U.S. FUNDED PROPAGANDA WAR AGAINST GOVERNMENT OF ZIMBABWE

Over a month ago, the US accused African Stream - without evidence - of being a Russian propaganda outfit. Since then, we’ve been banned by social media giants such as Google, Meta and TikTok. Yet the irony is that it’s actually Washington funding propaganda abroad - including in Africa.

Zimbabwe in particular has been in its sights. In the last two decades, Washington has pumped money into two radio stations that Harare accuses of being mediums of 'Western imperialist propaganda.'

Continued.....The first is the now-defunct Short Wave (SW) Radio Africa, which broadcast from its London-based studios into Zimbabwe and other neighbouring countries from 2001 till 2013. The station's news and programmes were widely seen as biased towards the Western-aligned opposition party, Movement for Democratic Change. The government of Zimbabwe accused the station of having a 'regime-change agenda' at the behest of Western nations that had imposed economic sanctions on the Southern African country in the early 2000s in the wake of its land redistribution programme. A 2005 diplomatic cable from the US embassy made public by Wikileaks revealed that the station had received funding from the US government to enable it to carry out its broadcasts. The allegations of Western funding and a regime-change agenda were given further credence in 2014 when the station announced it was shutting down.

Continued.....In an interview with the BBC station, founder and manager, Gerry Jackson attributed the closure to the decision by 'donors' to turn off the money tap due to 'massive disarray' in the opposition camp.

The second station is the Washington-based Voice of America Studio 7, which has been beaming its signal into Zimbabwe for over 20 years using a transmitter in neighbouring Botswana, an act that the government of Zimbabwe has in the past described as piracy and an attack on its sovereignty. Like SW Radio Africa, Studio 7's broadcasts have been highly critical of the Zimbabwean government. The US government wholly funds Studio 7 through the State Department's US Agency for Global Media, which, on its website, explicitly states that its mission is to ensure that 'the long-range interests of the United States are served by communicating directly with the peoples of the world by radio.'

The hypocrisy is clear: while funding media entities to spread its propaganda to African audiences, the US is using unfounded allegations to gag independent outlets such as ours from reaching our fellow Africans with a radical anti-imperalist and pan-african message.

SOURCES:

https://allafrica.com/stories/200310140498.html
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2002/jan/24/Zimbabwenews.zimbabweandthemedia
https://www.newsweek.com/gerry-jackson-independent-radio-zimbabwe-president-robert-mugabe-zimbabwe-broadcasting-corp-london
https://insiderzim.com/us-funded-sw-radio/
https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/zimbabwe-gerry-jackson-sw-radio-africa/2685595.html
https://www.herald.co.zw/govt-to-quash-pirate-radio-stations/

https://mg.co.za/article/2005-03-16-fact-or-fiction-what-the-papers-say/, https://cpj.org/2006/07/overseas-broadcaster-reports-jamming/
https://www.insidevoa.com/a/a-13-34-zimbabwebroadcastsfeb2005/177921.html


https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/05HARARE147_a.html


https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/06HARARE977_a.html

This week's African proverb encourages us to embrace an open mind and be adventurous. There's a wealth of opportunities and experiences waiting for us to discover, so keep an open mind and go outside into the big world. Mama's soup will still be there when you get back.

KENYA GRANTS GATES FOUNDATION IMMUNITY AND SPECIAL STATUS

The Gates Foundation, previously known as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has been granted special diplomatic status and immunity by the Kenyan government. Musalia Mudavadi, the Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, confirmed the new cooperation agreement with the foundation. He announced that it qualifies for benefits under Section 11 of the Privileges and Immunities Act. In his statement, Mudavadi said, “The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, hereafter referred to as ‘the Foundation,’ is a charitable trust that fights poverty, disease, and inequality in over 140 countries. The Government of Kenya has agreed to cooperate with the Foundation, which is hereby declared an organisation to which Section 11 of the Act shall apply.”

Continued….. Expatriates living in Kenya will enjoy several privileges similar to those granted to diplomatic officials, including tax exemptions, immunity from legal proceedings, and repatriation facilities during international crises, among other benefits. President Ruto has approved the establishment of the Gates Foundation's operations in Kenya, stating that the creation of a hosting centre for the foundation will attract investors and encourage further collaborations. Given the controversies that have surrounded the foundation over the years, the question remains: will this new partnership prove beneficial for Kenya?

