Continued…….. Faso Mêbo has been in the making for several months. Burkina Faso Prime Minister Jean-Emmanuel Ouédraogo first announced it on 16 October 2024. In March 2025, the government said that in preparing for this project, it had acquired more than 900 vehicles, including 4x4 ​​pick-up trucks, recycling machines, bulldozers, hydraulic excavators, loader shovels, graders, concrete mixers, crane trucks, dump trucks, tank trucks, tank transporters, workshop trucks, compactors and more. The government handed over approximately $341 million of equipment to the Faso Mêbo programme.

‘The aim is to be able to [construct] between 3,000 and 5,000 kilometres of roads per year in Burkina Faso,’ Faso Mêbo National Coordinator Zonoma Ahmed Sakandé was quoted as saying in a presidential statement issued on 27 March.

To watch the full video, check out the African Stream Editor-in-Chief Ahmed Kaballo's YouTube channel (@ahmedkaballo4170).

Sources

https://www.presidencedufaso.bf/initiative-presidentielle-faso-mebo-450-vdp-de-la-construction-prets-pour-les-chantiers/

https://web.facebook.com/watch/?v=1313451776704522

https://www.presidencedufaso.bf/remise-dequipements-a-linitiative-presidentielle-faso-mebo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMiuWU2Kcig

AFRICANS REJECT DEAL TO EASE WEST’S CARBON GUILT

Reducing carbon emissions is one way to help the climate. Paying for so-called carbon credits and offsets is touted as another. However, the reality is that not only does this enable the rich to keep on polluting, but it also often impacts the lives of communities where counter-emissions projects are implemented. One example is the ‘Soils for the Future’ programme, in which Kenya tries to secure ancestral lands for local tribes to implement green policies. On 1 May in Kajiado County, locals fought back - organising a major protest against a proposed deal to see the land surrendered for limited compensation.

Continued……The irony is that Africa bears the brunt of climate change, but causes a fraction of the world’s pollution compared with highly industrialised regions - yet we are expected to go green before attaining full development. It’s high time the West started compensating us for the environmental damage it’s inflicting on us, don’t you think?

Let us know in the comments.

Sources

https://nation.africa/kenya/health/no-carbon-credits-chaos-erupts-over-40-year-land-deal-in-kajiado-5025656

https://www.dlapiper.com/en-us/insights/publications/2025/04/all-eyes-on-carbon-markets-amid-belated-progress-and-domestic-challenges

https://www.oaklandinstitute.org/report/stealth-game

https://www.the-star.co.ke/sasa/2015-05-13-history-of-inter-communal-conflicts-among-pastoralist-communities

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/05/carbon-credit-scam-financial-cost-virtue-signaling-little/

https://www.uneca.org/stories/17-out-of-the-20-countries-most-threatened-by-climate-change-are-in-africa%2C-but-there-are

https://ourworldindata.org/co2-emissions

On 13 May, Finland returned a ceremonial seat that French colonial forces had looted from what is now Benin. Officials from both countries hailed the transfer as a significant step in restoring the West African state's cultural legacy.

The Katakle, a three-legged stool, traces its origins to the Kingdom of Dahomey, established in the 17th century along the coast of present-day Benin. The Katakle is a ceremonial portable throne representing stability and authority.

In 1892, French colonial troops seized 27 artefacts from the Kingdom of Dahomey royal palace, including two Katakles, which the French moved to the Ethnographic Museum of the Trocadero in Paris.

France declared in 2018 that it would return 26 of the 27 pieces, which it did in 2021. However, one Katakle wound up in Finland.

Alain Godonu (@Alain Godonou on Linkedin), director of Benin’s museums, estimated in 2007 that 90 per cent to 95 per cent of Africa's cultural treasures are in major museums outside the continent.

Continued……. A 2018 study by Bénédicte Savoy from France and Felwine Sarr (@FelwineSarr on X) from Senegal revealed France has over 90,000 artefacts from what is termed ‘sub-Saharan Africa,’ with 70,000 of those located in the Paris-based Musée du Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac. The remaining pieces are in various places around Paris, as well as in port cities.

The wanton looting of Africa's treasures robbed us of our cultural and historical identity, with colonialists replacing them with Western culture and norms.

Western museums have typically resisted calls to return items to their nations of origin, often arguing that those countries lack the necessary resources to care for such works. But what makes them think the original owners would fail to look after these precious items?

