Continued…. In another visible sign alliances have shifted, dozens of Russian military instructors have arrived in Niger as part of a new agreement.
Nigerien state media report they will install a new a state-of-the-art air defence system and teach Niger's army how to use it.

Since seizing power, Niamey’s revolutionary military leaders have been busy reshaping geopolitics in the region. They’ve formed a joint defence pact with neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso and all three are now part of a new Sahel Alliance. The trio have also exited the regional bloc ECOWAS. Will these moves help bring peace and security to West Africa?

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio

SUDANESE: END THE WAR MILITARILY

It’s been a year since the brutal war in Sudan started in April, 2023. The conflict between the Sudan Army and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group has brought the country to its knees.

The UN says at least 13,000-15000 people have been killed to and around 8.5 million people have fled their homes, with the true figures likely to much higher than that. That’s seen neighbouring countries like Chad receive the largest influx of refugees in its history. The humanitarian situation within Sudan is getting worse with widespread shortages of food and medicine. It’s been dubbed the forgotten war, with international media and politicians giving it little attention.

In this short clip, we get the views of three Sudanese. All of them frustrated and confused about why they, the sudanese citizens, have been the ones made to suffer.

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio

In a message that could have been drafted at the White House or 10 Downing Street, Kenyan President William Ruto has defended Israel, accusing Iran of violating international law over what he termed as Tehran’s ‘act of aggression’ against Israel.

Posting on his X (previously known as Twitter), Ruto said Iran’s retaliatory drone and missile strikes on Israel on 13 April ‘represents a real and present threat to international peace and security, contravenes the Charter of the United Nations.’

However, what Ruto neglected to state was that Tehran’s attack was a response to a deadly 1 April Israeli attack on Iran’s consulate in Syria, which killed 16 people, including two Iranian military officials, seven Iranian soldiers and others. Ruto did not condemn that attack, an act in contravention of the Vienna Convention, which lays out how diplomatic buildings should be protected.

Most social media users who responded to Ruto’s post accused him of being biased and trying to appease the West.

NIGERIENS WANT U.S. OUT ASAP

People marched in protest though Niger’s capital - demanding that US troops quit their country immediately. A month ago, Niamey terminated a military deal with Washington under which American forces had been allowed to operate two bases in Niger.

The demonstrators waved flags, reminiscent of anti-French protests last year. Last year’s military coup shifted alliances, with Niger previously a key partner of France and the US in countering terrorism in the Sahel region.

But the country is now apparently looking to Moscow for security collaboration - with Russian military instructors and equipment arriving on Wednesday.

How do you see Niger’s new posture? Are you glad it’s getting rid of US boots on its ground? And what about its new partnership?

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio

A LETTER & A BANKING FAMILY THE CREATION OF ISRAEL

The creation of Israel in Palestine owes much to a 1917 letter from then-British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour addressed to Walter Rothschild, the 2nd Baron Rothschild, of the wealthy banking family.

To commemorate the letter’s 100th anniversary, Daniel Taub, former Israeli ambassador to the United Kingdom, sat down in 2017 with the family’s 4th baron to delve into what is today known as the ‘Balfour Declaration.’ Listen as Jacob Rothschild (1936-2024) reveals how Eastern European Zionists influenced the British government by using his family’s connections to support a settler colony in Palestine.

Continued…. Jacob’s uncle, Walter (1868-1937), a Zionist, was chosen thanks to his wealth and political connections. Note the reference in the letter to ‘civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine.’

The Balfour Declaration altered the course of West Asian and African history by helping impose a settler occupying force on land already inhabited by Semitic-speaking peoples. From its creation in 1948, Israel has violated the rights of Palestinians, displacing 750,000 people at the time and—with Western support— subjugating a nation of people for the next almost 76 years.

Does a foreign minister’s letter to a wealthy family warrant the dispossession of a whole nation?

Let us know your thoughts.

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio

MSF: WORLD’S LOW SUDAN AWARENESS ‘UNACCEPTABLE’

It’s a grim anniversary for Sudan - whose brutal civil war has now raged for a whole year. Astonishingly, the world seem to have largely lost interest in what’s happening in the country and to its people - despite a mounting humanitarian catastrophe. Thousands have been killed, but also millions displaced - and there are severe shortages of food and basic medicines.

The charity Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) is doing its bit to try and get global attention back to Sudan. They’ve just released a clip where one of their team explains the extreme urgency of the situation.

Have a watch and share your reactions in the comments.

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio

IRAN: ISRAEL A THREAT TO INTERNATIONAL PEACE

‘Stop Israel before it sets the whole region on fire.’

That was Iran’s message to the world during a heated UN Security Council emergency session that Israel called to discuss Iran’s retaliatory strikes on Tel Aviv.

Tehran’s envoy to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, called on the body to take action against Tel Aviv’s ‘destabilising and irresponsible actions.’ He said Israel’s recent acts, such as the 1 April attack on the Persian nation’s consulate in Syria, can potentially engulf the entire region in a bloody war. Iravani warned that the UN’s failure to hold Israel accountable in the past has only emboldened Tel Aviv to continue on its path of aggression.