SOURCES:

https://thekenyatimes.com/latest-kenya-times-news/national/kenya-grants-special-status-to-gates-foundation-privileges-immunity-to-be-enjoyed/

https://leadership.ng/bill-gates-to-stand-trial-over-covid-19-vaccine-claims/

Continued…. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/healthcare/biotech/healthcare/controversial-vaccine-studies-why-is-bill-melinda-gates-foundation-under-fire-from-critics-in-india/articleshow/41280050.cms?from=mdr#google_vignette

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(02)11593-5/fulltext

https://www.rosalux.de/en/publication/id/44425

https://theecologist.org/2020/aug/14/gates-failing-green-revolution-africa

https://www.umhs-sk.org/blog/why-bill-melinda-gates-foundation-has-so-many-public-health-critics#:~:text=The%20Bill%20and%20Melinda%20Gates,changing%20its%20position%20on%20abortion

ACTIVISTS: SUDAN'S RSF ON MURDER RAMPAGE FOLLOWING COMMANDER DEFECTION

Wad Madani Resistance Committee, a Sudanese pro-democracy group, says paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) k*lled more than 124 people on 25 October in the Al Jazirah state. A UN official compared the RSF's actions to the group’s 2023 campaign in Darfur, where they were accused of ethnically cleansing communities opposed to them. Many Sudanese activists say the massacre was revenge for RSF commander Abuagla Keikal defecting to the Sudanese army, bringing his soldiers along.

Additionally, Sudan's Combating Violence Against Women Unit, a government body, has documented accounts of RSF soldiers r*ping women in Al Jazirah villages to intimidate men and force residents to flee. Tragic reports have emerged of women committing su*cide en masse, including through drowning, to escape the dire possibility, with one activist estimating about 130 such cases. 

Continued….. The ongoing 18-month war between the UAE-supported RSF and Sudan's army has displaced over 12 million people and k*lled more than 150,000 as of May, according to the US envoy. The UN's food agency has warned that without urgent humanitarian intervention, 13 million face ‘acute hunger.’ 

Sources
News of mass killings
https://www.straitstimes.com/world/at-least-124-killed-after-sudans-rsf-attack-village-activists-say

Set on fire and Darfur comparison
https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/10/1156176

Reports of rapes
https://www.straitstimes.com/world/at-least-124-killed-after-sudans-rsf-attack-village-activists-say

Reports of suicides
https://x.com/tastefullysaucy/status/1850660055118672313
https://x.com/BSonblast/status/1849924239253700680
https://x.com/azhaarSholgami/status/1850608232412397963

Sudan killed and displaced
https://sudan.iom.int/news/sudan-internal-displacement-set-top-10-million-famine-looms-iom

DON'T QUOTE SCRIPTURE SELECTIVELY - BARBADOS PM TO NETANYAHU

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley denounced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for quoting the Bible to justify Israel's military onslaught in Gaza, as well as its attacks on Lebanon, Iran and Yemen. Netanyahu made his remarks at the 79th United Nations General Assembly session in September. Since then, Israel has also struck Iraq.  

Mottley affirmed her country's support for Palestine. '[Barbados] took the step this year of recognising and establishing diplomatic relations with the state of Palestine in spite of having supported a two-state solution since 1969,' she said, adding, 'We did this because it is clear to us that the state and people of Palestine—human beings—are ennoscriptd to full recognition by integration into and support from the international community. The charter does not say 'we the people with the exception of any one group from any one part of the world.''

Continued….. So far, Israel has k*lled nearly 43,000 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, University of Edinburgh global health chair Devi Sridhar estimated deaths at 335,000 by September.

SOURCES:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUvWnTesK3w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkZREiWcrpQ&t=169s

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/sep/05/scientists-death-disease-gaza-polio-vaccinations-israel

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/8/gaza-toll-could-exceed-186000-lancet-study-says

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)01169-3/fulltext

CHAD DENIES ARMING SUDAN'S RSF MILITIA

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Chad continue to deny claims that they are playing a role in exacerbating the war in Sudan despite foreign dignitaries' accusations and a New York Times investigative report detailing how the UAE has covertly been arming Sudanese paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) through the Chadian border by disguising weapons as aid.

The 18-month war between the Sudanese military and the RSF began on 15 April 2023, leaving more than 12 million people internally and externally displaced as of June, according to the International Organisation for Migration, and k*lling as many as 150,000 by May, according to the US envoy.

Many have described it as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with the UN recently warning that 13 million are at risk of ‘acute hunger’ and more than half of Sudan’s 49-million people require humanitarian assistance.

Continued......Why do you think global leaders have expressed no urgency to halt the war in Sudan? Let us know what you think in the comments.

SOURCES:

https://www.rfi.fr/fr/podcasts/le-grand-invité-afrique/20241024-tchad-abderaman-koulamallah-mae-aucun-intérêt-à-amplifier-la-guerre-au-soudan-fsr-minni-arcou-minnawi

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2576697/world

https://www.barrons.com/news/chad-denies-supplying-weapons-to-sudan-s-warring-militia-a792b9f5

https://www.refugeesinternational.org/statements-and-news/refugees-international-calls-for-investigation-into-uae-arms-shipments-to-darfur/

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/21/world/africa/uae-sudan-civil-war.html

https://media.un.org/unifeed/en/asset/d321/d3211785

https://www.iom.int/news/sudan-internal-displacement-set-top-10-million-famine-looms-iom

VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT CALLS OUT UN OVER ISRAELI ATROCITIES

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro lashed out at the international community for failing to stop Israel's military onslaught against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the Lebanese people.