Sources

https://archive.ph/cuED8

https://www.euronews.com/culture/2022/07/15/should-european-museums-return-african-heritage-items

https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2021/10/12/stealing-africa-how-britain-looted-the-continents-art

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/18/dahomey-france-should-return-much-more-looted-african-art-film-maker-mati-diop-says

https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/news/west-africa/france-hands-back-26-treasures-looted-from-benin-3614126

https://archive.ph/bvi6z

https://peopledaily.digital/news/it-is-time-to-return-africas-stolen-artifacts

NIGERIA’S NIGER STATE GOVERNOR CALLS FOR ARRESTS ON DREADLOCKED CITIZENS

A recent directive by the Governor of Niger State in Nigeria’s northwest, Umaru Bago, calling for the arrest of individuals wearing dreadlocks in the state capital Minna as a part of a broader crackdown on violent crimes, sparked widespread public outrage and accusations of discriminatory profiling. The governor’s remarks, perceived as targeting a specific appearance associated with the youth, drew widespread condemnation from the public, who called the move unjust and insensitive. The governor later retracted his comments following backlash. In a statement, Bago said his initial statements were not directed towards law-abiding citizens, but the crackdown was aimed at criminals who use dreadlocks as cult symbols.

Continued……. However, many argued that the governor’s statements pushed harmful stereotypes that link personal hairstyle preference to criminal behaviour.  In Nigeria, individuals who style their hair in dreadlocks are often viewed negatively and are harassed, especially by law enforcement.

credits to TBC News

Hear Us Roar: https://news.1rj.ru/str/AfricanStream

VINCENT SIMMONS: NO EVIDENCE BUT 44 YEARS BEHIND BARS

The US prison-industrial complex is a multi-billion-dollar industry that profits from mass incarceration and disproportionately affects Black communities. The story of Vincent Simmons exemplifies the injustices of that system: structural racism, false accusations and wrongful convictions. He spent 44 years in jail before his conviction for aggravated r*pe was overturned.

While his unjust incarceration happened over four decades ago, there’s been little reform within the criminal justice system. At the end of 2024, Black people accounted for over 40% of the prison population while comprising approximately 14% of the US population. According to Bryan Stevenson, a prominent Black lawyer and advocate for criminal justice reform, ‘If current trends continue, one of every three Black males born today can expect to go to prison in his lifetime.’

Continued…….. A 2022 National Registry of Exonerations report found that Black people are nearly 7 times more likely to be wrongfully convicted of murder in the US than White people. According to the Innocence Project, Black people account for 50% of those exonerated for wrongful convictions.

Sources

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/simmons-prison-judge-fair-trial-b2015190.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/02/16/louisiana-vincent-simmons-freed-prison-rape/

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna37151

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2021/01/05/us/vincent-simmons-rape-case-new-testimony-hearing

https://www.change.org/p/press-louisiana-to-compensate-vincent-simmons-for-a-44-year-wrongful-conviction

https://www.change.org/p/vincent-simmons-was-wrongfully-convicted-in-1977-and-44-years-later-he-is-still-in-prison

https://louisianavoice.com/2017/10/27/justice-delayed-is-justice-denied-a-timeline-given-for-arrest-trial-and-probable-wrongful-conviction-of-vincent-simmons/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/vincent-simmons-case-timeline/

https://www.prisonpolicy.org/research/racial_and_ethnic_disparities

https://www.bop.gov/about/statistics/statistics_inmate_race.jsp

https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/vincent-simmons-44-years-prison-lawsuit-false-conviction-cover-up/

https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/vincent-simmons-louisiana-conviction-claims-allegations-48-hours/

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/vincent-simmons-freed-after-44-years-in-prison/


https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/report-black-people-7-5-times-more-likely-to-be-wrongfully-convicted-of-murder-than-whites-risk-even-greater-if-victim-was-white

On 13 May, Mali’s High Authority for Communication announced it had suspended distribution of the television channel TV5 Monde. Mali accused the French state-owned outlet of ‘defamatory remarks’ about security forces preventing an anti-government protest from accessing a performing arts centre. The recent suspension is the second for TV5 Monde in Mali, with the first being in September 2024 for three months.

In 2022, Mali also enacted a ‘definitive’ suspension of the state-run French channels France 24 and Radio France International (RFI) over a ‘premeditated strategy aimed at destabilising the political transition, demoralising the Malian people and discrediting the Malian army.’ In August 2024, Mali also suspended the French channel La Chaîne Info (LCI) for two months. 

Like Mali, fellow members of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), Burkina Faso and Niger, have also suspended the broadcasts of French state-owned media.

Continued….
Burkina Faso suspended TV5 Monde for six months in June 2024, accusing the channel of spreading ‘controversial comments bordering on disinformation,’ especially regarding Burkina Faso’s army. In December 2022, Burkina Faso ordered the immediate suspension of RFI due to their broadcast of a threatening declaration on behalf of a t*rrorist. Three months later, Ouagadougou ordered the indefinite suspension of France 24 after the channel interviewed a t*rrorist leader from Al-Q*eda of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

On 3 August 2023, just days after President Abdourahamane Tiani came to power, Niger suspended France 24 and RFI.

The three AES countries have jointly launched AES Web TV and the website https://aes.ml to coordinate and diffuse their media. The move is part of the AES plan to bond the three states as a federal Pan-African state, with the radical goal of eventually unifying Africa under one governance.

