BURKINA BOSS TRAORÉ SCHOOLS WEST’S PUPPETS

Burkina Faso’s president has lashed out at African leaders who are too eager to do the West’s bidding. Using the recent Russia-Africa summit as a platform, he slammed them for using negative language - such as ‘militias’ - to describe Burkinabe civilians who have signed up to help fight terrorism in their country. Western journalists have pressed the panic button over civilians being handed guns and formed into defence units. But why, asks Ibrahim Traoré, is it only when this happens in Africa that people are so worried - choosing terms like ‘patriots’ and ‘defenders’ when it happens elsewhere, for example? And why, more importantly, are certain African heads of state playing along?

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GAMBIA SEEKS JUSTICE FOR SYRUP DEATHS

The Gambian government is poised to take legal action against Indian drug giant Maiden Pharmaceuticals - and possibly, unprecedentedly, even against the Indian government as well. It’s currently getting advice from lawyers on how to pursue justice for over 70 Gambian children whose deaths have been linked to contaminated cough syrups made in India. Twenty Gambian families have already launched their own action - targeting not just Indian pharma but also Gambian officials, who failed to register the drugs when importing them. New Delhi insists it exports only safe and tested drugs. But numerous child deaths in Indonesia and Uzbekistan have also been linked to the same medicines.

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BBC's Stupid Question

Is it the dumbest question of the year? The BBC has apologised after its reporter asked the captain of Morocco’s women’s football team if there were gay players on her side.

It prompted a backlash because same-sex relationships are illegal in the North African country, and many feared if the skipper outed a player, it could land them in jail back home.

Ok, fair enough, but why feel the need to ask the question in the first place? This is sport, not politics.

And for the record, there are 64 countries worldwide that outlaw same-sex relationships, so will the reporter ask this question every time one of them plays a match, or is it just reserved for the African teams?

Also, why stop there? Maybe ask English, French and American players about their governments bombing Libya back into the stone ages and destroying Africa's once most prosperous country. After all, that question is not about politics; it’s about people!!!

DODGING DOLLAR SANCTIONS

Zimbabwe’s president reckons it’s time to think outside the box to get around American sanctions.
For over two decades the Southern African country has faced financial blockades.

But Emmerson Mnangagwa is working hard to find alternative payment systems to the US dollar for trade.
Listen to what he said at the recent Russia-Africa summit.

By the way, Zimbabwe isn’t alone. It’s just one of nine African countries under US sanctions.

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NIGER FAKE NEWS ALERT

Fake news alert! A video has been circulating online, allegedly showing Niger's ousted finance minister, Ahmat Jidoud, in tears. The caption says it’s his reaction to being given 48 hours by coup leaders to account for missing government funds - or face death by firing squad.

But fact-checkers have compared the man in the video with recent photographs of Jidoud, making it clear that they have very different physical appearances. The individual sobbing profusely in the video is dark-skinned, whereas Jidoud is light-skinned.

It’s also reported that the video was actually first posted back in December 2021. The caption back then read that it shows former Nigerien justice minister Marou Amadou. Apparently, his tears were ones of joy, following his appointment as Niger’s ambassador to Ethiopia.

There is currently no evidence either that Ahmat Jidoud was ordered to explain any budget gaps or threatened with his life.

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WEST RATTLED AS NIGERIENS ‘CLAIM BACK LAND’

We’re not the only ones who think Western headlines about recent events in Niger need a serious rewrite. Check out this take from Syrian-British independent journalist Richard Medhurst on Western expressions of ‘concern’ about losing Niger as an ally. He cashes out the situation instead in terms of Nigeriens claiming their country back. In particular, he hones in on the way ex-colonial and now neocolonial exploiter France has thrived on the back of Nigerien suffering.

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‘WAR AGAINST NIGER IS WAR
AGAINST MALI & BURKINA’

Mali’s interim leader has warned that any military aggression against Niger would be seen by his country and by ally Burkina Faso as a declaration of war against them both as well.

ECOWAS (the Economic Community of West African States) has threatened to use military force against the new Nigerien leadership if the coup there is not reversed in 7 days.

ECOWAS is currently chaired by Nigerian president Bola Ahmed Tinubu. His army’s general, Christopher Gwabin Musa, has stated that the Nigerian military is simply awaiting orders from Tinubu.

ECOWAS member Guinea has declared that it would refuse to participate in any military aggression by the bloc, while Niger’s neighbour Algeria has said it would not sit idly by if its neighbour is attacked

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French flags are being burnt across the Sahel. Nigeriens and Senegalese set fire to tricolours in their respective capital this weekend. In Dakar, protesters shouted, "Get out France!” - while in Niamey, the cry was “Long live Mali, long live Burkina, down with France!”

France has long considered Senegal its ‘pré carré’ - or backyard. Popular Senegalese politician and election candidate Ousmane Sonko, who is openly opposed to French dominance, was re-arrested on July 28th for unspecified reasons, setting off a new wave of protests. He - like many Senegalese - is critical of the French-controlled CFA franc, endorsing the creation of an independent currency.

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Continued - French flags are being burnt across the Sahel.

