Ethiopia and Somalia have agreed to bury their differences over the breakaway Somaliland region and its port deal with Addis Ababa. It’s a diplomatic coup for Turkey, which hosted the talks between Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

The Horn of Africa neighbours’ dispute dates back to January, when Addis Ababa struck a deal with the self-declared republic of Somaliland for a 50-year lease on a 20-kilometre (12-mile) stretch of its coastline for an Ethiopian port and naval base. This enraged Mogadishu, as it still considers Somaliland, which declared its secession from Somalia in 1991, part of its territory.

Egypt, which has a long-standing dispute with Ethiopia over the Grand Renaissance Dam, was also drawn into the row. Cairo responded to the port deal by shipping two military weaponry caches, including anti-aircraft guns and artillery, to Mogadishu.

Continued……Landlocked Ethiopia lost access to the sea in 1993, when Eritrea gained independence after 30 years of struggle, taking with it the entire coastline on the Gulf Aden, thereby putting the Indian Ocean out of Addis Ababa’s immediate reach.

Turkey's mediation in the Ethiopia-Somalia dispute suggests Erdogan's policy of fostering diplomatic, commercial and military clout in Africa is paying dividends. In 2017, Ankara opened its biggest overseas military base in Mogadishu. Turkey also provides training to Somali military and police. In February, Ankara and Mogadishu signed a defence pact that was later expanded to include the maritime sector. In September, Bloomberg reported that Turkey wants to build a ballistic-missile testing-range and spacecraft launch-pad in Somalia.

NIGERIEN REVOLUTIONARY FALMATA: 'THEY' CREATED THE TERRORISTS

Last month, people from about 30 countries flocked to Niger's capital, Niamey, for the historic Conference in Solidarity with the Peoples of the Sahel. During the three days, one special Nigerien panellist attracted attention for questioning the West’s role in spreading terrorism in the arid region south of the Sahara Desert. Her name is Falmata Moctar Taya, and she is the treasurer of the Movement M62.

Movement M62's official name is M62: Sacred Union for the Safeguard of the Sovereignty and Dignity of the People. The coalition of civil society organisations formed in 2022 to oppose French military occupation in Niger around the time that anti-imperialist President Assimi Goïta came to power in neighbouring Mali. The coalition is most known for playing its role in the 2023 revolution, which brought to power Nigerien President Abdourahamane Tiani and the revolutionary government, the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP). 

Continued…….. Movement M62 was at the forefront of the effort that pushed Niger to expel French and US military bases across the country, making the coalition the civilian face of Niger's anti-imperialist revolution.

Visit Movement 62's website (https://m62.reppad.org) and its Facebook page: facebook.com/mouvement62

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M62_Movement

https://m62.reppad.org/

S. SUDAN TEEN THE NEXT
USAIN BOLT?

Meet the world’s fastest 16-year-old: South Sudanese-Australian Gout Gout (pronounced 'Gwot Gwot').

Hailing from a nation often associated with war and suffering in mainstream media, Gout joins in the ranks of those reshaping the narrative of South Sudan, shining a different spotlight on the world’s youngest country.

At the Australian All-Schools Championships in Brisbane on 7 December, Gout delivered a record-breaking performance, securing two historic noscripts.

Continued……First, he broke Peter Norman's half-century-old national record of 20.06 seconds set at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, becoming the fastest Australian to ever run the 200 m. Second, with an extraordinary time of 20.04 seconds, Gout shattered Usain Bolt's 2003 world record of 20.31 seconds for the under-16 age group, earning him the noscript of fastest 16-year-old in history.

After the race, Gout acknowledged that the world record had been in his sights but came sooner than he had anticipated: “I thought it would come maybe next year, the year after that,” he told reporters, “but I didn’t think it would come this year.”

Sources:

https://x.com/AthsAust/status/1865288461256921562

https://www.bbc.com/sport/athletics/articles/c9vkk7y2ywvo

https://edition.cnn.com/2012/04/24/sport/olympics-norman-black-power/index.html

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/athletics/he-would-have-been-proud-of-you-touching-message-to-gout-gout-from-family-of-peter-norman-20241208-p5kwpb.html

EUROPE MAKES MILLIONS FROM REJECTING AFRICAN VISAS

When Africans are denied visas to Europe, there’s no doubt those decisions are often racist. But could they be capitalist too? African Stream’s Wambura Mwai looks at the big business that is EU visa rejections.

