzroom405/status/1903062901600002067
https://allafrica.com/stories/202502040285.html
Another of his lies that’s had real-world consequences is that White South Africans of Dutch descent are persecuted. Members of that community have just been welcomed in the US, after Donald Trump invited them to claim asylum, repeating Musk’s claim. Musk referred to the country’s recent Land Expropriation Law as evidence. This allows land seizures in very limited circumstances and with compensation. The motivation of the law is to correct historical injustices that mean the lion’s share of South Africa’s valuable land is in the hands of the White minority. This owns 72% of commercial farmland, despite making up only 7.2% of the population. Black South Africans make up 81.4% of the population but control only 4%.
Many argue the law does not go far enough. For example, South Africa’s Economic Freedom Fighters party wants to scrap compensation, arguing the land was stolen.
Sources
https://www.joburgetc.com/business/eff-starlink-cryptocurrency-bbe-compliance-south-africa/
https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1922990397136990647
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c77887npl2mo
https://www.joburgetc.com/business/musk-bee-barrier-south-africa-starlink/
https://www.thesouthafrican.com/lifestyle/starlink-south-africa-internet-price-elon-musk-bee-latest/
https://x.com/Newzroom405/status/1903062901600002067
https://allafrica.com/stories/202502040285.html
Joburg ETC
EFF vs. Elon Musk: Starlink's Battle Over SA’s BEE Ownership Laws
The EFF insists that Elon Musk’s Starlink must comply with South Africa’s BEE laws to operate. Find out how this impacts the company's entry into the local market.
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France’s foothold in Africa has been shrinking fast, especially in the Sahel, where Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have all shut their doors to Paris’ diplomats, soldiers and media. Could North Africa be following suit? The latest spat between Algeria and France has seen multiple expulsions on both sides of diplomatic staff and alleged spies. Tensions go back all the way to colonial times. You’d have thought that would make Algiers the perfect ally of the trio of revolutionary states in the Sahel. But the picture is more complicated. Swipe through to find out why.
Sources
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/algeria-expels-2-french-intelligence-agents-over-fake-diplomatic-passports/3563928
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/31/mali-expels-france-envoy-over-hostile-and-outrageous-remarks
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2023/01/02/burkina-faso-s-military-regime-expels-french-ambassador_6010079_4.html
Sources
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/algeria-expels-2-french-intelligence-agents-over-fake-diplomatic-passports/3563928
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/31/mali-expels-france-envoy-over-hostile-and-outrageous-remarks
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2023/01/02/burkina-faso-s-military-regime-expels-french-ambassador_6010079_4.html
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40 YEARS AFTER THE MOVE BOMBING IN PHILADELPHIA
This week marks the 40th anniversary of the MOVE bombing in Philadelphia in the US state of Pennsylvania.
On 13 May 1985, 13 people lived inside the headquarters of MOVE (@themoveorganization on IG) at 6221 Osage Avenue, when nearly 500 police officers surrounded the building to execute arrest warrants for the charges of parole violation, contempt of court, illegal possession of firearms, and making t*rroristic threats
Founded in 1972 by John Africa, MOVE often fought city authorities over alleged housing and zoning violations. As a Black liberation group, MOVE advocated returning to nature, environmentalism, animal rights, communal living, and resistance against white-supremacist and imperialistic systemic oppression. The name, MOVE, signifies their belief that ‘everything alive - moves,’ emphasising active participation. Many members adopted ‘Africa’ as a surname.
This week marks the 40th anniversary of the MOVE bombing in Philadelphia in the US state of Pennsylvania.
On 13 May 1985, 13 people lived inside the headquarters of MOVE (@themoveorganization on IG) at 6221 Osage Avenue, when nearly 500 police officers surrounded the building to execute arrest warrants for the charges of parole violation, contempt of court, illegal possession of firearms, and making t*rroristic threats
Founded in 1972 by John Africa, MOVE often fought city authorities over alleged housing and zoning violations. As a Black liberation group, MOVE advocated returning to nature, environmentalism, animal rights, communal living, and resistance against white-supremacist and imperialistic systemic oppression. The name, MOVE, signifies their belief that ‘everything alive - moves,’ emphasising active participation. Many members adopted ‘Africa’ as a surname.
