Continued.......
How did France repay Gbagbo? France rushed to pick a side when disputes broke out between Gbagbo and his opponent, the current Ivorian president, Alassane Ouattara, over the 2011 presidential election. It was not Gbagbo's. According to some, French troops arrested Gbagbo when fighting broke out over the disputed election. France denies having arrested Gbagbo, instead stating that Ouattara's presidential guard had arrested and handed him over to French troops. Either way, France intervened swiftly and with a heavy hand in favour of Ouattara. Both French and UN troops then proceeded to attack Gbagbo's residence, reducing part of it to rubble. Missiles rained down from their helicopters, not just on Gbagbo's presidential residence but also on his supporters. In the midst of this chaos, former French President Nicolas Sarkozy took a personal phone call with Ouattara, whom the UN had decided was the legitimate president, to the dismay of many in the Ivory Coast. Gbagbo was then brought before the International Criminal Court and accused of war crimes following the election dispute. Then, in 2019, Gbagbo was acquitted of all charges and the ICC released him.

So what did Gbagbo's payments to France mean in the end? Relations were good when the money was generously flowing in their direction. But, when Gbagbo started talking about nationalising French banks and getting rid of the French-controlled CFA-franc currency, it appeared Paris would stop at nothing to see him ousted.

Video credit: @alainfoka2005 (X)

SOURCES:

https://westafricaweekly.com/cote-divoire-ex-president-gbagbo-reveals-ex-french-president-chirac-asked-him-for-e3-million-to-fund-election-campaign/

https://www.lexpress.fr/monde/robert-bourgi-et-la-francafrique-sous-jacques-chirac-jai-vu-du-cash-arriver-a-lelysee-par-millions-RRK3NHIAX5DSLIXDS2UMRCEEUU/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/apr/11/sarkozy-ivory-coast-vote-winner

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-12960308

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-46875757

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-56595150

https://www.bbc.com/afrique/region/2011/02/110218_ivory_banks

ETHIOPIA EXPLAINS BRICS IMPORTANCE

Since the end of World War II, Bretton Woods institutions have occupied an influential position in global affairs. This has, however, given a lot of power to Western countries, usually at the expense of the Global South.

For instance, this has meant many African countries are forced to disinvest in public services such as healthcare and education, privatisation, and liberalise their economies to qualify for loans from institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Western powers such as the US can veto any decision taken by the IMF.

As Mamo Mihiretu, Governor of the National Bank of Ethiopia, points out, there is a pressing need for an alternative to the Western-dominated Bretton Woods institutions. For Ethiopia, this alternative is found in BRICS, a platform that aligns with the country's focus on multilateralism that delivers.

Continued........Ethiopia, as one of the new member states of BRICS, is actively participating in the ongoing BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia.

Video credit: CGTN Africa


Sources
Bretton Woods influence
http://socialsciences.in/article/world-bank-and-imf

IMF conditionalities
https://taxjustice.net/2018/07/06/the-damage-of-international-monetary-fund-conditionality-call-for-urgent-rethink/

US veto IMF
https://library.fiveable.me/key-terms/international-organization/us-veto-power-in-imf#:~:text=The%20US%20veto%20power%20in,linked%20to%20its%20financial%20contributions

ISRAEL EYES SOMALILAND BASE WITH UAE HELP

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is facilitating Israel's plans to establish a military base in Somaliland, lobbying on its behalf and agreeing to finance the base's construction on the Red Sea coast. In return, Somaliland, which is not internationally recognised as an independent state despite its attempts to break away from Somalia, expects to receive Israel's recognition and investments. Somaliland's strategic location near the Gulf of Aden and the Bab al-Mandab Strait makes it an attractive site for both Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi, given their shared opposition to Yemen's Ansar Allah movement, otherwise known as the 'Houthis.' The UAE has been fighting Ansar Allah for years. At the same time, the Yemeni forces have attacked Israeli ships passing through the Red Sea as an act of solidarity with Palestinians suffering Israel's military onslaught in Gaza.

