DJIBOUTI INDEPENDENCE DAY

Djibouti, formerly known as French Somaliland and then as the French Territory of the Afars and Issas, gained independence 48 years ago today after decades of colonial rule.

The region, historically known as the Land of Punt, had been crucial for trade and attracted the attention of foreign powers. 

France established a foothold in the late 19th century and maintained control until the country gained independence. 

A series of referenda and political tensions between different ethnic groups marked the path to freedom. Finally, in 1977, Djibouti voted overwhelmingly to break away from France. 

Continued…….. Hassan Gouled Aptidon (1916-2006), born to Issa nomads, became the country’s first president and ruled until 1999 as an ally of France.

Despite its independence, foreign military bases occupy Djibouti, including those of the United States, France, Italy, Japan and China. It also hosts the highest number of French troops outside France, numbering 1,450 in 2019, according to the Swedish Defence Research Institute.

When Africans finally kick out foreign occupiers, Djibouti will be able to celebrate true independence, free from foreign domination and in complete control over its land.

Sources

https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/hassan-gouled-aptidon-1916-2006

https://en.majalla.com/node/288091/politics/why-do-so-many-foreign-powers-have-military-bases-djibouti?utm_source=

WHY THE CONGO’S LIBERATION MATTERS TO ALL AFRICANS

Africa’s revolutionary giants of old clearly understood that the liberation of our continent is inseparable from that of the Congo. As Kwame Nkrumah (1909-72) - Ghana’s founding father and the visionary behind the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) - famously stated: ‘The Congo is the heart of Africa, any wound inflicted upon the Congo is a wound to the whole of Africa.’ In this video, African Stream’s @sannario_ breaks down why Nkurumah’s words were not merely for poetic effect, but expressed a profound political and strategic insight that we must heed today.

Continued…….. Sources

https://discoveryalert.com.au/news/natural-resources-democratic-republic-congo-2025/

https://www.statista.com/topics/13440/mining-industry-in-the-dr-congo/

https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/democratic-republic-congo-mining-and-minerals

https://techcultureafrica.com/congo-kinshasa

https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-research-reports/report/beyond-critical-minerals-capitalizing-on-the-drcs-vast-opportunities/

https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/drc/overview

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/congo-eyes-us-minerals-deal-by-end-june-ft-reports-2025-05-25/

https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/violence-democratic-republic-congo

https://cgspace.cgiar.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/a73abc0c-d975-4d5e-90d2-5729e4a4a420/content

https://www.sipri.org/publications/2011/sipri-policy-papers/conflict-minerals-democratic-republic-congo-aligning-trade-and-security-interventions

https://panzifoundation.org/conflict-minerals-and-sexual-violence-in-the-drc/

https://african.business/2023/07/energy-resources/scepticism-over-grand-inga-dam-revival

https://africa-energy-portal.org/news/world-bank-targets-80b-africas-mega-inga-dam

https://debtjustice.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/The-colonial-roots-of-global-south-debt.pdf

LIFE IN SUDAN UNDER RSF OCCUPATION

Sudan's devastating proxy war is now well into its third year. It’s easy to become desensitised to the grim statistics on casualties, hunger and displacement after so much time. But it’s vital to keep reminding ourselves and the world that real people are enduring unimaginable suffering. The UN calls the Sudanese people’s plight the world's ‘worst humanitarian crisis' of the 21st century.

In this video, we speak to Sidgi Kaballo, a member of the Central Committee of the Sudanese Communist Party, who holds dual citizenship in Sudan and the United Kingdom. He chose to remain in Sudan when the war erupted in April 2023. His son, African Stream's Editor-in-Chief, Ahmed Kaballo, had arranged for his safe evacuation from the country through the British Foreign Office. Yet Sidgi declined, staying for another seven and a half months amid the deadly chaos.

Continued……. Asked why he made that choice, Sidgi, also an economist and academic, explains that he felt his duty to his fellow Sudanese was best fulfilled by staying inside the country. He provides a chilling first-hand account of life under the Emirati-backed Rapid Support Forces (RSF) occupation, describing it as ‘hell’ - with rampant looting, vandalism and severe shortages of food, water and medicine.