Continued…On 13 April, Iran launched a barrage of drones and missiles on Israel to retaliate against Tel Aviv for attacking its diplomatic station in Damascus, killing 16 people, including two senior Iranian generals. Embassies and consulates are considered the sovereign territory of respective countries. Proportional retaliation is a right per international law.

The incident has brought Iran and Israel to the brink of war. That would negatively affect Africa because it would take place on the doorstep of Egypt, which shares a border with Israel. Other African countries such as Sudan, Djibouti and Eritrea would also be affected as they sit on the Red Sea, which would inevitably turn into a theatre of war.

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio

U.S. DOUBLE STANDARDS ON PALESTINE VS. ISRAEL

Pan-Africanist Malcolm X once said, ‘And, when I speak, I don’t speak as a Democrat or a Republican nor an American. I speak as a victim of America’s so-called democracy. You and I have never seen democracy. All we’ve seen is hypocrisy.’

US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby perhaps epitomises the hypocrisy of the United States’ so-called democracy. These two clips, just days apart from each other after the 7 October escalation in the 75-year Israeli occupation of Palestine, make that clear. On 9 October, Kirby appeared upset and unable to speak fluidly in discussing the deaths of US and Israeli citizens. But on 24 October, Kirby excused Israel’s military killing Palestinians using US weaponry.

Continued…We have seen these double standards as US officials change their tone when discussing the loss of life among the global majority, as if our deaths were merely collateral damage or business as usual. Yet, tears flow when it comes to the lives of allies or whiter individuals.

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio

RULES FOR THEE, BUT NOT FOR ME CAMERON ON IRAN REACTION

Iran's not allowed to retaliate for Israel bombing its consulate in Syria on 1 April, that killed seven including two top commanders, according to British Foreign Secretary David Cameron. A prominent advocate of the so-called 'rules-based order,' he refused to provide a clear answer when Sky News host Kay Burley asked whether Iran had a right to respond to the destruction of its sovereign property. However, when asked how Britain would react to a country flattening one of its embassies overseas, Cameron replied that his government would respond 'very strongly.'

This telling exchange has for many online exposed Western double standards with regards to international law.

Continued…. On 13 April, Iran sent a barrage of missiles and drones into Israel to retaliate for Israel killing 16 people at its Damascus consulate on 1 April.

Cameron avoided answering the journalist's question about Iran's right to retaliate—per international law—and implied Tel Aviv doesn't have to honour the Geneva Conventions, which protect diplomatic and consular installations and their personnel.

Is international law respected across the board or is it dependent on who violates it?

Let us know in the comments

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio

PALESTINIANS TEAR DOWN PARTS OF WEST BANK ‘APARTHEID WALL’

During Iran’s retaliatory strikes against Israel on 13 April, Palestinians tore down parts of a 708-kilometre-long, 9-metre-high barrier near the Beit El Israeli settlement in the West Bank.

Israel built the barrier during the second Intifada (Palestinian uprising) between 2000 and 2005. In 2004, the International Court of Justice branded the steel and concrete ‘apartheid wall’ a political measure and a de facto land grab, as about 80 per cent of Israeli settlers lived within the walls at the time, preventing Palestinians’ free movement. The judges called the wall—which Israel dubbed an ‘anti-terror fence’—a violation of human rights and international law, ordering Israel to tear it down and make reparations.

Continued…. The court also called on the UN to consider measures against Israel, but nothing has happened for two decades.

In the meantime, the Palestinian side of the West Bank wall has become a canvas for graffiti art, showcasing opposition to segregation, Palestinians’ right to return, as well as support for human rights in general.

The West Bank wall’s rupture could be a milestone in the Palestinian liberation struggle and a dent in the Western-backed, Israeli settler-colonial project.

Could this event foreshadow the end of the Israeli apartheid state? Let us know what you think.

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio

RUSSIAN KIT ARRIVES: NIGERIENS REACT

Dozens of Russian military trainers have landed in Niger under a fresh accord with the nation’s military leadership, which has severed ties with Western countries.

According to Nigerien state media, the Russians were accompanied by a cutting-edge air-defence system. Their mission is to install the system and impart operational knowledge to Niger’s military.

Niger, like other Sahelian nations, has recently bolstered its relations with Russia, stirring discussion across the African world. In this clip, Nigeriens react to the latest developments.

What do you think of Niger’s new security alliance?

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio

FROM DARFUR TO KAMPALA: A REFUGEE FAMILY’S STORY

The war between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group and Sudan’s army started a year ago. In that time, the conflict has created a massive refugee crisis - with more than 8-million people displaced internally, and over 2 million fleeing abroad.

In this clip, one Sudanese family relates how they escaped the genocidal violence in Darfur by making the journey - including through harsh desert - to Uganda’s Kampala.

It was a tough trip, and conditions aren’t easy in their new home. But with 25-million Sudanese facing a humanitarian emergency, they could be called lucky.

Have a watch and please share your reaction.

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio