DRC PRESIDENT EXPLAINS EAST’S ADVANTAGE OVER WEST

China and Russia are beating the US in Africa, according to Democratic Republic of Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi who said in a recent interview that the difference comes down to attitude, or lack there of. The West is preachy, paternalistic when dealing with Africa and Africans. Even worse, their leaders say one thing and usually do the opposite. Take the concept of press freedom and objectivity as prime examples. Western journalists and media pundits continue to shout themselves hoarse over Venezuelan election results, whereas, comparatively, they’re as silent as a church mouse concerning France’s subversion of their own election results.

Continued……Russia and China peg their international relations and cooperation on the principle of non-interference in other countries’ affairs. Add to that the fact that Chinese inroads into Africa can point to some (not all) positive outcomes for the people through initiatives such as infrastructure development. Many African nations view China’s no-strings attached approach as more attractive than loans from the US-based financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, which provide loans but demand reforms like privatisation and fiscal liberalism which have attracted criticism of infringing on nations’ sovereignty and serving US interests.

China’s experience in matters important to Africa, such as poverty eradication, have made it a model for development. For Russia, as Burkina Faso’s president Ibrahim Traore said, it does not impose conditions on weapons purchases, compared to Burkina’s traditional ‘partners’ such as France.

Have a watch and please share your thoughts.

SENEGAL’S FAYE DISSOLVES PARLIAMENT

Only six months in office, Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has announced the dissolution of the National Assembly and called for elections on November 17. Swept into power based on his vision for radical transformations of the political system and promises of more sovereignty, the 44-year-old head of state believes lawmakers from his party can win a majority in the legislature.

On Thursday, Faye said, “I dissolve the national assembly to ask the sovereign people for the institutional means to bring about the systemic transformation that I have promised to deliver”. He called for support and asked voters to mandate his party to carry out governmental changes.

The Benno Bokk Yaakar opposition movement, led by former President Macky Sall, condemned Faye’s decision to dissolve Senegal’s National Assembly.

Continued…. He claimed Faye had convened a legislative session under false pretences then proceeded to dissolve the governmental body. Faye was also accused by his political rivals of “perjury.”

Faye, the youngest elected president on the African continent, came to power in March, less than two weeks after he was released from prison. During the presidential campaign, he promised widespread reforms to improve the living standards of the Senegalese people, including fighting corruption, reviewing fishing permits for foreign companies, and securing a bigger share of the country’s natural resources for the state and the population. 

Faye also suggested in his election campaign that he favoured Senegal’s withdrawal from the CFA franc, a controversial currency created in 1945 by former colonial power France and still used by several West African countries. The CFA is recognised as tool for economic control over previously colonised African states, which allows France to keeps an economic stranglehold on them.

With minimal if any progress made during Faye’s brief six month’s presidency, the question becomes: What will come next? Will he finally deliver on his promise?

14 SEPTEMBER 1941 DC ANTI-POLICE BRUTALITY MARCH

America has a long history of police brutality - and Black people in the country have stood up against it every step of the way. One significant occasion was in Washington DC on this day (14th September) in 1941. A large crowd of about 2,000 protestors, marching from four different points of the city, converged on 10th and U Streets (NW) to draw attention to the urgent need for police reform. The rally - called for by the Citizens’ Committee Against Police Brutality and organised by grassroots movements for justice - sought to challenge systemic issues within the criminal-justice system, particularly the use of excessive force and misconduct by law enforcement. Signs carried by protesters included, “Old Jim Crow Has Got to Go,” “Protect Our Civil Rights” and “Police Brutality is a Disgrace to the Nation’s Capital.”

Continued….. Tensions were high, particularly between 1936 - 1941. In the years leading up to the protest, several Black people had been killed at the hands of police. One such case was the shooting of Jasper and Edward Cobb in 1940 after refusing officer Donald Webber’s demand to see their driver’s licences - the two brothers were standing beside a car, not driving. Despite the Black community’s outrage, there was little accountability from city officials - some officers, including Webber, were exonerated.

Although the large protest on 14th September failed to bring about the hoped for overhaul, it was a turning point. Charles Hamilton Houston, the first general counsel of civil-rights group NAACP, said: “The persistent and forceful campaign, which the Washington Council [of the National Negro Congress] and allied organisations have waged against police brutality in Washington, has been one of the most significant battles for civil rights and personal freedom and security ever conducted in the District of Columbia.”

FACT-CHECKED: KAMALA HARRIS’ DEBATE CLAIMS

It was good to see Donald Trump get fact-checked on the spot by the moderators over his unfounded, malicious claims about supposed pet-eating Haitian immigrants during his debate with Kamala Harris. She, however, got off rather lightly. Her claims may not have been as outlandish, but some of them were certainly dubious. Here’s our take. What do you think?

HOW ISRAELI BOT ARMY TARGETED AFRICAN ELECTIONS

Earlier this month, we posted an investigative report by The Guardian newspaper detailing how a covert Israeli operation called Team Jorge, boasted influencing dozens of elections worldwide. They included Nigeria’s in 2015, and the findings were based on an investigation by Paris-based NGO Forbidden Stories.

Well, here’s a look in more detail at how Team Jorge achieved its results by using secret software called AIMS, which weaponises social media to influence public opinion.

Continued……It’s leader, Tal Hanan, is a 50-year-old former Israeli special forces operative and is filmed revealing how it works. Clients can hire thousands of fake media accounts, called bots, which look and behave like real people. They have multiple profiles on multiple platforms including email. This army of automated avatars is then used to push particular messaging.

It’s claimed Hanan runs the scheme through an Israeli company, Demoman International, which is registered on a website run by the Israeli Ministry of Defense to promote defence exports. The service is offered to intelligence agencies, political campaigns and private companies that want to manipulate public opinion secretly.

In this video, Guardian journalist, Manisha Ganguly, lays bare the cyber-weaponry.

AFRICAN STATES ‘PROTECT ELITES NOT THE POOR’

Recent protests in Kenya over a cost-of-living crisis and unpopular government policy sparked similar demonstrations in other countries including Nigeria, and Uganda.

In this clip, Zimbabwean human rights lawyer and Pan-African activist Brian Kagoro blames the unrest on leaders ignoring the plight of their people. He was speaking at the 2024 National Security Symposium held in Kigali, Rwanda. And he says many governments only look out for the interests of the political elite and multinationals.

Continued……. In fact, you don’t have to try hard to think of other examples. Recent revolution coups in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger saw new military leaderships vow to regain control of resources from foreign interests. The takeovers had widespread public support, but the reaction of the regional bloc ECOWAS was very different. It imposed sanctions on the West African countries and threatened military intervention against Niger before it backtracked.

So, when Mr Kagoro says African states can be very ‘efficient at protecting a few elites’ at the expense of their people, he’s not wrong.

Video credit: @KigaliToday

WHITE PRIVILEGE AT ITS BEST

Statistics have long exposed a two-tier system of policing in the US. In 2021, for example, non-profit organisation Mapping Police Violence found Black people are twice as likely as White people to be shot and killed by officers.

But the stark difference isn’t just borne out by numbers. This comedy clip is a good example of ‘White privilege’ when it comes to policing.

Comedian, Mike Feeney, describes how he once got pulled over by an officer who ended up offering him cuddly kittens. A far cry from the experience of many Black people in America who are racially profiled and disproportionately targeted by law enforcement.

Continued……There have been many well-known cases, including: Rodney King, who was brutally beaten by LAPD officers, in 1991, which led to the Los Angeles riots. Oscar Grant, in 2009, was shot in the back while handcuffed by a BART police officer in Oakland. Philando Castile, in 2016, was fatally shot during a traffic stop in Minnesota. And then there’s the case of George Floyd who died during his arrest after a police officer knelt on his neck for over nine minutes, in Minneapolis, in 2020.

The hilarious story shows that policing doesn’t have to be aggressive or confrontational. You can just be respectful to the people you are their to protect and serve. Unfortunately that is simply not the case for everyone.

Video credits: @wilsylvince @comedycellarusa @iammikefeeney