Continued......This move is likely to provoke opposition, especially from Somaliland's majority-Muslim population, as it may be seen as a betrayal of the Palestinian cause. It also risks escalating regional tensions, as Somaliland is not internationally recognised as a state but as a region within Somalia. Egypt has pledged support to Somalia's territorial integrity, opposing efforts to fracture Somalia. The growing involvement of Israel and the UAE could also make Somaliland a target for attacks by forces opposing an Israeli presence in the region.

Sources:
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20241015-israels-quest-for-strategic-depth-in-the-horn-of-africa-through-somaliland/

https://allafrica.com/stories/202410220121.html

On 20 October, Rwanda-backed M23 rebels claimed control of the eastern Congolese town of Kalembe after battles that pushed out the Democratic Republic of the Congo's armed forces and a government-backed coalition of local militia known as the 'Wazalendo' (Swahili for 'patriots'). 

According to news agency Reuters, Congolese army spokesman Sylvain Ekenge said the army retook the town a day later. Residents say fighting continues, and many of them have fled the embattled town. 

Kalembe sits on one of two main roads leading to the mineral-rich Walikale territory in the western part of North Kivu province, where there are vast gold, coltan and diamond deposits. The US government estimates the DRC holds $24 trillion in mineral reserves.

The UN says M23 militia generate around $300,000 in monthly revenue in the Rubaya coltan-mining region, which they captured in April after intense fighting. Coltan is used to power devices like smartphones and computers. 

Continued……Some 2.6 million residents of the war-torn North Kivu province have been displaced as of September 2024, according to the UN. With over 7 million people in total forced to flee their homes, the Democratic Republic of Congo has the world's second-largest internal displacement crisis after Sudan. Rwanda still denies supporting M23 but says it has taken so-called denfesive measures

https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/news/east-africa/m23-rebels-seize-kalembe-town-in-east-dr-congo-4799588

https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/news/east-africa/dr-congo-army-takes-kalembe-town-back-from-m23-rebels-4799846

https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20240804-slim-prospects-for-peace-as-drc-rwanda-ceasefire-takes-force

https://thedefensepost.com/2024/10/20/fighting-drc-m23-militia/

https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/business-tech/un-says-congo-rebels-generating-300-000-monthly-mining-area-4782344

https://www.barrons.com/news/m23-seizes-east-dr-congo-town-in-ceasefire-violation-206e872b

https://trtafrika.com/africa/m23-claims-control-of-drc-town-in-ceasefire-violation-18223879

https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/democratic-republic-congo-market-overview

https://www.iom.int/news/world-must-not-ignore-dr-congos-worsening-humanitarian-crisis-iom

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/dr-congo-army-takes-kalembe-town-back-m23-rebels-spokesman-says-2024-10-22

African revolutionary activist Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti was born on October 25, 1900. If the fountain of youth were available, she would be 124 years old today! Her legacy is one for the books, and her life story is truly worth telling.

Funmilayo was a tireless champion for civil rights during Nigeria's anti-colonial struggles. She founded the Abeokuta Women's Union, which had over 20,000 members and fought hard for female political representation and access to education throughout the country.

Funmilayo was a formidable force who refused to back down. Her remarkable activism for women’s rights earned her well-deserved respect. She tirelessly fought against unjust taxes and demanded equal representation for women in decision-making, including the fundamental right to vote.

Continued……Leading a powerful protest march of nearly 10,000 women against unfair market taxes that affected them, she amplified her influence, inspiring change both in Nigeria and beyond. Her extensive travels allowed her to establish branches of the Nigerian Women's Union, further solidifying her impact.

Not only was Funmilayo a revolutionary in her own right, but she was also a devoted mother. Her son, the pan-African revolutionary and musician Fela Kuti, often credited her as his inspiration. He recalls her leading marches against the British regime, particularly the time she led a protest against the local colonial administration. During that protest, an arrogant White official insulted her, but she stood her ground, calling him a "rude little rat" and a "b*stard." Fela later shared, "Imagine insulting the highest representative of the British imperial crown in Abeokuta; oh man! I was proud. People in Abeokuta talked about nothing else but that incident."