JAILED UK ACTIVIST’S POE ABOUT GAZA

Back in August, a group of Palestine Action activists broke into the heavily guarded premises of Elbit Systems - a defence technology firm in Bristol, UK. The company is Israel’s largest arms maker. It’s seen profits surge by nearly 15% since Tel Aviv’s war on Gaza began.

Ten members of the group were arrested under the UK’s Terrorism Act for their protest and have been in jail ever since. Among the activists was Zoe Rogers, whose mother recently gave an interview to UK activist-rapper @Lowkey0nline (X) (for @MintPressNews (X)). She read out a powerful poem written by her daughter from prison - explaining why she felt compelled to take action.

Video credit: @MintPressNews (X)

Continued………Sources:

https://www.mintpressnews.com/a-letter-from-jailed-palestine-action-activist-zoe-rogers/288338/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOmk_IhiCS4

https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2024/08/16/filton-palestine-action/

https://palestineaction.org

https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/2024/12/02/israeli-arms-makers-break-records-for-weapons-sales-amid-gaza-war/

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20241120-elbit-systems-profits-surge-due-to-increased-demand-from-israel-military-in-gaza-and-hezbollah-conflict/

1985 MOVE BOMBING FAMILIES DEMAND RETURN OF KINS' REMAINS

Relatives of 1985 bombing victims who belonged to the US-based MOVE liberation group called again on 9 December for the return of their kins’ remains from the Penn Museum (formally known as the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology), in another case highlighting the structural dehumanisation of Africans in the United States.

On 9 December, John Africa, Jr., told reporters gathered for a press conference that authorities returned some bodies to the family without heads or torsos. A University of Pennsylvania student named Jane Weiss reportedly included an X-ray of 12-year-old Delisha Africa's head in her 2019 senior thesis, ‘Who is Jane Doe?’ raising further concern about the treatment of the remains.

Continued……. @mikeafricajr (X) also stated that his great-uncle, John Africa, a key MOVE figure, was buried without his head because it was removed using a saw rather than authorities’ claim that he had been decapitated by the bombing, ensuing blaze or gunfire. 

Despite the city of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania promising in 2021 to return all remains, MOVE maintains the institutions deny accountability and closure to the family.

At the news conference she helped organise for the family, city councilmember Jamie Gauthier (@councilmemberJG on X), who represents the district that includes the museum and the bombardment site, condemned the institution's ‘profound disrespect for Black life and Black death.’

MOVE was a Black liberation group focused on environmentalism and animal rights. On 13 May 1985, Philadelphia police bombed their home and fired more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition, k*lling five children and six adults as police prohibited firefighters from putting out the ensuing blaze. The attack destroyed more than 60 rowhomes and left 250 people homeless.

Watch the whole press conference here: https://youtu.be/1xOrMC31Dxg

Donate to the @hate5six YouTube channel’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hate5six

Sources
Family demands MOVE bombing victims remains
https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/philadelphia/news/move-bombing-remains-penn-museum

https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/family-calls-on-penn-museum-to-return-remains-of-girl-killed-in-move-bombing/4049143

https://www.phillyvoice.com/move-bombing-victim-remains-penn-museum-mike-africa-jr

MOVE bombing
https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/2019/8/8/20747198/philadelphia-bombing-1985-move

Jane Weiss
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Dr-Janet-Monge-right-and-Penn-undergraduate-student-Jane-Weiss-in-CAAM-190-Classroom_fig2_375625627

Mention of Jane Weiss senior thesis
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/7ACBDC69D82453DC49FA2FC1A534EF52/S0940739123000127a.pdf/open_access_violence_legacies_of_white_supremacist_data_making_at_the_penn_museum_from_the_morton_cranial_collection_to_the_move_remains.pdf

MALEMA: REMOVE 'AFRICAN PUPPETS' TO BE EFFECTIVE ON UNSC

Africa needs a permanent voice at the UN Security Council, but it won’t make much difference for ordinary Africans given the unimaginative political status quo plaguing the continent, according to South Africa’s Economic Freedom Fighters President Julius Malema.

In this clip from a recent exclusive RT interview, @effsouthafrica’s @julius_s_malema (X) said Africa must address internal challenges, including political dependency, resource giveaways and colonial-era legacies, to develop a strong, united leadership to position Africa as equal among powerful states like the United States, China and Russia.

Video credit: @RT_com (X)