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Continued……When MOVE members didn’t surrender to police on that fateful day, officers opted for a violent removal despite knowing children were present. The situation escalated into a gunfight, with police firing over 10,000 rounds before shocking the world by bombing the house.
The resulting fire k*lled six adults and five children. The fire later spread to more than 60 nearby attached rowhomes, leaving some 250 people homeless. Eyewitnesses reported that police shot at victims trying to escape the flames. Ramona Africa, then 29, and a 13-year-old boy, Michael Moses Ward, were the only survivors. No one from the city or police department was ever criminally charged. In 2005, a jury awarded $12.83 million in damages to neighbours forced from their homes. In 1996, Ramona took the city to court and won a $1.5 million settlement. In 2020, the Philadelphia city council apologised for the bombing.
Michael Ward died at age 41 in 2013, leaving Ramona Africa as the last living resident of the MOVE headquarters, still fighting for freedom.
Video credits: CBS Philadelphia (@cbsphiladelphia IG); NBC Philadelphia (nbcphiladelphia IG); VICE (@VICE on IG); ‘Let it Burn,’ George Washington University 2013
Sources
https://whyy.org/articles/move-bombing-anniversary-cobbs-creek-osage/
https://www.westphillylocal.com/2025/05/12/city-community-members-commemorate-move-bombing-victims-on-40th-anniversary
https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/pedro-sanchez-ramona-africa-interview-with-ramona-africa-on-move
https://www.answercoalition.org/help_ramona_africa_fight_for_her_life
https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/1985-move-bombing-philadelphia-40th-anniversary/4182667
https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-birdie-africa-20130926-story.html
https://www.phillytrib.com/news/local_news/osage-neighbors-have-witnessed-their-block-change-since-move-bombing/article_bb6ede92-678d-4632-aacb-f8dffcae4cc0.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20211110215354/http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,141842,00.html
The resulting fire k*lled six adults and five children. The fire later spread to more than 60 nearby attached rowhomes, leaving some 250 people homeless. Eyewitnesses reported that police shot at victims trying to escape the flames. Ramona Africa, then 29, and a 13-year-old boy, Michael Moses Ward, were the only survivors. No one from the city or police department was ever criminally charged. In 2005, a jury awarded $12.83 million in damages to neighbours forced from their homes. In 1996, Ramona took the city to court and won a $1.5 million settlement. In 2020, the Philadelphia city council apologised for the bombing.
Michael Ward died at age 41 in 2013, leaving Ramona Africa as the last living resident of the MOVE headquarters, still fighting for freedom.
Video credits: CBS Philadelphia (@cbsphiladelphia IG); NBC Philadelphia (nbcphiladelphia IG); VICE (@VICE on IG); ‘Let it Burn,’ George Washington University 2013
Sources
https://whyy.org/articles/move-bombing-anniversary-cobbs-creek-osage/
https://www.westphillylocal.com/2025/05/12/city-community-members-commemorate-move-bombing-victims-on-40th-anniversary
https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/pedro-sanchez-ramona-africa-interview-with-ramona-africa-on-move
https://www.answercoalition.org/help_ramona_africa_fight_for_her_life
https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/1985-move-bombing-philadelphia-40th-anniversary/4182667
https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-birdie-africa-20130926-story.html
https://www.phillytrib.com/news/local_news/osage-neighbors-have-witnessed-their-block-change-since-move-bombing/article_bb6ede92-678d-4632-aacb-f8dffcae4cc0.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20211110215354/http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,141842,00.html
WHYY
MOVE supporters gather in Cobbs Creek, 40 years after deadly bombing by Philly police at the organization’s HQ
The bombing on May 13, 1985 claimed the lives of 11 people, including five children, and decimated an entire block in Cobbs Creek.
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