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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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?

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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.

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BABY-KILLING SYRUP RECALLED

More African countries have recalled potentially deadly batches of a cough medicine made by Johnson and Johnson. Warnings have been made over Benylin Paediatric syrup made in 2021, which contains toxins that cause kidney failure.

It’s now being taken off the shelves in Tanzania, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa. Since 2022 the medicine’s been linked to dozens of child deaths in Gambia, Cameroon and Uzbekistan.

The product is currently produced by J&J spin-off firm Kenvue, which says it’s recorded no adverse reactions to the syrup from May 2021 to April 11th, 2024. It also says it’s working closely with authorities to determine a course of action

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UNBREAKABLE BOND SOMALIA SUPPORTS SUDAN REFUGEES

With the war in Sudan crossing the one-year mark with no end in sight, there’s been a wonderful show of solidarity among African brothers.

The Sudanese community in Somalia held a football tournament with help from their embassy in Mogadishu. Hosted over Ramadan, it was a way for Sudanese refugees to come together despite being away from their homeland.

Sudan-Somalia solidarity goes back decades. Both countries established relations upon independence and have enjoyed strong bilateral ties ever since. When civil war gripped Somalia three decades ago, Sudan graciously hosted many Somali refugees, including young students.

This latest tournament is perhaps another glimpse of what an Africa without European borders could look like. Her people free to help each other move around the continent. This heartwarming report is from Chinese network CGTN.

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WE REACT: HOW & WHY THE U.S. HIJACKS DEMOCRACY

The United States claims to be a guardian of democracy and goes to great lengths to sanitise US imperialism through this lens. Take Niger, once hailed as a democracy by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, despite irregularities marring previous elections in Niger.

The US military occupation of Africa does not reflect the will of Africans. In reality, the US presence has only brought chaos, fueling mass protests in Niger, Iraq, South Korea and Okinawa.

On the other hand, when military administrations enjoying popular support ascend to power, they are immediately accused of being undemocratic. What, then, is democracy if not the will of the people by the people?

While the US accuses Russia of undermining democracy by working with governments, the US government supports 73 per cent of the world’s dictatorships, according to US-based attorney and activist Rich Whitney.

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U.S. IGNORING OWN LAWS TO SUPPORT ISRAELI CRIMES

The United States has long violated its own laws that forbid US financial, military or humanitarian aid to countries that violate international law.

Josh Paul famously resigned in October after 11 years overseeing arms transfers, security assistance and ‘defence diplomacy’ at the US State Department. His move protested US policy on Israel’s bombardment and siege of the Gaza Strip. The former official with a history in security consulting recently told @democracynow’s @juangon68 that, until the 7 October escalation, he had never seen a US administration avoid seeking a legal opinion and intelligence assessments for arms transfers.

Take a look and let us know what you think.

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EVERY AFRICAN CAPITAL: THE A’S

Every African country has a capital city - but some have two, like Eswatini… or even three, like South Africa!

Africa’s capital cities typically hold the seat of power, but they’re not always a nation’s best known metropolis - as is the case with Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, South Africa and Tanzania.

While the UN recognises 54 countries in Africa, the African Union recognises 55.

In our latest series, we’re going to take you on an alphabetical tour of each of them - including also Western Sahara’s Laayoune and Tifariti cities (the latter being where the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic is planning to move its capital, as the former is in disputed, Morocco-occupied territory).

So fasten your seatbelts as we start with the A’s…

Which one is your favourite?

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MALCOLM X EXPLAINS HIS NAME

European colonisers have stripped much from African people, including our identities, so we take back our power by defining ourselves.

In this 1963 clip, Malcolm X corrected a white reporter who posed multiple questions about the legality of the name ‘Malcolm X.’ Through Malcolm’s insistence on his right to self-define, he laid out the brutal history of chattel slavery that denied Africans in the Americas the right to know their identities and family histories.

In some traditional African societies, griots, or oral historians, were responsible for remembering and sharing family bloodlines. They would often refer to individuals as ‘the son of … who was the son of …’ and on it went.

While Malcolm X’s family may have understood that the US system denied them the knowledge of their lineage, Malcolm could place himself in the lineage of a new tradition, Black radicalism.

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