An exposé this week laid bare Israel’s nine-year campaign to sabotage the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) investigation into Israel’s crimes in occupied Palestine. Prosecutor Karim Khan had alluded to this on 20 May with a cryptic warning against ‘all attempts to impede, intimidate or improperly influence the officials of this court.’

According to the investigation by the Guardian and Israeli-based magazines +972 and Local Call, long before Khan was in Israeli crosshairs, Tel Aviv had threatened and spied on his predecessor, Gambian lawyer Fatou Bensouda. The reason they felt bold enough to target her, according to one cited Israeli official, was that she was ‘Black and African’ and thus inconsequential.

Continued…. Israeli intelligence allegedly routinely spied on Bensouda and her staff’s phone calls, intercepting conversations with any person in the West Bank or the Gaza Strip.

The investigation reports that high-ranking Israeli figures, such as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s close ally and then-head of Mossad, Yossi Cohen, played instrumental roles. For example, after allegedly moving Bensouda’s staff out of the room, Cohen ‘ambushed’ a meeting between Bensouda and then-Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) President Joseph Kabila in a New York hotel suite to persuade her to drop the investigations. Kabila allegedly knew the ambush would occur. When persuasion failed, threats came. Cohen is said to have commented about Bensouda’s security and thinly veiled threats about the consequences for her career. Israel even started a smear campaign against her family, with accusations distributed among Western diplomatic circles accusing her of corruption.

Amid Israel’s police harassing and beating Ethiopian Jews, an Israeli official admitting health facilities systematically sterilised Ethiopian women, and now this, perhaps African Z*onists might want to reconsider defending an entity that doesn’t appear to respect our people.

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RUTO’S BROKEN PROMISES

Ruto’s been in charge of Kenya for two years now - and many who voted for him because they believed his promise that he would improve the lives of the less well off have very much fallen out of love with him. But that’s not his only failure to deliver. Homes are being demolished, not made more affordable. Taxes are going up. And he jet-sets in lavish private planes. His team are saying, “Wait and see - he’s signed big deals in the US that will benefit all.” But can Kenyans hit by the ever rising cost of living really wait any longer?

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BARBADOS PM BLASTS BEEB’S COLONIAL MINDSET

Funny how Western narratives can suddenly fall apart. In this clip from back in August, 2021 BBC host Zeinab Badawi tries to lecture the Barbados Prime Minister about the dangers of doing trade with China. The suggestion is the Caribbean nation is swapping one colonial master for another. An argument frequently levelled at African countries doing business with Beijing. However, it’s then pointed out the US and Europe do more trade with China than anyone else, and it’s not considered a threat. And when you look at the figures, it’s not just a bit more, it’s multiple times more.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, in 2022, Beijing’s annual trade with the EU was around $780b, $660b with the US and $280b with Africa.

Continued….. The 2019 figure for the Caribbean was around $8b. So, how come the host isn’t worried about the West doing business with Beijing , but reckons Barbados should look out? The Barbados leader knows why and puts the presenter in ‘her place.’

Have a listen.

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ONE YEAR OF TINUBU

Nigeria’s president Bola Tinubu is one year into the job. He’s rolled out some pretty controversial policies in that time. While he did mention some of these on campaign, many Nigerians have been taken aback. New taxes and a currency reform that’s seen the naira plummet have widened the gap between rich and poor, while his administration spends lavishly - including on itself. Petrol is scarce, despite Nigeria’s huge oil supplies, and a growing number of businesses are shutting up shop. Yet while Tinubu has dismayed many, he’s also still got his supporters. African Stream’s Poloum David takes a detailed look at what he’s brought to Nigeria’s table - and got reactions from residents in Abuja.

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Continued….. The demonstration was organised by pan-African group Africa Rising, and called on the Zambian government to ditch visa-entry requirements for Africans and the diaspora. It’s certainly in line with the country’s founding President Kenneth Kaunda. He was a renowned Pan-Africanist whose leadership significantly aided the liberation of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Angola and Mozambique.

Will Zambia take the lead?

