There’s been a spate of coups all over West Africa and beyond - the latest rocking Gabon. While there’s a clear trend, the motivations aren’t always the same. Some are united by their anti-imperialist motivation, others by their opportunism. Here’s a quick look at what unities and what differentiates seven recent power grabs.
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NGUEMA SWORN IN BUSINESS AS USUAL?
General Brice Oligui Nguema has been sworn in as Gabon's transitional president.
The ceremony took place in the capital Libreville.
This move will solidify his grip on power in the former French colony which became the 6th francophone state to fall under military rule in the last three years.
There are concerns Nguema will continue the Bongo's grip on the country. He spent years in the inner circle of their family dynasty and is thought to be a cousin of the deposed president.
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General Brice Oligui Nguema has been sworn in as Gabon's transitional president.
The ceremony took place in the capital Libreville.
This move will solidify his grip on power in the former French colony which became the 6th francophone state to fall under military rule in the last three years.
There are concerns Nguema will continue the Bongo's grip on the country. He spent years in the inner circle of their family dynasty and is thought to be a cousin of the deposed president.
Hear Us Roar: https://news.1rj.ru/str/AfricanStream
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WHAT WOULD NIGER-ECOWAS WAR BE LIKE?
The threat of war looms large over Niger - with ECOWAS having set a date for military action if its demands to reverse the coup in Niamey aren’t met. Forces from Nigeria, Senegal, Benin, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo and Guinea-Bissau are on standby, making Niger look like the clear underdog - though allies Burkina Faso and Mali have pledged to fight in its defence. But ECOWAS has an Achilles heel that could mean it comes out far worse in any confrontation: public opinion in its home countries. Citizens in member states have been vocal in their opposition to any intervention, meaning the political cost of war could be huge - whichever way things go on the battlefield. Here we take a closer look how the two armies might fare against each other if ECOWAS does attack, breaking down the available troops and military hardware on each side. One thing is clear: there would be a vast amount of unnecessary death, destruction and misery, as well as division and fury.
The threat of war looms large over Niger - with ECOWAS having set a date for military action if its demands to reverse the coup in Niamey aren’t met. Forces from Nigeria, Senegal, Benin, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo and Guinea-Bissau are on standby, making Niger look like the clear underdog - though allies Burkina Faso and Mali have pledged to fight in its defence. But ECOWAS has an Achilles heel that could mean it comes out far worse in any confrontation: public opinion in its home countries. Citizens in member states have been vocal in their opposition to any intervention, meaning the political cost of war could be huge - whichever way things go on the battlefield. Here we take a closer look how the two armies might fare against each other if ECOWAS does attack, breaking down the available troops and military hardware on each side. One thing is clear: there would be a vast amount of unnecessary death, destruction and misery, as well as division and fury.
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AMERICA’S BRICKING IT
All empires rise and fall, as history has taught us.
Like a bully who beats the weakest kid in school for fun, the U.S has heavily sanctioned many African states, besides looting their wealth and killing their people.
However, oppressed countries have figured out how to tackle America without firing a shot.
They’re teaming up in an ever-expanding BRICS club, as witnessed in the recent summit in South Africa.
The bloc is hashing out an alternative payments system that will completely bypass the US dollar, rendering sanctions ineffective.
It will mean America’s unable to financially harm other countries - a prospect that former US President Donald Trump found scary in a recent interview.
In our latest reaction video, we discuss the implications of America’s decline for Africa and how to navigate this momentous event.
Look out for the whole episode on our YouTube channel!
https://youtu.be/cBhF9euzdks?si=9WI8F44rikWruRuR
Hear Us Roar: https://news.1rj.ru/str/AfricanStream
All empires rise and fall, as history has taught us.
Like a bully who beats the weakest kid in school for fun, the U.S has heavily sanctioned many African states, besides looting their wealth and killing their people.
However, oppressed countries have figured out how to tackle America without firing a shot.
They’re teaming up in an ever-expanding BRICS club, as witnessed in the recent summit in South Africa.
The bloc is hashing out an alternative payments system that will completely bypass the US dollar, rendering sanctions ineffective.
It will mean America’s unable to financially harm other countries - a prospect that former US President Donald Trump found scary in a recent interview.
In our latest reaction video, we discuss the implications of America’s decline for Africa and how to navigate this momentous event.
Look out for the whole episode on our YouTube channel!
https://youtu.be/cBhF9euzdks?si=9WI8F44rikWruRuR
Hear Us Roar: https://news.1rj.ru/str/AfricanStream
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BURKINA FASO AND RUSSIA STRENGTHEN TIES
Burkina Faso has hosted Russia’s deputy defence minister. Yunus-Bek Yevkurov came to Ouagadougou as part of his Africa tour and held talks with President Ibrahim Traoré. The sides agreed to step up cooperation on multiple fronts - including in the military sphere. Moscow has signalled its willingness to help train Burkinabe military personnel, including pilots - which may undergo training inside Russia itself. Russia’s defence ministry has moved quickly since the death of Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, apparently keen to take over the role of providing security for states fighting terrorism in the Sahel.