Continued…..However, Funmilayo's courageous activism faced severe backlash during a time when Nigeria's brutal military reigned supreme. On February 18, 1977, around 1,000 soldiers stormed the home of her son, Fela Kuti. In a shocking act during the raid, Kuti’s 76-year-old mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, was violently thrown from a second-story window. She suffered injuries that ultimately led to her death at the General Hospital in Lagos on April 13, 1978.

Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti was a force to be reckoned with. Her unwavering commitment to justice was also recognized when she was honoured with the traditional noscript of “Beere,” meaning "first of equals"—a noscript reserved for pioneering female leaders.
On what would have been her 124th birthday, we celebrate her life, her legacy, and the impact she continues to have. Happy birthday, Mama Funmilayo. May you continue to rest in peace and power!

MALI RETAKES CONTROL OF RESOURCES, PUTS SQUEEZE ON WESTERN MINING FIRMS

Mali, along with its Alliance of Sahel States counterparts—Burkina Faso and Niger—is actively reclaiming control over its mineral resources, challenging the dominance of Western multinational mining firms extracting wealth from its territory. 

A central figure in this shift is Canada-based mining giant Barrick Gold, which recently faced scrutiny when Mali arrested four employees over alleged financial misconduct. Mali has slapped Barrick Gold with a $500 million tax bill and has also raised the possibility of suspending the company’s licence, citing non-compliance with social, environmental and financial commitments. 

The country’s new mining code enacted in August 2023 gives the state a 10 per cent stake in projects (with an option to increase to 20 per cent within two years) and up to a 35 per cent stake in new ventures, which has led Barrick’s CEO to warn that excessive state intervention could ‘compromise the benefits,’

Continued.....while implying local authorities lack expertise. ‘We’re dealing with people that are not particularly competent in the mining industry.’

Amid these regulatory changes, Mali has nationalised a gold mine previously operated by South Africa-based AngloGold Ashanti and Canada-based Iamgold, each holding 40 per cent stakes alongside Mali’s 20 per cent interest. The companies gave up the mine for a ‘symbolic franc.’ While AngloGold Ashanti cited low profit margins as a reason for the sale, Mali argued the site still contains substantial untapped reserves. As part of the deal, Mali is set to receive $36 million to close and rehabilitate the mine and an additional payment of 2.5 billion CFA francs (approximately $4.1 million) to the treasury. Australian mining group Firefinch also transferred the Morila gold mine to Mali state-owned company SOREM, created in 2022 to secure a more equitable share of gold for its citizens, marking another shift away from foreign-operated mining projects.

Continued.....Mali’s moves reflect initiatives to reclaim resources across the Alliance of Sahel States. Burkina Faso recently nationalised two gold mines and announced plans to withdraw mining permits from some foreign firms to increase its share of local resources. Niger has also stepped up by revoking French nuclear giant Orano’s mining licence. Burkina Faso President Ibrahim Traore asserted the new military government’s commitment to sovereignty over resources by stating, ‘We know how to mine our gold, and I don’t understand why we’re going to let multinationals come and mine it.’

SOURCES:https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/in-west-africa-canadian-mining-firms-come-up-against-bloc-of-independent-states

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/mali-junta-arrests-four-employees-barrick-gold-say-sources-2024-09-27

https://africa.businessinsider.com/local/markets/top-gold-producing-countries-in-africa/z3kmxbz

https://oec.world/en/profile/country/mli

Continued......https://www.barrons.com/news/canadian-mining-firm-employees-arrested-in-mali-sources-3e682292

https://en.sputniknews.africa/20240928/four-employees-of-canadian-miner-barrick-gold-reportedly-arrested-in-mali-for-financial-crimes-1068456430.html

https://archive.ph/BDsaN

https://www.africanews.com/2024/08/28/burkina-faso-nationalises-two-gold-mines-ending-legal-dispute-between-rival-companies

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/6/21/niger-revokes-french-nuclear-groups-licence-at-major-uranium-mine

https://www.orano.group/en/news/news-group/2024/october/niger-growing-financial-difficulties-will-force-somair-to-suspend-operations

Canadian companies in Africa

https://natural-resources.canada.ca/maps-tools-and-publications/publications/minerals-mining-publications/canadian-mining-assets/19323 

Mali concludes nationalisation

https://www.barrons.com/news/mali-concludes-gold-mine-nationalisation-deal-d387390d

MALEMA: EFF WILL NOT STOP EXPOSING THE TRUTH

In this clip from a recent Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) press conference, EFF President Julius Malema said white people ‘hate’ him because he tells the truth about South Africa’s apartheid past and unequal present.

