CESSATION OF DEPLOYMENT OF KENYAN POLICE TO HAITI

Kenya’s High Court has ruled plans to send Kenyan police forces to Haiti to provide security there unconstitutional.

The envisioned deployment was widely criticised as an attempt to win favour with the US (by offering up Kenya as the ‘blackface’ of US imperialist ambitions on the island nation), an infringement of Haitian sovereignty and a misuse of resources desperately needed at home - though supporters of Kenyan President William Ruto tried to sell it as a sign of African solidarity and brotherhood.

African Stream has been opposed to the policing plans from the get-go. But our CEO Ahmed Kaballo was not overly jubilant about the High Court’s decision. He explained why to community organiser Salifu Sanni, who put a more positive spin on that ruling.

What do you think?

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ECOWAS WAS WARNED?

Perhaps this was Niger’s final warning to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) before it, Burkina Faso and Niger pulled out the regional bloc.

After the July coup in Niger, which deposed then-President Mohamed Bazoum, ECOWAS imposed the strictest set of sanctions in its history against a member-state. ECOWAS, along with the eight-member West African Economic and Monetary Union, agreed to close their borders with Niger, suspend financial transactions, freeze the country’s assets in external banks and suspend financial assistance with regional development banks. The sanctions would be lifted if the coup regime reinstated Bazoum.

The sanctions, indeed, have caused hardship in Niger. However, surrounding countries also experienced adverse boomerang effects.

Continued….Livelihoods were disrupted in the formal and informal economies straddling Niger’s 1,608-kilometre (999-mile) border with Nigeria. Sanctions also exacerbated humanitarian crises.

The three states seemed unbothered, however, as they went on to establish a mutual defence pact in the form of the Alliance of Sahel States on 16 September.

Taking a look at this clip from December, do you think ECOWAS got a fair warning of the three states’ 28 January announcement to exit the regional bloc?

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CONGOLESE AND IVORIAN BROTHERHOOD AT AFCON

On rare occasions, adversity sees rivalries between football fans put to one side. And AFCON gave us the perfect example with Ivory Coast and DR Congo fans embracing each other after Wednesday’s semi-final.

Even though the hosts beat Les Leopards, there was no animosity. Only an acknowledgement and understanding of the horrific massacres taking place in the Central African country.

For decades armed groups have been fighting to control the nation’s mineral-rich eastern region. Millions of civilians have been killed and displaced as a result. DRC players silently protested on the pitch before the game kicked off.

Continued…..And after the game, Ivory Coast fans showed they also cared with respect and unity on the streets of Abidjan. A moment of African camaraderie and a moment to remember.

The Elephants now head to Sunday’s final, where they take on Nigeria. But whatever happens there, the home fans have shown their class. Thank you.

If you also liked what they did, let us know in the comments.

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Judge Julia Sebutinde made headlines for her dissenting opinion on South Africa's genocide case against Israel.

And, as of 6 February, she is the International Court of Justice (ICJ)'s Vice-President.

She will deputise Lebanese Judge Nawaf Salam, who was elected president. Their ICJ peers voted by secret ballot for each judge to serve 3-year terms, effective immediately.

Sebutinde, the first African woman to serve on the ICJ, was the only judge to vote against all provisional measures that the 17-member ICJ panel adopted 15-2 on 26 January. They ordered Israel to implement measures to prevent the genocide of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. A day later, the Ugandan government released a statement saying her vote did not reflect its position.

Continued…. During a visit to Botswana, a G7 delegation failed to give concrete answers when asked by journalist how the proposed certification system would differ from the KP.

Under the KP, the certification of diamonds is done in Botswana, making it more cost effective for African diamond producers, who contribute more than 60% of the rough diamonds that enter the global market. The certification of diamonds within the continent has helped efforts by African countries to add value to the stones before exporting them - thereby making more profit on them, and also creating more jobs in the continent’s diamond industry

The proposal to move the certification process from Africa to Europe has led to fears that this is simply another ploy by the West to maintain control over African resources and sabotage efforts by African nations to maximise the benefits from their minerals.

What do you think is really at stake here?

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AMERICA’S SLAVE-BREEDING PLANTATIONS

There’s a dark aspect of US history that’s often ignored - the sick practice of ‘slave breeding.’

Slave owners would force male captives to have sex with female ones to impregnate them - in they hope that any offspring could also be sold into slavery for profit. The girls were typically young and selected for their child-rearing potential.

In this interview clip, the issue is brought into the open by rapper Felipe Andres Coronel - better known by his stage name, Immortal Technique. He points out that many White Americans are too ashamed to admit this awful part of their heritage.

Hands up in the comments if you think this should be in the history text books!

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MALEMA: ‘NO TO FOREIGN MILITARY BASES IN AFRICA’

In the last two decades, the African continent has seen a proliferation of foreign military bases, a phenomenon that some stakeholders say puts the security and sovereignty of the continent at risk. Here is Julius Malema, president of South Africa’s pan-Africanist political party, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), sharing this view at an EFF Diplomatic Breakfast in August 2023.

Malema’s statements are akin to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent remarks to US journalist Tucker Carlson. In the interview, Putin said the conflict in Ukraine was motivated, in part, by NATO’s eastward expansion.

Continued….He pointed to US hypocrisy in pushing for Ukraine’s membership in NATO, which stands in contrast to the United States’ spirited opposition to the USSR placing missiles in Cuba in the 1960s.

Given US military operations and so-called military partnerships on the continent, might it make sense for Africa to place a military base in the US? Let us know what you think.

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9 February marks the 74th anniversary of US Senator Joseph McCarthy giving a speech noscriptd, ‘Enemies From Within.’ It paved the way for anti-communist paranoia and persecution, referred to as ‘McCarthyism.’

