Continued….. Production hotspots such as Al Jazira State have been hit hard. Producing half of Sudan’s wheat and 10% of its sorghum, the arrival of conflict in the capital, Wad Medani, saw farmers flee the land they’d cultivated for generations.

Across Sudan, cereal production was 46% lower in 2023 than in 2022, and there is little hope for 2024. According to a report by ReliefWeb last year, food insecurity is 70 per cent higher than pre-conflict levels.

Video credit: @afrincansinnews

The government of Argentina says it stands in solidarity with its racist-tainted football team. The national side sparked outrage after celebrating their recent Copa America noscript by singing racist songs about Black French players. In a viral clip live-streamed by Argentina and Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez, they chanted: ‘They play for France, but their parents are from Angola. Their mother is from Cameroon, while their father is from Nigeria, but their passport says French.’

In response, the French Football Federation has filed a complaint with FIFA, the sport’s world governing body. Enzo Fernadez has also been forced to apologise to his Black teammates at Chelsea.

Continued……However, there’s no hint of sorrow from Argentina’s Vice President Victoria Villarruel. She’s hit back with an instagram post saying ‘No colonial country will intimidate us.’ President Javier Milei has also come out fighting. He’s sacked his deputy sports minister, Julio Garro, for asking team captain Lionel Messi to apologise for what happened.

Looks like demanding an apology for a racist incident is where Argentina draws the line, not racism itself.

IBRAHIM TRAORÉ: NO MORE MINING FOR THE WEST

Imperialists beware! Burkina Faso President Ibrahim Traoré made clear during his 11 July address to the nation that foreign powers will no longer be allowed to dictate which weapons the military receives, block the reception of specific military equipment and continue to exploit the landlocked African country’s natural resources.

Traoré said Burkina Faso will revoke mining licences for states that continue to do so and that it is ready to mine its own resources.

Continued……Before the revolutionary coup in Africa’s arid Sahel region south of the Sahara Desert, Burkina Faso’s neighbours in Mali had accused France of using threats and manipulation to block equipment sales between Mali and Russia, a scandal reported in local Burkinabé news sources, such as minute.bf. Word quickly spread that France had similarly blocked Burkina Faso’s access to Russian weapons, which, before Traoré’s government, Burkinabé ministers vigorously denied.

Now, Traoré has confirmed such speculations. And Burkina Faso has made one thing clear: If you are going to use its mines, it has to be in exchange for something of value, such as access to weapons needed to end terrorism. Counter-terrorism efforts kicked off after weapons flooded the Sahara Desert following the 2011 NATO-backed overthrow of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, destabilising the most prosperous African state at the time.

Video credit: Faso7 TV (@faso7tv on YT, @faso7_bf on X and IG, @faso7bf on TikTok)

HULK HOGAN FOR TRUMP

The US is a circus, is it not? Faced with imperial implosion as witnessed by over half a million homeless people, unaffordable healthcare, crumbling infrastructure while the military is earmarked to receive a trillion dollars annually, the ruling class has turned to spectacle and neon lights as a distraction. In this video, former wrestling star Hulk Hogan endorses Donald Trump in his trademark shirt-ripoff fashion.

Birds of a feather flock together. That means while Hogan was sacked from WWE over allegations of racism after he referred to his daughter's Black lover using the N-word, Trump, during his previous presidential term, was quoted referring to African states as “shithole countries”. More recently, during a televised debate with his main rival for the US presidency, Joe Biden, Trump referred to labour intensive, low wage gigs as ‘Black jobs.’

But really, are the Democrats any better?

Continued….. Was it not Biden who played a pivotal role in authoring the 1994 Crime Bill, which disproportionately put Black men behind bars and fuelled the ever-sprawling prison industrial complex? He also opposed attempts to desegregate school buses. During a 1977 Senate Judiciary hearing Biden said, "Unless we do something about this, my children are going to grow up in a jungle, the jungle being a racial jungle with tensions having built so high that it is going to explode at some point."

Regardless who occupies the White House, no US presidential candidate seems to have a bonafide or even hint of a Black People’s Agenda. But no worries, brothers and sisters, here comes Hulk Hogan, leaping about and ripping his shirt to shreds, ready to save the day!

Credit: NBC News

SMEAR CAMPAIGN AGAINST INDIE MEDIA - THE GRAYZONE EXPLAINS

Independent news outlets African Stream and The Grayzone have recently been in the crosshairs of Western corporate media houses. 

For instance, US-based NBC ran a smear piece on African Stream, accusing us of disinformation without evidence. The Grayzone (@thegrayzonenews on IG, TikTok and X) has been on the circuit much longer. This year, a Washington Post journalist attempted to smear the Grayzone for its reporting on the October 7th attacks, even though it included information that Israeli media sources have corroborated.

Continued……Another Washington Post article reported on what has been in the public domain for years: A Grayzone editor had been a paid contributor for an Iranian state-run news outlet, Press TV.

In the latest ‘Pan-African Attitude’ episode, our guest, Grayzone founder and editor @maxblumenthal (X), theorised Western imperialists’ goal is to control the narrative. Much of the US public views mainstream outlets like NBC and the Washington Post as trusted sources, so online encyclopaedias like Wikipedia use these news outlets’ material to flesh out pages. However, in 2007, the US-based research foundation Santa Fe Institute announced their application, WikiScanner, tracked the source for Wikipedia edits to CIA and FBI computers. When online tools that use artificial intelligence, like ChatGPT, churn out answers based on internet scans of websites like Wikipedia, propaganda against independent media becomes consolidated.