Meanwhile, in Niger, the army has seized power. Inspired by the anti-imperialist leaderships in Mali and Burkina Faso, many Nigeriens are hoping that those now at the helm in their country will expel the French military and other French institutions.

This rising anti-French sentiment in Senegal and Niger mirrors the general trend across the Sahel, where Malians and Burkinabe have also poured into the streets to denounce French neo-colonialism and intervention. Are we witnessing the dawn of a new day for this region?

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What a surprise - the Western media paints a negative image of the coup in Niger. Why doesn’t it mention the negative impact French neo-colonialism has been having on the country and region for years? It’s only thanks to Niger that the lights stay on in France, as the latter gets most of its uranium from the former - yet at such dirt cheap prices that the African nation remains one of the poorest places in the world. So of course people want change - and are hopeful now that it’s happening. The same applies to the Sahel in general, where Mali and Burkina Faso have already done their bit expelling a French military presence that has, as far as many locals there can see, only made the security situation worse. Notice also the implicit racism in this BBC headline - as if, without the West and its puppets, things will go worse for Africans.

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You’ve heard what other African nations, including from the ECOWAS bloc, and even non-African countries and blocs like France and the EU, think about the recent seizure of power in Niger. But what about the people of the country? Passions are high in the streets of Niamey right now. WATCH as locals share their reactions to what’s happened and hopes for what comes next.

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NIGER COUP: THE FALLOUT

A lot has happened since Niger’s coup last week. African nations under the ECOWAS umbrella have imposed sanctions and even threatened military action, while Niamey has banned uranium and gold exports to France. The coup is seen by many Nigeriens as an opportunity to end the near-plunder of their nation’s resources by former colonisers, and to partner with other regional powers who have similarly sought radical change. Will Niger, like Burkina Faso and Mali, now also expel foreign troops from its territory? Here’s our roundup of the coup’s fallout so far.

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NIGERIANS DISMAYED BY
ECOWAS THREAT

West Africa’s ECOWAS bloc of nations is threatening war against Niger if coup leaders there don’t release and reinstate President Mohamed Bazoum within 7 days. The bloc has already fired off sanctions against the poverty-hit country. Nigeriens shared their views on how ECOWAS is behaving towards their homeland.

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HAITI’S RESISTANCE TO US

On July 28, 1915, the US began a 19-year occupation of Haiti, a dark and painful chapter in the nation's history. The US-backed dictatorship of President Michel Oreste was widely hated by Haitians, who saw him as a traitor. Throughout the occupation, Haitians resisted and defended their sovereignty and their cultural heritage against US attempts to erase it. Their resistance had broader significance, inspiring anti-colonial movements in Latin America and Africa. Today, the US occupation remains a symbol of Haitian resistance and patriotism, commemorated annually on July 28th as Haitians remember and honour the courage of their ancestors who fought for freedom and dignity.

African Stream was on the ground in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and joined the annual commemorations to find out how locals feel about the U.S's historic and current role in their country.

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France has been left reeling by the military takeover of Niger. The African state was a strategic ally for the West and Paris, but the coup has changed all that.

However, not everyone is falling for Paris’ concern about the need to protect ‘democracy’ in Niamey.
This cartoon by controversial French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo captures what many are thinking.

It’s more about France’s dependency on Niger’s uranium to power its nuclear energy plants.
Without it, the lights go out in thousands of French homes.
Meanwhile, in Niger, only 14.3% of people have access to electricity. And rampant exploitation of its uranium has caused environmental devastation and done little to lift the country out of poverty.

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Continued- France has been left reeling by the military takeover of Niger

Without it, the lights go out in thousands of French homes.
Meanwhile, in Niger, only 14.3% of people have access to electricity. And rampant exploitation of its uranium has caused environmental devastation and done little to lift the country out of poverty.

On top of that, the presence of French and US soldiers in the region has failed to counter an insurgency that’s wreaked havoc.

Maybe that explains why the French embassy was targeted by angry demonstrators following the coup.
And maybe that helps you understand the cartoon.

For those who don’t speak French, it reads: ‘France targeted. If at least it was uranium.'

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CONAKRY SLAMS NIGER SANCTIONS

Guinea Conakry has condemned ECOWAS for imposing sanctions against Niger over the coup there - saying they will only create more suffering in the poverty-hit nation. Similar condemnations have come from Mali and Burkina Faso. Guinea had its own coup in 2021 and has also faced ECOWAS sanctions.

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ECOWAS ‘ANTI-COUP UNIT’ SLAMMED

Threats of force against Niger by the ECOWAS umbrella of West African nations have been met with derision and scorn in The Gambia. Mama Kandeh, the founding leader of the Gambia Democratic Congress, has branded any deployment of a “coup d'état unit” as completely self-serving. Her urges bloc members to focus on getting their own houses in order rather than go meddling in other nations’ affairs.

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SENEGAL BANS PARTY SPARKS DEADLY DEMOS

There’ve been further deadly protests in Senegal after the main opposition party was banned and its leader handed more criminal charges.

PASTEF’s Ousmane Sonko is accused of fomenting an insurrection and other crimes.
However, his supporters say he’s the victim of a witch-hunt ahead of next year’s presidential race.
They believe the government is scared of growing anti-French sentiment sweeping across parts of the Sahel.

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