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Burkina Faso has hosted Russia’s deputy defence minister. Yunus-Bek Yevkurov came to Ouagadougou as part of his Africa tour and held talks with President Ibrahim Traoré. The sides agreed to step up cooperation on multiple fronts - including in the military sphere. Moscow has signalled its willingness to help train Burkinabe military personnel, including pilots - which may undergo training inside Russia itself. Russia’s defence ministry has moved quickly since the death of Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, apparently keen to take over the role of providing security for states fighting terrorism in the Sahel.
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‘THE AFRICAN UPRISING IS COMING!’
A ‘wind of change’ for West (and the rest of) Africa was predicted by Ghanian Archbishop Duncan-Williams four years ago. Since then, coups have been shaking up the status-quo in one African country after another, and his words today feel very prescient - and are well worth revisiting. Watch him analyse the reasons why an Africa-wide uprising of young people is imminent, and let us know if you think he’s right. Are more changes on the cards for the rest of Africa?
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A ‘wind of change’ for West (and the rest of) Africa was predicted by Ghanian Archbishop Duncan-Williams four years ago. Since then, coups have been shaking up the status-quo in one African country after another, and his words today feel very prescient - and are well worth revisiting. Watch him analyse the reasons why an Africa-wide uprising of young people is imminent, and let us know if you think he’s right. Are more changes on the cards for the rest of Africa?
Hear Us Roar: https://news.1rj.ru/str/AfricanStream
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NIGER'S ANTI-FRENCH PROTESTS!
Nigeriens are going nowhere - till France does! Thousands have attended a series of anti-French protests in the capital Niamey, demanding that the former coloniser remove its troops from the country. Some 1,500 French soldiers are stationed at an airbase near the city. France opposes the seizure of power by Niger’s military, which in turn accuses Paris of meddling by calling for the reinstatement of deposed president Mohamed Bazoum. Things could get ugly if France doesn’t budge, as many of the protesters have expressed a willingness to give their lives in the fight to get the ‘occupying’ force to leave.
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Nigeriens are going nowhere - till France does! Thousands have attended a series of anti-French protests in the capital Niamey, demanding that the former coloniser remove its troops from the country. Some 1,500 French soldiers are stationed at an airbase near the city. France opposes the seizure of power by Niger’s military, which in turn accuses Paris of meddling by calling for the reinstatement of deposed president Mohamed Bazoum. Things could get ugly if France doesn’t budge, as many of the protesters have expressed a willingness to give their lives in the fight to get the ‘occupying’ force to leave.
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AFRICA UNDER THE WEATHER: EXTREME EVENTS
Africa has experienced record-breaking weather in recent years. With the first Africa Climate Summit currently underway in Nairobi, let's recap some extreme weather events in Africa and related facts.
1. The Horn of Africa endured five consecutive seasons without rainfall from 2020 through 2022. More than 20-million people in the region faced severe hunger, with Somalia hardest hit, according to the World Food Programme.
2. Mozambique, Malawi and Madagascar experienced the longest-lasting tropical cyclone on record. Cyclone Freddy killed hundreds, devastated homes and displaced more than half a million people.
3. West Africa was overwhelmed by floods in 2022, which destroyed farms and crops, displaced over 3-million people and killed hundreds.
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Africa has experienced record-breaking weather in recent years. With the first Africa Climate Summit currently underway in Nairobi, let's recap some extreme weather events in Africa and related facts.
1. The Horn of Africa endured five consecutive seasons without rainfall from 2020 through 2022. More than 20-million people in the region faced severe hunger, with Somalia hardest hit, according to the World Food Programme.
2. Mozambique, Malawi and Madagascar experienced the longest-lasting tropical cyclone on record. Cyclone Freddy killed hundreds, devastated homes and displaced more than half a million people.
3. West Africa was overwhelmed by floods in 2022, which destroyed farms and crops, displaced over 3-million people and killed hundreds.
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Continued - AFRICA UNDER THE WEATHER: EXTREME EVENTS
4. Activists point out that not everyone has contributed to climate change in the same way. The world's richest 10% are responsible for half of greenhouse-gas emissions.
5. The poorest 50%, many of them in Africa, are only responsible for 10% of carbon emissions, despite an increase in population and energy consumption.
Scientists say the Global South is bearing the consequences of high carbon emissions from industrialised countries, which should contribute more towards achieving climate justice.