Sources


https://www.actuniger.com/international/20367-medias-apres-rfi-et-france-24-la-chaine-lci-suspendue-au-mali-par-la-hac-pour-une-duree-de-deux-mois.html

https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2024/06/19/burkina-faso-la-chaine-d-information-tv5-monde-suspendue-pour-six-mois_6241144_3212.html

https://fr.apanews.net/communication/mali-la-diffusion-de-tv5-monde-suspendue-pour-manque-dimpartialite/

https://www.aa.com.tr/fr/afrique/mali-retrait-définitif-des-autorisations-de-rfi-et-de-france-24/2574722

https://fr.africanews.com/2023/03/27/le-burkina-faso-suspend-france-24-apres-linterview-dun-chef-dal-qaida/

https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2023/03/27/au-burkina-les-autorites-ordonnent-la-suspension-de-la-diffusion-de-france-24_6167111_3212.html

https://www.courrierinternational.com/article/censure-au-burkina-faso-rfi-est-desormais-inaudible

FBI MANUFACTURES TERRORISM

In the United States, the FBI’s countert*rrorism operations disproportionately targets marginalised communities. In the wake of the 11 September 2001 t*rrorist attacks, the FBI began manufacturing t*rror plots, luring vulnerable people into participating via coaching, baiting, and then arresting them. After such operations, the FBI gets to take credit for stopping a threat that never existed.

British satirist Chris Morris (@Morris_Bits on X ) delves into this very topic through his 2019 dark-comedy film, ‘The Day Shall Come.’ Initially unaware of this practice's scale, Morris was shocked to uncover what he estimates to be hundreds of such cases.

Continued……His film draws on these stories to satirise the warped logic of a security system that rewards creating threats. It also is a poignant reminder that a leopard doesn't change its spots. The tactic of infiltrating close circles with ‘problematic’ characters allowed the FBI in 1969 to murder Fred Hampton, the 21-year-old chair of the Black Panther Party’s Illinois chapter.

Have a watch, and please share your thoughts.

Video credit: @Channel4News on YouTube

Sources
https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-day-shall-come-chris-morris-interview-2019/

https://allthatsinteresting.com/william-oneal y

TRUMP - LIVING PROOF U.S. NOT BUILT FOR BLACK FOLKS

One of the first things Donald Trump did when he returned to the White House was scrap federal Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programmes. He instructed department heads to close all DEI offices, laying off DEI employees.

Since then, his administration’s threatened US educational institutions with funding cuts if they fail to terminate DEI programmes. Some, like Columbia, have given in to the bullying. Others, like Harvard, reject Trump's ultimatum. The institution is suing the Trump administration, branding its actions ‘unlawful.’

Continued………. DEI measures were rolled out to remove barriers to employment, education, housing and healthcare. Numerous studies conducted over decades have found that minority groups face systemic challenges rooted in race. For example, a 2002 study by Devah Pager found that Black people in the US with no criminal records had the same (or worse) chance of securing employment as White job-seekers with criminal records.

Further, the prison-industrial complex (prison for profits) disproportionately targets Black communities. Black people make up about 13% of the US population, but nearly 40% of the country’s prison population.

In this clip, TitToker @blackfactsmatter says that Trump’s approach only confirms the true racist nature of America. You see, the racist nature of the US had been partially concealed by previous administrations, which were simply better at hiding what the country really was. But now, thanks to Trump, the pretence is gone. The fact is that the US is a nation founded on White supremacy.

Video credit: @blackfactsmatter (on TikTok)

Sources

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/ending-radical-and-wasteful-government-dei-programs-and-preferencing/

https://mynbc15.com/news/nation-world/trump-takes-significant-steps-towards-dismantling-dei-programs-in-first-100-days-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-programs-federal-government

https://www.govexec.com/workforce/2025/01/trump-administration-lay-all-federal-employees-dei-offices/402403/

https://apnews.com/article/columbia-research-funding-cuts-antisemitism-palestine-israel-6f5f6a66306ec2467fc346b993e87a50

https://www.saul.com/insights/alert/harvard-university-sues-trump-administration-over-federal-funding-freeze

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/04/15/us/universities-responses-investigations-funding-freeze/index.html

https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/mark-criminal-record

https://www.princeton.edu/news/2008/01/31/understanding-americas-racial-divide-drives-pagers-work

https://www.prisonpolicy.org/research/racial_and_ethnic_disparities

https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/03/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-removes-dei-from-the-foreign-service/

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/23/what-do-trumps-executive-orders-on-workplace-diversity-programmes-say

https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2025/04/11/ibm-reportedly-walks-back-diversity-policies-citing-inherent-tensions-here-are-all-the-companies-rolling-back-dei-programs/

GOOD NEWS SUNDAY!

Our end-of-week dose of uplifting news from Africa looks at how banana waste is being turned into great-looking hair extensions and how solar power is helping people charge their hearing aids in remote, off-grid regions. These homegrown breakthroughs are acts of continental self-determination. Tell us what African stories brightened your day in the comments.

Hear Us Roar: https://news.1rj.ru/str/AfricanStream