Starting in the late 1940s, the United States attempted to stifle communist sentiment in the United States, which had been gaining traction in Global South countries. Estimates say the US government arrested hundreds of people and caused more than 10,000 people to lose their jobs. Africans were among those targeted.

For example, after the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave the ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, an FBI official called King the ‘most dangerous Negro … from the standpoint of communism, the Negro and national security.’ His family is suing the government for its role in his 1968 assassination.

With the support of the FBI, the Chicago Police Department murdered Fred Hampton in his bed in 1969.

Continued…The 21-year-old was chairman of the Black Panther Party’s Illinois chapter. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover referred to the party as the ‘greatest threat to the internal security of the country.’

When actor and singer Paul Robeson refused to recant his political beliefs, the US government confiscated his passport in 1950, and his income plummeted. This followed his visit to the USSR where he remarked at the absence of racism as in the US.

In Africa, with the CIA’s help, the apartheid government arrested Nelson Mandela in 1962. Then, the US government placed the South African freedom fighter on a terror watch list until 2008. It also monitored Mandela and the African National Congress (ANC) due to suspected communist ties.

Meanwhile, the US government referred to the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s first democratically elected prime minister, Patrice Lumumba, as ‘Castro or worse.’ The CIA claimed the USSR and other states had paid Lumumba for loyalty.

However, McCarthyism never ended. Today, many who do not subscribe to the West’s so-called ‘rules-based order’ are branded ‘China shills’ or ‘Kremlin bots.’

Is it possible for African agency to exist without us being smeared as unwitting pawns of the West’s enemies? Let us know what you think.

SOUTH AFRICA F.M.: ‘ISRAELI INTELLIGENCE TARGETING MY FAMILY’

Israeli intelligence services have Naledi Pandor in their crosshairs. That’s according to the South African foreign minister. She recently conveyed to @salaam_onair that people have sent her threatening messages on social media that have mentioned her children, which prompted her to ask for more security.

However, Pandor remains unshaken in her support for Palestine. Pandor criticised the African Union for granting observer status to Israel in 2022 without consulting member-states, going on to say South Africa would have to reconsider its membership. In 2023, the AU rescinded Israel’s observer status.

Continued….Meanwhile, Israeli intelligence has been used for ulterior ends against Africa. For example, a 2021 leak alleged Israeli cyber-arms company NSO Group’s spyware, Pegasus, monitored South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, since 2019. Rwanda’s government had been accused of placing Ramaphosa’s phone number on a list of thousands of people to track using Pegasus. However, Rwanda denied the claim.

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KILLER MIKE GRAMMY ARREST RACIST?

Here’s a question for you. Was the arrest of Black rapper, Killer Mike, at the Grammys racist?

Well, that’s what Atlanta-based Hip Hop radio station, Hot 107.9, suggests in this clip. After all, the artist had just won best rap album, best rap song and best rap performance and ended up leaving in handcuffs. Can you imagine the same happening to Taylor Swift or another artist of non-African descent?

It was alleged he’d pushed over a female security guard backstage and was detained for ‘misdemeanour battery’. Details of what happened were only released after a public outcry.

The radio hosts say the ‘atrocity’ reflects the story of the Black man in America. When he gets success, there’s always someone looking to take him down.

Killer Mike, whose real name is Michael Render, is due in court on February 29th.

Comments page ready and waiting.

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DRC PLAYERS: ‘WORLD SILENT OVER MASSACRE’

Democratic Republic of Congo’s amazing run to the semi-finals at AFCON gave fans plenty to celebrate.
But it also gave players a chance to highlight horrific mass violence that’s swept their country’s east for decades.

Just before they kicked off against Ivory Coast, they covered their mouths to demonstrate the world’s silence on what’s happening. The team’s captain also raised awareness on social media.

Over a hundred armed groups are battling for control of resources needed for modern-day phones and laptops. Meanwhile imperialist multinationals are raking in tremendous profit. Fighting and exploitation of the region has killed six million and displaced many more.

Fair play to the players for taking a stand, but will it change anything?

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BAFANA BAFANA A VICTORY FOR DEMOGRAPHICS?

South Africa’s footballers bowed out of AFCON with their heads held high. A penalty-shootout defeat to Nigeria ended their dream of winning the tournament for only a second time. But away from the pitch, their performance has ignited a debate on the transformation of sport in the post-apartheid era.

South Africa’s national football team almost reflects the country’s demographics. Ok, every player in the starting eleven on Wednesday night was Black. But that means they only needed one White player to be representative of a country where Blacks make up around 90 per cent of the population.

Compare that to the nation’s Rugby team, the Springboks. During their World Cup triumph last year, half the squad was White. An improvement on previous years but for many still not good enough.

Continued….After all, it’s nearly thirty years since the end of apartheid when Blacks were banned from playing rugby and the national side refused to compete against teams that fielded non-Whites.

It’s a point that wasn’t lost on Mbuyiseni Ndlozi , a politician and senior member of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party. When South Africa’s rugby stars won the World Cup for a third time in 2019, he made this fiery speech.

Progress has been made since then, but his point is still relevant. Today, laws may not prevent players of colour from donning the green and gold jersey, but social-economic barriers do.

Until the rugby team looks like football team, can we really say sport has won the post-apartheid battle?

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EGYPTIAN: ‘BRITS, RETURN STATUE!’

The British stole the top half of the Queen Ahmose-Meritamon statue many decades ago. It’s now displayed in the British Museum, so this Egyptian pleads in this video that Brits return the bust.

Many peoples around the world have demanded former colonisers return artefacts they stole. What’s the best way to get back our belongings? Let us know in the comments.