Continued…..

Over the past several months, researchers have attempted to calculate the actual death toll, with figures ranging as high as a couple of hundred thousand.

While Israel claims its onslaught has targeted Hamas members, Gaza's most vulnerable, such as children and women, have suffered the most. Here, we sum up some of the impacts of the 15-month onslaught.

Sources:

https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/08/26/israel-palestinian-healthcare-workers-tortured

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/15/the-human-toll-of-israels-war-on-gaza-by-the-numbers

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2025/01/19/health-ministry-in-gaza-says-war-death-toll-at-46-913-

https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/10/1156016

https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/press-release/2024/10/war-on-women-women-killed-in-armed-conflicts-double-in-2023

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2025/01/19/health-ministry-in-gaza-says-war-death-toll-at-46-913-

https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0140-6736%2824%2902678-3

https://www.savethechildren.net/news/gaza-least-3100-children-aged-under-five-killed-others-risk-famine-looms

https://turkiye.un.org/en/263401-gaza-number-children-killed-higher-four-years-world-conflict

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

https://www.trtworld.com/discrimination/un-women-and-children-make-up-shocking-70-of-gaza-war-casualties-18229980

https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/press-release/2024/10/war-on-women-women-killed-in-armed-conflicts-double-in-2023

https://pjs.ps/en/index.html

https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/memoriam-vaccineswork-remembers-health-care-workers-killed-2024

https://healthcareworkerswatch.org/

https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/08/26/israel-palestinian-healthcare-workers-tortured

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/14/health/gaza-death-toll.html

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2025/01/19/health-ministry-in-gaza-says-war-death-toll-at-46-913-

Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have seized control of Minova, a vital trading centre situated just 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Goma, the capital of war-torn North Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Minova’s fall comes two weeks after M23 captured Masisi, a significant location within the mineral-rich area. Fierce fighting erupted shortly after the cancellation of planned peace talks between Rwandan and DRC leaders, scheduled for 15 December, in Angola. Since then, M23 has successfully overrun several towns and settlements as it pushes toward Goma, a city it briefly occupied in 2012.

A June 2024 report from UN experts revealed that Rwanda had sent approximately 3,000 to 4,000 troops to bolster M23, aiding their territorial gains in eastern Congo. The M23 group has been accused of committing atrocities against civilians, further worsening the humanitarian crisis in the Great Lakes region.

Continued……. The ongoing resource-driven war, which has lasted for three decades, is recognised as one of the most destructive and prolonged conflicts in modern history. It involves over 120 militias and armed groups, many reportedly supported by foreign governments and interests. This enduring conflict has generated around 6 million deaths, more than 7 million internally displaced people and numerous reports of s*xual violence.

The DRC is estimated to hold a staggering $24 trillion in untapped mineral resources, including cobalt, gold, lithium and coltan, drawing the attention of powerful foreign entities eager to exploit these riches. Tech giants have come under fire for sourcing cobalt, a key component in rechargeable batteries, from mines accused of using child labour and operating under hazardous conditions. While a class-action lawsuit brought by child miners against several tech companies failed last year in the United States, similar legal action is now underway in Europe, keeping the spotlight on the exploitative practices tied to Congo’s mineral wealth.

Sources:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz9e57wln45o

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/congos-m23-rebels-seize-eastern-town-minova-2025-01-21/

https://apnews.com/article/congo-rebels-minova-m23-goma-kivu-30eb356bd6e6e6dc933fc5539b3054aa

https://thedefensepost.com/2025/01/19/m23-fighters-congo-town/

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/21/m23-rebels-seize-key-eastern-drc-town-of-minova

https://www.unhcr.org/news/briefing-notes/escalating-violence-eastern-dr-congo-displaces-more-230-000-start-year

https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/n24/118/80/pdf/n2411880.pdf

https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/news/east-africa/new-refugee-wave-as-m23-rebels-seize-2-towns-in-north-kivu--4879026

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2024/10/why-is-the-democratic-republic-of-congo-wracked-by-conflict/

WHITE WOMAN APOLOGISES FOR ACCUSING BLACK MAN OF TRESPASSING

Real estate developer DaMichael Jenkins shared door-camera footage from a recent incident, where a white woman trespassed on his property in the US state of Ohio, claiming he was an intruder. Footage shows Michelle Bishop didn’t believe Jenkins when he said he lived there, prompting her to run away while screaming for help. When Bishop returned to the scene, Jenkins and his wife asked what prompted her to do that. Bishop stated, ‘Well, you just have to understand my point of view, being by myself with two kids.’

After many online accused Bishop of racial profiling, she released a video statement denying racist intentions.

This incident sheds light on a much deeper issue. Long-standing racist stereotypes about Black men lead to profiling and disproportionately higher rates of incarceration.

Continued……In a similar incident in 2020, on the same day as the arrest and murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, a white woman named Amy Cooper was walking her unleashed dog in New York’s Central Park when she encountered Christian Cooper (of no relation to Amy), a bird watcher. She declined Christian’s request that she leash her dog for safety. Amy was recorded on camera frantically calling 911, claiming, ‘An African-American man is threatening my dog and myself. Please send help!’ Shortly after, Amy apologised, claiming she was scared, but she lost her job at an investment firm as a consequence.