The official end of apartheid in 1994 did not transform the unequal system as the disparity between South Africa’s white and Black people is so severe that in 2022, the World Bank ranked the country as the most unequal in the world. The average Black household owns only about 5 per cent of the average white household’s wealth, while white South Africans earn three times as much as the average Black South African. Further, white South Africans are three times more likely to attain higher education than Black and coloured South Africans.

Continued........‘There is no evidence that wealth inequality has decreased since the end of apartheid,’ the Thomas Piketty-backed World Inequality Lab reported in 2021. ‘Asset allocations before 1993 still continue to shape wealth inequality.’

Some white South Africans call Malema—and, by extension, the EFF—hateful because he does not censor the truth to appease settlers. This is an interesting phenomenon, whereby settlers feel ennoscriptd to dictate the means through which a disenfranchised oppressed people should resist.

Malema declared that the EFF will not stop exposing the truth until marginalised African people are no longer economically marginalised.

Video credit: Economic Freedom Fighters (@effsouthafrica)

SOURCES:

https://www.youtube.com/live/CDfTaG0Dp08?t=9158s

https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/099125303072236903/p1649270c02a1f06b0a3ae02e57eadd7a82

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1468-4446.13115

https://www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2024/04/30-years-south-africa-still-dismantling-racism-and-apartheids-legacy#:~:text=The%20scars%20of%20Apartheid%20run,unequal%20country%20in%20the%20world.

https://time.com/6087699/south-africa-wealth-gap-unchanged-since-apartheid/

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09538259.2024.2318962

In another outlandish post, US-based billionaire (who comes from a settler colonial family in South Africa) and X (formerly Twitter) owner Elon Musk did a quote retweet endorsing the claim that the 'British Empire was, in some ways, a force for good' concerning the European slave trade inappropriately and cleverly referred to as transatlantic slave trade.

Musk added in his retweet that 'the British Empire was the driving force behind ending the vast majority of global slavery.'

Given Musk's well-known and documented political views, his claim is not surprising but still factually wrong.

Firstly, while it is true that the British did play a role in ending slavery, they were not the driving force, and secondly, the act was not out of benevolence but driven by various external factors. The real driving force was the enslaved African people themselves.
From the day that the first enslaved people were forcibly loaded onto boats to be taken across the Atlantic, they resisted and fought against the enslavers.

Continued.......The rebellions against slavery continued aboard the ships; there were numerous incidents of revolts by enslaved Africans against their captors and tormentors. Some estimates suggest that about 8 to 10 per cent of boats carrying enslaved people experienced some form of revolt.

Even after arriving on the plantations on the other side of the Atlantic, the resistance against slavery continued. Some of the most notable rebellions include the 1760 Tacky's revolt in Jamaica, the largest uprising of enslaved people against the British empire in the 18th century.
The most significant revolts occurred in the then-French colony of Saint-Domingue in 1791 when enslaved people rose and defeated French government forces. The revolt's success led to establishing the first Black republic in the world, Haiti.
Similar rebellions raged across the Americas. These revolts planted fear in the hearts of the plantation owners and the British Empire, making them think twice about slavery.

The second factor that made the British Empire abandon slavery was economic and not moral reasons.
By the 1800s, the sugar industry, which was one of the most significant users of slave labour, especially in the Caribbean, became unprofitable due to overproduction, which resulted in higher supply than demand. In simple terms, slavery was no longer making economic sense.
Also, the rapid colonialisation drive in Africa meant that Britain and other colonisers wanted Africans to stay on the continent so that they could be exploited there.
The empire found it cheaper and less cumbersome to use indentured labour from India on the Caribbean plantations than using enslaved Africans.