In a passionate address during the recent BRICS+ summit held in the Russian city of Kazan, the Venezuelan leader questioned the purpose of international organisations, such as the United Nations (UN) and its International Court of Justice (ICJ), if they are unable to stop Israel from k*lling innocent civilians.

He added that every time Israel carries out a massacre, the reputation and integrity of the UN erode in the eyes of the world.

Maduro concluded his address by saying the time has come for a new and more balanced global political system to replace the current one he described as 'dying.'

Continued......His comments come as Israel has k*lled nearly 43,000 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023, with the University of Edinburgh's global health chair estimating the death toll as high as 335,000 in September. The majority of victims have been women and children, despite Tel Aviv's claims that it is only targeting Hamas fighters.

In September, British non-governmental organisation Oxfam reported that the Israeli military had killed more children and women in one year than any other conflict over the last 20 years has killed within the same time span.

SOURCES:

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/gaza-death-toll-tops-42-900-with-no-letup-in-israeli-assault-/3375458

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-19/gaza-death-toll-numbers-killed-israel-strikes-buried-body-parts/104259532

https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/more-women-and-children-killed-gaza-israeli-military-any-other-recent-conflict

The presidents of Burkina Faso and Niger have spoken out about Benin's relationship with Western militaries attempting to destabilise the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). However, Benin, a West African state tucked between Togo, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Niger, has denied these claims. 

However, the US Africa Command head, Michael Langley, sent a letter to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stating Benin may be working to strengthen its military relationship with France, especially in the border zone near Burkina Faso and Niger. The French ambassador to Benin replied that the United States had no right to comment on French bases in Benin.

A little over a month after anti-imperialist military leader Abdourahamane Tiani took power in Niger following a coup, his government claimed to have noted that 'two Super Puma multi-role helicopters' and 'around 40 armoured vehicles' have been deployed 'in Kandi and Malanville in Benin' and that a French military vessel was docked in Benin's largest city, Cotonou.

Continued……Tensions were at an all-time high between Benin and Niger toward the end of 2023, leading the countries to close their borders. However, while Benin lifted its blockade on Niger on 28 December 2023, Niger kept part of the border to Benin closed off, claiming the French military was operating in the country. However, Benin refuted the accusation.

On 12 July 2024, Burkina Faso President Ibrahim Traore stated the following in a speech to the nation:

'Nobody is going to tell us that there is no French base in Benin directed against us. We have proof of two major bases. No one can dispute that, and I challenge them. And we have nothing against the Beninese people. We have a problem with the policy of the Beninese leaders and we say so loud and clear. Again, in this diplomacy, we have decided to tell the truth. There are indeed two bases: One towards Kandi and the other towards Porga or I don't know which locality.

DOLLAR IS JUST PAPER

At the 16th annual BRICS summit (22-24 October), member states adopted the ‘Kazan Declaration’, with provisions to strengthen multilateralism, enhance cooperation for global and regional stability and security, foster economic and financial cooperation, and strengthen people-to-people exchanges for social and economic development. They also approved a BRICS ‘grain exchange’ to ensure food stability. 

Some, like Zimbabwe-born motivational speaker Joshua Maponga in this clip, argue that fiat currencies, like the US dollar, Euro, British pound and Japanese yen, should be abandoned in favour of a gold-backed system. 

At the summit, the bloc of five original members (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) plus four new members (Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates) welcomed using local currencies for transactions between BRICS countries and their trading partners.

Continued........Many African presidents have called for de-dollarisation, but the biggest win may be when Saudi Arabia pulls away from a decades-old petrodollar deal with the US.

The US dollar was pegged to gold’s value until US President Richard Nixon (1913-94) removed the gold standard in 1971. Since then, the US has printed the world’s reserve currency at will, sealing its status as a global hegemon. 

So, how can countries break free of the US dollar's grip? Maponga argues gold is the answer.

Let us know what you think.

SOURCES:

https://www.the-star.co.ke/world/2024-10-27-key-events-as-curtain-fell-on-2024-brics-summit-in-russia

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/oct/23/putin-world-economy-bloc-brics-summit

https://english.news.cn/20241028/fed915b027bb4342808e236755a92bd7/c.html

https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/brics-brazil-lula

https://www.schwab.com/learn/story/will-us-dollar-be-dethroned

https://insights.som.yale.edu/insights/how-the-nixon-shock-remade-the-world-economy

https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/investing/fiat-money

https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/dollar-dominance-dedollarization-petrodollar-saudi-crude-greenback-china-yuan-brics-2024-6