In the case of 14-year-old Emmett Till (1941-55), a false accusation of sexual harassment led to a white mob torturing and k*lling him in Mississippi. Six decades later, his accuser, Carolyn Bryant (1934-2023), admitted that she had lied.

So, while it may seem like not a big deal, the impact of these false allegations can devastate lives especially in a country with a trigger happy police force that have routinely killed black people on camera.

Video credit: @Raindropsmedia1 (X)

Sources:

https://theshaderoom.com/damichael-jenkins-ohio-woman-profiling-home-camera-video/

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/white-woman-apologizes-accusing-black-184917226.html

https://www.npr.org/2020/05/26/862230724/white-woman-who-called-police-on-black-bird-watcher-in-central-park-placed-on-le

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/may/26/central-park-new-york-white-woman-black-birdwatcher

https://eji.org/news/emmett-till-accuser-admits-she-lied

https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2023/04/28/carolyn-bryant-accused-emmett-till

ZIMBABWE: GEN Z SAYS ‘NO’ TO 3RD MNANGAGWA TERM!

On 20 January, a group of Zimbabweans protested against plans by the ruling ZANU-PF party to scrap presidential term limits to allow President Emmerson Mnangagwa to rule beyond his second term, which is set to expire in 2028. This video, posted by Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin’ono, shows them chanting while marching through a suburb of the capital, Harare.

Their main rally cry is ‘2030 taramba,’ which in the local Shona language means, ‘We reject the 2030 project.’ Project 2030 is an effort by the ruling party to mobilise citizens to support its planned amendment to the country’s 2013 constitution, which restricts presidents to two five-year terms in office max.

Continued……At its annual congress in October 2024, ZANU-PF passed a resolution backing reforms that would enable Mnangagwa to stay in office until at least 2030. The party says the president, who has been in power since 2017, needs more time to complete projects his administration is implementing.

On 16 January, the country’s justice minister, Ziyambi Ziyambi, revealed that his ministry is ready to start amending the constitution as soon as parliamentarians table the bill before the National Assembly.

Mnangagwa has stated on numerous occasions that he has no plans to rule beyond his second and final term. However, his opponents insist that the president is behind the calls for a third bid, and that his professed rejection of the idea is merely an attempt to hoodwink the public.

ZANU-PF currently enjoys a two-thirds parliamentary majority, which will make it easy to pass the bill through the House. However, the real hurdle for the ruling party will be selling the idea to citizens, who will eventually have to vote on it in a national referendum.

Video Credit: Hopewell Chin’ono

Sources:

https://www.newzimbabwe.com/stop-this-nonsense-chamisa-blasts-zanu-pfs-push-for-mnangagwas-third-term/
https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/zimbabwes-zanu-pf-wants-extend-presidents-term-by-two-years-2025-01-14/

https://www.zimlive.com/zanu-pf-passes-resolution-to-allow-mnangagwa-to-extend-term-up-to-2030/

https://theafrican.co.za/politics/double-speak-in-third-term-bid-for-emmerson-mnangagwa-d18be85f-2e5e-470a-8a3c-64b8be70338e/

https://www.voanews.com/a/zimbabwe-s-leader-rules-out-extending-presidency-terms/7735025.html

THE U.S. IS THE MOST CORRUPT COUNTRY IN THE WORLD

For many years, stories about African leaders using their positions to economically empower their relatives or shield them from the law have been a staple in mainstream Western media outlets. These outlets have framed corruption, abuse of office and autocratic tendencies as African phenomena.

However, the last several years have shown that these tendencies are just as prevalent in the West. For example, former US President Joe Biden issued pardons to several family members and political associates hours before he departed the White House on 20 January.

Continued……Not to be outdone, hours into his presidency, Donald Trump also joined the pardon jamboree by offering clemency to the about 1,500 people involved in the 6 January 2021 attack on the US Capitol over alleged fraud during the 2020 US presidential election.

In this December 2024 clip from a more extended reaction video on Biden pardoning his son, Hunter, African Stream Editor-in-Chief Ahmed Kaballo explained why the US is the world’s most corrupt country. Let us know your thoughts, too.

Sources:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8r5g5dezk4o

https://apnews.com/article/biden-pardons-family-trump-white-hous-caee326c4723a4ba6d972f7daf750a0b

https://breakingdefense.com/2024/11/pentagon-fails-7th-audit-in-a-row-eyes-passing-grade-by-2028/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-an-early-biden-crime-bill-created-the-sentencing-disparity-for-crack-and-cocaine-trafficking/2019/07/28/5cbb4c98-9dcf-11e9-85d6-5211733f92c7_story.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-58001750

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y7l47xrpko

CONGO TO EXECUTE URBAN YOUTH GANGS

Widespread debate broke out across the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the world when Minister of Justice Constant Mutamba announced on 5 January that the country would be executing 170 youths involved in gang violence in Kinshasa.