If morality were the driving reason, then the British government would have compensated the formerly enslaved people instead of paying millions of pounds to the enslavers. In fact, the Africans did not only walk away empty-handed; they had to raise £27 million of the 47 million pounds that was paid to the enslavers by working for an additional four years after the British parliament had abolished slavery. Is this the 'driving force' Musk wants more people to know?

SOURCES:

https://slaveryandremembrance.org/articles/article/?id=A0032
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z732pv4/revision/5


https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/feb/11/lets-end-delusion-britain-abolished-slavery

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/20/gladstone-wellington-peel-britain-pro-slavery-british-history-abolition

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/lj8jik/did_the_british_empire_really_outlaw_slavery_for/

https://x.com/jasonhickel/status/1533092897213583366?lang=en

https://archives.history.ac.uk/history-in-focus/Slavery/articles/walvin.html

https://www.historyhit.com/reasons-why-britain-abolished-slavery/

https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/2020/06/myth-britain-slavery-clean-break-afua-hirsch-british

UNIFY UNDER THE BANNER OF THE UNITED STATES OF AFRICA

It's an intergenerational struggle that goes back at least one century: The fight for Africa's total unification. Long understood to be the key to Africa's freedom and the emancipation of Africans everywhere, the goal of creating a 'United States of Africa' was articulated as early as 1887 by the Kansas African Emigration Association. This would influence great Pan-African leaders from Marcus Garvey (1887-1940) to Kwame Nkrumah (1909-72).

The understanding that unification is the pathway towards Africa's freedom led countries such as Mali to state in their constitution, 'For the achievement of African Unity (XV), the Republic of Mali may conclude with any African state agreements of association or of a community comprising the partial or total abandonment of sovereignty of Mali (Article 117).' It led Tanganyika to unite with Zanzibar to establish Tanzania and Mali to temporarily unite with Senegal.

Continued......Today, the struggle continues, as the countries of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, fight for unification under a Pan-African federation. Civilians and government officials within the bloc have been clear that their end goal is total African unity.

To some, this might sound unrealistic. How can a continent that is so vast and so diverse possibly unite? To understand this, we leave you with two book recommendations: 1) Africa Must Unite (1963) by Kwame Nkrumah and 2) Black Africa: The Economic and Cultural Basis for a Federated State (1978) by Cheikh Anta Diop.

What do you think about unifying the African continent into one superstate? Let us know in the comments.

SOURCES:

https://www.fao.org/faolex/results/details/en/c/LEX-FAOC128393

https://www.blackagendareport.com/essay-why-africa-must-unite-kwame-nkrumah-1963

https://aaregistry.org/poem/hail-united-states-of-africa-by-marcus-garvey

https://dailynews.co.tz/a-shared-pan-african-success-story-60-years-of-unity-leadership-and-commitment

https://stichproben.univie.ac.at/fileadmin/user_upload/p_stichproben/Artikel/Nummer38/04_Text_on_Mali_Federation_WURZER_doi.pdf

https://www.instagram.com/p/C9NUJwYt0OT/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yNz_t0HzWLXezy9Hy5gB4OON2hFbLrwT/view?usp=sharing

https://www.amazon.com/Black-Africa-Economic-Cultural-Federated/dp/1556520611

https://rutgers.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?vid=01RUT_INST:01RUT&docid=alma991006912539704646

WHO IS ISRAEL FIGHTING? COMEDIAN ON PALESTINE

In his February tour of London comedy clubs, stand-up comedian Aamer Rahman emphasised that Israel's actions in Gaza are not directed against militant group H*mas, but constitute the destruction of the Palestinian people. To justify the violence, they resort to gaslighting, deflection and blaming the occupied Palestinians for their actions. 

A year after the 7 October escalation in the 76-year Israeli occupation of Palestine, the military onslaught continues, with no ceasefire or arms embargo in sight.

So far, Israel has k*lled more than 42,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. However, according to the Lancet medical journal, the death toll as of early July may have already topped 186,000. Plus, by September, University of Edinburgh global health chair Devi Sridhar estimated deaths at 335,000.