Continued……. The conflict and insecurity in Mali continue to be exacerbated by external actors, and allegations of uninvited foreign backing of terrorist groups have only escalated tensions.

Sources:

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/malian-army-eliminates-senior-terrorist-leaders/3411551

https://x.com/Idarfa/status/1862952806124294301

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/drone-strikes-malis-military-regime-kills-8-tuareg-116361330

https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/01/26/malis-peace-deal-ends

https://thearabweekly.com/creation-azawad-liberation-front-deepens-crisis-sahel-region

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/5/mali-breaks-off-diplomatic-ties-with-ukraine

https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2024/8/20/ukraine-is-losing-the-plot-in-africa

https://en.sputniknews.africa/20240805/mali-severs-diplomatic-relations-with-ukraine-1067741125.html

MANDELA: YOUR ENEMIES ARE NOT OUR ENEMIES!

Eleven years ago today, anti-apartheid hero and South Africa's first democratically elected president Nelson Mandela died. His life was devoted to fighting against the settler oppression of Black South Africans. The price he paid was having to spend almost three decades in prison after the racist regime jailed him in the early 1960s for his anti-apartheid activities.

The mainstream media, when reflecting on Mandela's legacy, conveniently like to forget that he remained loyal to those who supported the anti-apartheid struggle. As he puts it in this clip of a TV appearance in which he responds to an audience member who wants him to disown leaders despised by Western nations: “Your enemies are not our enemies!”

Continued……. We, as African Stream, can relate to this message. We have personally paid the price of choosing to have an independent editorial policy that does not align with the foreign policies of Western nations. For refusing to adopt their enemies as our own, we have been banned by social-media platforms such Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

REMEMBERING FRED HAMPTON

This week marks 55 years since 21-year-old Fred Hampton, one of the most charismatic leaders African people the world over have ever known, was assassinated in a raid orchestrated by the Chicago Police Department and the US Federal Bureau of Investigations, known as the FBI.

Hampton, born on 30 August 1948 in Chicago, was a visionary leader who dedicated his life to pursuing justice and equality for Africans in the United States. After being a young and dynamic voice in the Civil Rights Movement, Hampton rose to prominence through his involvement in the Black Panther Party, becoming chairman of the Illinois chapter.

Under Hampton's leadership, the BPP initiated the Free Breakfast for Children Programme, providing thousands of African children with nutritious meals before school began.

Continued……At the core of Hampton's ideology was the belief in self-defence and self-determination for Africans. He advocated for the right to bear arms and defended the community against police brutality, urging others to do the same. Hampton's fearless approach to confronting systemic oppression made him a symbol of resistance and hope.

His assassination was a blow to the Black Panther Party and the larger struggle for African liberation. Yet, Hampton's ideas and principles continue reverberating throughout revolutionary movements in the US and worldwide.

ANGOLA: SLEEPY JOE DREAMING OF AFRICAN LOOT?

The latest video of US President Joe Biden falling asleep during a summit - in Africa, this time - has been branded yet another ‘embarrassment’ for the outgoing US leader.

However, the incident is also emblematic of a deeper issue - namely, how the US and wider West merely feign interest in establishing genuine partnerships built on mutual benefit and respect. In reality, the African continent continues to be viewed primarily as a resource-extraction hub, fuelling the development of Western infrastructure. Its people, including impoverished Africans whose labour actually extracts these resources, are left to bear the social, economic and environmental costs, while the benefits are reaped mostly by those ensuring the poverty persists.

Continued……Biden’s summit-snooze happened in Angola. It was his first visit to Africa as US President - and he was there for talks with heads of state and investors regarding the US-funded Lobito Corridor. This is a rail road that’s set to link African mines to ports, thus providing greater convenience for modern-day European plunderers when it comes to getting our minerals out of the continent and onto Western markets.

Doubts over Biden’s mental fitness at 82 to govern saw him drop out of the presidential race - and his dropping off at the Lobito summit was no doubt due in part to his frailty. But he may as well have been telling his audience: “Just give us the minerals already, I’m tired of these formalities and having to pretend I care about Africa!”

Video credit: @FoxNews (on X)

Sources:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14157877/sleepy-joe-biden-africa-trains.html

https://en.cibercuba.com/noticias/2024-12-04-u1-e43231-s27061-nid293237-biden-queda-dormido-medio-reunion-presidentes-africa

COLOMBIA APOLOGISES FOR MERCENARIES ROLE IN SUDAN WAR

Following the discovery of Colombian identity papers by Sudan's army after an ambush, an investigative report by Colombian media outlet La Silla Vacia has found that mercenaries from Colombia are being recruited to fight alongside the UAE-backed Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary in Sudan. The ex-soldiers are allegedly being promised jobs as security guards at United Arab Emirates oil sites, only to find themselves at the centre of the proxy war in Sudan.

Colombia's foreign minister, Luis Gilberto Murillo, and Ambassador to Egypt, Anne Melania de Gaviria, have formally apologised to Sudan following the revelation that Colombian mercenaries are fighting for the RSF. The Bogotá officials emphasised that the mercenaries acted independently and would work with Sudanese authorities to address the issue. According to La Silla Vacia, Colombia's President Petro has also called for a ban on mercenary activities.

Continued……Sources:

https://sudantribune.com/article294166/

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/sudan-says-colombia-apologized-for-participation-of-some-of-its-citizens-as-mercenaries-within-rsf/3411567

https://northafricapost.com/82286-colombia-apologizes-for-involvement-of-some-of-its-citizens-as-mercenaries-within-rsf-militia-in-sudan.html

https://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/invisible-and-severe-death-toll-sudan-conflict-revealed

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/11/14/sudan-war-death-toll-much-higher-than-previously-recorded-new-study-finds

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/sep/25/us-un-sudan-aid-war
https://www.lasillavacia.com/silla-nacional/el-engano-del-coronel-quijano-asi-envian-a-exmilitares-colombianos-a-sudan/

SYRIA ON AMERICA’S ‘HIT LIST’
OF NATIONS

Syria's back in the news, hot on the heels of the fragile 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah announced on 27 November.

Turkish-backed rebel groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an offshoot of al-Qaeda in Syria, made a lightning advance on the country’s second-largest city, Aleppo, capturing much of it within hours. HTS, and another Turkish-backed group, the Syrian National Army (SNA), aim to overthrow the government of President Bashar al-Assad and establish strict Islamic rule in Syria.