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FREE THE DRC FREE PALESTINE

Pictures can speak louder than words, and it was certainly the case when a DRC flag was hoisted behind President Joe Biden. The US leader was speaking at the graduation ceremony of Morehouse College, when two professors pulled off the silent demonstration.

They say they did it to highlight the United States’ complicity in the exploitation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Washington supports Rwanda which is accused of backing M23 rebels in the east of the country. It’s from there diamonds are extracted to fund Israel’s oppression of Palestinians.

African Studies Professor Samuel Livingston didn’t mince his words in an interview with Democracy Now. And we appreciate his actions along with fellow International Relations professor Cynthia Hewitt.

African Stream’s @ahmed.ghoneim.official, breaks down their heroic protest and how it shows the inextricable link between struggles demanding peace, justice and dignity.

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The naira in free fall, government wastage, run-away corruption, inflation, insecurity and a worsening economic crisis. If you thought Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s record was already dismal one year after taking charge of Africa’s most populous country, it’s just got even worse. With little to no public dialogue, he’s changed the country’s national anthem, replacing it with a version that was not only written by a Brit but also was dropped nearly half a century ago because it lacked Nigerian input. The 72-year-old head of state assented to a bill proposing the change just a day after lawmakers, drawn mostly from the ruling party, rushed it through both chambers of the National Assembly in just one week. The readopted anthem was first introduced in 1960 when Nigeria gained independence from Britain before it was dropped by a military government in 1978.

BIDEN GETS AWAY WITH MURDER?

In this clip, content creator Somaya pointed out the mainstream US media has not been holding US President Joe Biden accountable for continuously saying he has seen photos of babies H*m*s allegedly had beheaded, even though the White House itself walked back that claim. The Nigerian sister argued a bias exists, whereby the media is more lenient with Democratic Party presidents than when Republicans like Donald Trump took office. News outlets began publishing regular fact-checks during his term.

Continued…. The 1988 book, ‘Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media,’ argued that US mass media perpetuates powerful elites’ interests. The book outlined five mechanisms that filter media content: Ownership, advertising, sourcing, flak (slang for a public relations professional), and anti-communism.

In the 1990s, media consolidation significantly accelerated under Democratic President Bill Clinton, primarily due to the Telecommunications Act of 1996. This landmark legislation aimed to foster ‘competition and innovation.’ However, it led corporations like CBS, Disney, General Electric, News Corp., Time Warner and Viacom buying out smaller media companies, drastically reducing the number of media outlets.

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SUDAN’S FEMALE ARMY FIGHT R*PE

Thousands of Sudanese woman have answered calls by the country’s army to take up arms and fight. They’re being trained at military centres as the 13-month war against the Rapid Support Forces militia rages on.

But the main incentive for many women is self defence, with spiralling incidents of r*pe being committed by RSF soldiers.

Qatar-based network Al Jazeera visited one of the training camps and spoke to recruits who’re fighting for their survival. This is their report.

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PT. 1: STANDING FOR CONGO & PALESTINE

Here, we have representatives from two generations fighting for one cause. One is a 20-year-old Palestinian activist studying at Georgetown University who was part of a student encampment police cleared on 8 May; the other is a Black organiser with nearly 60 years’ experience.

Selina Al-Shihabi of the DMV (District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia) Students for Justice in Palestine Coalition and Friends of the Congo co-founder Paul Pumphrey joined a coalition of organisers and advocates on 29 May at the Swiss embassy in Washington to protest mining giant Glencore’s annual general meeting in Switzerland. While their focuses seem disparate, they share a common purpose in spotlighting big businesses and governments for their role in oppressing and exploiting vulnerable people worldwide. 

Continued…. Watch part 1 of their passionate exposition of the Congo’s tragic situation, in which mining companies aided by Western powers continue to milk the giant central African country dry. The UN and others have accused Congo of helping create a conflict that has k*lled at least 6 million since the 1990s and displaced more than 8 million. 

The coalition’s action on Wednesday represents a growth in consciousness in the global movement of resistance, transcending generations, nationalities and social classes. Their work is a testament to the power of collective action to birth a new reality.

Help these two activists roar louder by sharing and commenting on this video.

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