Have a watch, and please let us know what you think.

State-run Emirates News Agency (WAM) reports Sudan’s army chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, called UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Thursday, 18 July, to discuss the 15-month war in Sudan that has k*lled at least 15,000 Sudanese and as many as 150,000, by a US envoy’s estimate. What makes this first phone call since the war began significant is the Sudanese ambassador recently accused the UAE of supporting one side, the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF), as many on the ground accuse the RSF of committing atrocities against civilians in its war against the Sudanese army.

The WAM report went on to say the army released a statement on Friday, 19 July, stating Burhan called on Zayed to cease support for the RSF. WAM reported Zayed seeks an end to the war in a way that brings ‘development and prosperity.’

Since Sudan’s army and the RSF went to war on 15 April 2023, after years of attempting to move toward civilian rule, the world’s largest displacement crisis has taken hold.

Continued….. About 7.1 million Sudanese have been forced to flee to refugee camps, in addition to close to 2.8 million people previously internally displaced and another 2 million who fled abroad. Half of the population of nearly 50 million people face hunger.

On social media, Sudanese have speculated about the UAE imposing conditions on the army to end the war, including controlling Sudanese farmland, influencing the construction of a new commercial port around the Red Sea and keeping a grip on gold mines that the RSF has reportedly overseen.

The truth is no one outside of Burhan’s camp or bin Zayed’s camp knows what was discussed. We can just hope and pray that peace is coming soon to the people of Sudan.

But what do you think of the social media speculations? Let us know in the comments.

EMIRATI NEO-COLONIALISM IN SOMALIA?

The United Arab Emirates has a long military history in Somalia. From sending troops in the 1990s to Mogadishu as part of a US-led UN peacekeeping mission, to opening up new bases in cities like Bosaso and Kismayo. The gulf state says it’s all in the name of fighting terrorism, but is it?

Join African Stream’s @ahmed.ghoneim.official in another episode of Africa in 90 as he unpacks the UAE’s keen interest in the Horn of Africa.

MUST-KNOW FACTS ABOUT THE
AMAZING HAUSA

From their Arabic-infused language, delicious traditional dishes and unusual marriage customs, to their wrestling-as-an-art form and unique contribution to Nigeria’s economy, the Hausa are big on uniqueness - and big in number, especially in West and Central Africa. Here are some fun facts about this people that won’t just score you a few extra points in Africa quizzes, but will (hopefully!) inspire you to dive deeper into Hausa culture.

LAGOS’ LITTLE CHESS KINGS

No other country in the world has more out-of-school children than Nigeria.
According to UNICEF, around 20-million are not getting an education, and it’s inspired one man to take action.

Tunde Onakoya set up Chess in Slums in 2018 and taught kids the game to help rescue them from a cycle of poverty and restore a sense of pride.
He set himself a goal of training over a million children in five years and his non-profit has gone from the strength to strength.

To help raise cash and awareness Tunde even smashed the world chess marathon record by playing for 60 hours from 17th-20th April, against US champion Shawn Martinez. It earned him global headlines, and we think it’s time we publicised his great work once more. In case you missed it, here’s our report.

SHADY DIAMOND DEALER REAPING OF AFRICA EXPOSED

Africa is one of the richest if not the richest, continents in terms of natural resources, yet most of its people still struggle to meet their basic needs.
This contradiction has been debated for decades, yet the answer lies in plain sight. The continent’s resources have been plundered by outsiders for centuries.
From the days of the European Slave-often misnamed as the Atlantic slave trade-to the present day, outsiders have robbed the continent of its resources.
In this video clip, content creator and activist Isa (https://www.tiktok.com/@sewerbum) spotlights a New York-based diamond dealer, Maksud’ Trax’ Agadjani, whom he accuses of profiting from ‘Blood diamonds’ from Sierra Leone.
Credit : https://www.tiktok.com/@sewerbum

MIRACLE WATER MACHINE TACKLES GLOBAL SHORTAGE

Despite having nearly 10 per cent of global freshwater supplies, around two-thirds of Africa is categorised arid or semi-arid. However, a new invention could tackle water scarcity in the driest parts of the continent.

A retired US army ranger has found a way of producing clean drinking water from thin air. Here’s a closer look at the atmospheric water generation technology that could be a game changer.

Video credits: Moses West YouTube

WHITE JESUS MUST PACK HIS BAGS AND GO

It’s time for Africans to start asking uncomfortable questions, according to renowned Pan-Africanist Joshua Maponga. And that includes scrutinising what Abrahamic religions have brought to our continent. In his view, ‘White Jesus should pack his bags and go home’.

Mr Maponga was speaking on the Zimbabwean podcast The Denny J Show. To back up his line of thinking, he said if the Chinese colonised Africa, we would be Buddhists. Therefore, Africans proclaiming they’re Christians, even though it’s the ‘colonisers’ religion, doesn’t make sense, especially as very few Africans follow the Ethiopian Orthodox Church (328 AD). That predates the European Roman Catholic Church and Protestant Church founded in 590 AD, which the colonisers brought and weaponised.

Is Mr Maponga talking sense, or is he taking things too far? Let us know in the comments.

Video credit @MapongaJQuotes