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4. Activists point out that not everyone has contributed to climate change in the same way. The world's richest 10% are responsible for half of greenhouse-gas emissions.
5. The poorest 50%, many of them in Africa, are only responsible for 10% of carbon emissions, despite an increase in population and energy consumption.
Scientists say the Global South is bearing the consequences of high carbon emissions from industrialised countries, which should contribute more towards achieving climate justice.
Hear Us Roar: https://news.1rj.ru/str/AfricanStream
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MUGABE: SHAME! SHAME! SHAME!
Robert Mugabe died on this day in 2019, and one thing we can say about Uncle Bob is that he didn't hold back when it came to sticking it to the imperialists - something that he continued to do right until the end. In this short but sweet clip, Zimbabwe’s straight-talking former president taunts the UK and the US for their disgraceful, neocolonial sanctions on his country. “Shame, shame, shame!” he tells them at the United Nations.
Think they feel any?
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Robert Mugabe died on this day in 2019, and one thing we can say about Uncle Bob is that he didn't hold back when it came to sticking it to the imperialists - something that he continued to do right until the end. In this short but sweet clip, Zimbabwe’s straight-talking former president taunts the UK and the US for their disgraceful, neocolonial sanctions on his country. “Shame, shame, shame!” he tells them at the United Nations.
Think they feel any?
Hear Us Roar: https://news.1rj.ru/str/AfricanStream
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WOMEN'S WEDNESDAY- CHIMAMANDA!
On this Women’s Wednesday, we dare everyone to be feminists! Nigeria’s Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie stands tall as a literary giant, and her talents shine brightly. She’s not one to shy away from challenging societal ceilings. With the pen as her wand, she conjures up tales that don't just entertain but provoke, that don't just challenge norms but cartwheel over them. A literary tightrope walker, she dances on the edge of convention, daring us all to join the revelry in the carnival of her narratives.
What’s your favourite of her works?
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On this Women’s Wednesday, we dare everyone to be feminists! Nigeria’s Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie stands tall as a literary giant, and her talents shine brightly. She’s not one to shy away from challenging societal ceilings. With the pen as her wand, she conjures up tales that don't just entertain but provoke, that don't just challenge norms but cartwheel over them. A literary tightrope walker, she dances on the edge of convention, daring us all to join the revelry in the carnival of her narratives.
What’s your favourite of her works?
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WHO KILLED TOGO’S OLYMPIO?
Togo President Sylvanus Olympio was the first leader assassinated in post-colonial Africa. We look back at the circumstances surrounding his killing sixty years ago. But one question remains.
Who ordered his murder?
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Togo President Sylvanus Olympio was the first leader assassinated in post-colonial Africa. We look back at the circumstances surrounding his killing sixty years ago. But one question remains.
Who ordered his murder?
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WESTERN CORPORATIONS STARVING AFRICA?
More than 140 million people across Africa face acute hunger, according to last year's Global Report on Food Crises. But this is not because the continent lacks any capacity to feed itself.
It’s partly because African food producers are pushed out of local markets by Western corporations. In this video, Indian scholar and food sovereignty advocate, Vandana Shiva, explains how. American governments subsidise US food firms who then dump their products on global markets and undercut African suppliers.
What’s more, many African food producers are locked out of international trade by strict Western health and safety standards. While that may sound like a good thing, Shiva argues these are a simply a disguised barrier to maintain the market share of large Western corporations.
In other words, the rules governing food production are stacked against African producers.
Do you agree with her argument?
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More than 140 million people across Africa face acute hunger, according to last year's Global Report on Food Crises. But this is not because the continent lacks any capacity to feed itself.
It’s partly because African food producers are pushed out of local markets by Western corporations. In this video, Indian scholar and food sovereignty advocate, Vandana Shiva, explains how. American governments subsidise US food firms who then dump their products on global markets and undercut African suppliers.
What’s more, many African food producers are locked out of international trade by strict Western health and safety standards. While that may sound like a good thing, Shiva argues these are a simply a disguised barrier to maintain the market share of large Western corporations.
In other words, the rules governing food production are stacked against African producers.
Do you agree with her argument?
Hear Us Roar: https://news.1rj.ru/str/AfricanStream
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‘AFRICA CAN DECARBONISE PLANET’
When it comes to decarbonising the planet, Africa is a key player.
Kenya’s president made the bold claim at the Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi. William Ruto reckons the continent is a powerhouse of untapped potential when it comes to green energy. But will it be harnessed anytime soon?
Have a listen.
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When it comes to decarbonising the planet, Africa is a key player.
Kenya’s president made the bold claim at the Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi. William Ruto reckons the continent is a powerhouse of untapped potential when it comes to green energy. But will it be harnessed anytime soon?
Have a listen.
Hear Us Roar: https://news.1rj.ru/str/AfricanStream
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