Yet, despite the horror, Sidgi also reminisces about the communal spirit that defines Sudanese society. He recalls a pharmacist who set up a medicine station outside his home to care for those in need until supplies ran out. It was one of many such acts of solidarity.

As the conflict grinds on, we must remember that behind the headlines is a human dimension to Sudan's crisis. We mustn't lose sight of the suffering of millions of real men, women and children.

AFRICA'S NEW PAN-AFRICAN GUARD

They say respect your elders, but what happens when those elders are clinging to power, fumbling at global summits and peeing themselves on national TV, while the continent they lead suffers under the weight of neocolonialism and corruption?

This piece isn’t about age. It’s about leadership, or the outrageous lack of it.

From South Sudan’s Salva Kiir to Cameroon’s 92-year-old Paul Biya and Nigeria’s Bola Tinubu, too many of our so-called leaders are clearly out of touch, unfit or both. Meanwhile, Africa’s real hope is emerging not from old-guard politics, but from a bold, mostly young, unapologetic generation of pan-African leaders reshaping the future.

Continued……In Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Traoré is building a state gold refinery and shutting down foreign looting. In Niger, General Tchiani is reclaiming uranium mines and investing in food and energy security. Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso are creating a joint military force, a shared currency and biometric passports under the new Alliance of Sahel States. And in Senegal, President Faye is auditing resource contracts and laying the groundwork for true economic sovereignty.

This isn’t a trend, it’s a tectonic shift. A wave of pan-African self-determination is rising, confronting neocolonialism not with slogans, but with structure, sovereignty and strategy.

The message is clear: Africa’s youth are done waiting. The era of puppets and old men is ending.

‘DON’ TRUMP’S ‘JUST-BUSINESS’
RWANDA-DRC DEAL

Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have just signed Donald Trump's 'peace deal' in Washington, D.C. To us, it all smacks of a Mafia-style operation.

To make our point, we decided to indulge in a bit of amateur theatrics by updating the opening scene of the cult film The Godfather. Our skit features Ahmed Kaballo as US boss Trump, Clinton Nzala as Rwanda's president Paul Kagame and William Sakawa as DRC's Félix Tshisekedi. But while we're having a laugh, the point is serious: we highlight the exploitation, coercive diplomacy and resource plundering that define Congo's ongoing conflict.
 
The DRC is a nation rich in minerals such as cobalt, coltan, gold, and tin, which are crucial for global industries ranging from electronics to electric vehicles.

Continued……. Despite this vast wealth (estimated at a staggering $24 trillion), the Congo remains one of the poorest nations on the planet, beset by chronic instability, humanitarian disasters and rampant human-rights violations. 

Neighbouring Rwanda has been instrumental in plundering this wealth. According to UN reports, Kigali supports the M23 rebel group, which has seized control of key mineral-rich areas in eastern DRC and has been facilitating the illicit flow of minerals across the border into Rwanda, where they are laundered and integrated into international supply chains.

Now, the 'Don' (godfather) in the White House has secured his 'protection fee' - in the form of US access to Congolese mineral resources. Trump praises the agreement inked in Washington between the Central and East African neighbours as a move towards genuine peace, but in truth, the DRC has handed over control of its minerals in return for a security 'guarantee' that US 'associate' Rwanda will halt its hostilities in eastern Congo. 

We didn't mean to make light of a serious situation, but sometimes it's essential to be creative to convey the message effectively. Please share your thoughts in the comments!

Sources

https://www.miningweekly.com/article/congo-courts-trump-for-strategic-minerals-tie-up-as-war-looms-2025-03-05

https://panzifoundation.org/conflict-minerals-and-sexual-violence-in-the-drc/

https://discoveryalert.com.au/news/natural-resources-democratic-republic-congo-2025/

https://www.usip.org/publications/2024/03/congo-peace-means-halt-brutal-illegal-mining

https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/energysource/illicit-mineral-supply-chains-fuel-the-drcs-m23-insurgency/#:~:text=Illicit%20mineral%20supply%20chains%20fuel%20the%20DRC's%20M23%20insurgency%20%2D%20Atlantic%20Council

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/2/13/as-the-drc-battles-rwanda-backed-m23-whats-needed-to-stop-the-fighting

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2024/10/why-is-the-democratic-republic-of-congo-wracked-by-conflict/#:~:text=There%20are%20also%20deep%20divisions,historical%20grievances%20from%20almost%20five

DIVERSITY IN MEDICINE

Representation saves lives. Research by the National Center for Health Statistics in the US reveals that Black people live longer in areas with more Black primary care doctors. For every 10% rise in Black doctor representation, Black life expectancy increases by about a month, even for those who don't see a Black doctor directly. This isn’t just about care, it's about trust, understanding and diversity in medicine.

Sources

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/study-finds-black-people-live-longer-in-places-with-more-black-doctors

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/02/21/health/black-doctors-shortage-us/index.html

https://www.aamc.org/news/what-s-your-specialty-new-data-show-choices-america-s-doctors-gender-race-and-age

https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/proportion-black-physicians-little-change
https://apnews.com/article/doctors-dermatologist-medical-school-diversity-black-americans-c85e959fd1a08431377f18693ec6d77c

IMF & WORLD BANK HAVE NOT HELPED AFRICA

How can we trust institutions established during colonial times by the very forces that colonised us? This is the question posed by Fadhel Kaboub (@FadhelKaboub on X), an associate professor of economics at Ohio's Denison University, who critiques global financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Despite their inclusive names, these institutions act as neo-colonial tools, deepening poverty and dependency in Africa and the Global South.

Continued……. After decades of so-called ‘aid,’ little progress has been made in Africa, while Western countries advance by exploiting its resources. For example, the foreign-backed proxy war over natural resources in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has lasted over 30 years. Instead of addressing exploitation, the World Bank supports projects like the Inga Dam, which critics say facilitate further resource extraction under the guise of aid.

Western powers, led by the US and supported by Europe and the G7, control these institutions. They back initiatives like the Lobito Corridor, a 1,300-kilometre strip of land featuring a railway that snakes through Zambia, the DRC and Angola to ship Africa’s resources across the Atlantic Ocean. The World Bank also supported apartheid South Africa, a history it prefers to forget. 

Given that Africa pays out more in debt and resource extraction than it receives in aid, is it not time for the rest of the continent to reject these colonial-era models and pursue African-led development, like our siblings in the Sahel? 

Video credit: @lynnngugi on Instagram

Sources

https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2020/11/26/it-is-time-to-decolonise-the-world-bank-and-the-imf

https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/04/19/sovereign-debts-colonial-roots-imf-and-the-engineering-of-a-permanent-crisis-in-africa/

https://thetricontinental.org/dossier-faustian-bargain-imf-africa/

https://debtjustice.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/The-colonial-roots-of-global-south-debt.pdf

https://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/2020/12/world-bank-reparations-demanded-for-murder-of-frontline-south-african-anti-coal-activist/

https://www.lobitocorridor.org/history-background

https://g7.utoronto.ca/dev/2024-annex-i-gpii.html

CONGO: VICTIM OF MAFIA-STYLE RACKETEERING

US President Donald Trump is basking in self-praise for what he describes as his 'wonderful treaty' between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). To others, though, it looks more like a successful Mafia operation.

Among them is Kambale Musavuli, a political analyst at the Center for Research on Congo-Kinshasa. He compares Rwanda to a Mafia associate doing dirty work for the US godfather (‘Don’) by extorting mineral-rich DRC.

Just as the Mafia extends beyond national borders, so Rwandan President Paul Kagame and his close ally, James Kabarebe, support rebel factions in neighbouring DRC.

Kagame, who ascended through Uganda's military intelligence, has a well-documented history of military interventions in the Congo, initially backing Laurent Kabila and later changing allegiances, which contributed to the Second Congo War.