Known as 'Kuluna,’ the youths are held in a special prison in the country’s north. While official reports state that the boys are between the ages of 18 and 35, many worry that some of the gang members are much younger.

African Stream’s Inemesit Richardson spoke to Jacinthe Maarifa, a Goma-based Congolese artist and activist with Action Globale pour l’Inclusion et la Résilience (Global and Inclusive Action for the Development in English, @agir_rdc [X], AGIR RDC [Facebook]), to better understand the debates surrounding capital punishment and the Kuluna gangs.

SELECTIVE ANTI-SEMITISM? ELON MUSK’S N*ZI SALUTE

This comedy skit from @KeyAndPeele (X) has resurfaced to show how Western media, well-known people and Tesla CEO Elon Musk are gaslighting those criticising the latter’s N*zi-like salute at US President Donald Trump’s inauguration rally on 20 January.

Ironically, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), usually quick to label almost any criticism of the state of Israel as ‘anti-Semitic,’ called for ‘grace’ and excused Musk’s gesture as ‘awkward’ and one made ‘in a moment of enthusiasm.’

Continued…….. ‘Anti-Semitism’ thus seems to be a term weaponised against those who oppose Israel’s 76-year occupation of Palestine. For example, former CNN contributor and commentator @MarcLamontHill’s (X) open support for Palestine led to CNN firing him 24 hours after his 2018 speech at the United Nations. And, recently, eight-time National Basketball League (NBA) All-Star champion @DwightHoward (X) revealed how a ‘free Palestine’ tweet almost got him kicked out of the league.

Video credit: @KeyAndPeele (X)

Sources:

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/21/elon-musk-at-trumps-inauguration-whats-the-history-of-the-nazi-salute

https://www.timesofisrael.com/how-did-the-adl-conclude-that-elon-musk-didnt-give-a-nazi-salute-it-isnt-saying/

https://apnews.com/article/musk-gesture-salute-antisemitism-0070dae53c7a73397b104ae645877535

https://www.newsweek.com/israel-gaza-hamas-celebrities-social-media-comments-cancel-culture-1845966

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/marc-lamont-hill-fired-cnn-after-his-speech-israel-draws-n942151

https://x.com/african_stream/status/1877643072659439980

‘THEY TOOK OUR WEALTH’

On this day in 1979, pan-Africanist singer, actor and activist Paul Robeson died at 77.

During his life, Robeson’s anti-imperialist views put him in the crosshairs of the US government. During the McCarthy era (a period of state repression against individuals holding leftist views), it held him responsible for dissuading Africans in America from participating in imperialist wars and branded him a Communist.

This not only led to Robeson getting blacklisted during the McCarthy era, effectively ending his mainstream success, but the government also denied him the right to travel by refusing to grant him a passport.

Continued……However, all these attacks did little to dampen Robeson’s revolutionary spirit or prevent him from expressing his opinions. In this 1960 clip, Paul Robeson’s wit, intelligence and insights are on full display.

First broadcast on Australian TV, he explains to the host and audience how their country, and the United States too, got its wealth - as well as why he is proud of his African roots, despite institutional attempts to make him ashamed of them.
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WILL RUTO’S PRO-WEST GAMBLE BACKFIRE?

Donald Trump kicks off his second term as US president with an uncertain agenda regarding Africa.

Kenya’s status as a key non-NATO ally hangs in the balance, with rumours swirling around that Trump plans to withdraw the US from the military alliance.

The East African nation’s strong ties with Washington were solidified during William Ruto’s extravagant state visit to the US in May 2024, when former president Joe Biden revealed that Congress would move to officially recognise Kenya as a major non-NATO ally. This shift signified Nairobi’s departure from a 60-year policy of non-alignment, which had allowed it to reap benefits from both Western and Eastern powers.

The African Stream team recently discussed Ruto’s rejection of pan-Africanism in favour of subservience to imperialism in light of the evolving geopolitical landscape in 2025 - here’s an excerpt.

Continued……Sources:

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/biden-designates-kenya-as-major-non-nato-ally/3257243

https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/news/world/africa-faces-uncertainty-in-donald-trump-2-0-season-4893236

https://www.businessinsider.com/what-would-happen-us-leaves-nato-trump-2025-1

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/24/major-non-nato-ally-what-does-bidens-new-kenya-pledge-mean

Continued……. In 2022 and 2023, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger pulled out of the G5 Sahel Joint Force, citing the need to regain control over their security from foreign-backed entities. (G5 was set up in 2017 to coordinate anti-terrorism efforts, with an initial grant of €100 million from the European Union.) In 2024, they left ECOWAS and established the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) with a focus on unified defence, economic and foreign policies.

Commenting on the AES’s latest move, Niger’s defence chief stated, “We are in the same place, we face the same type of threats, especially this threat of criminal groups. We have to join forces.”

Could this inspire other African nations to strengthen their self-reliance?

Sources:

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/junta-led-sahel-states-ready-joint-force-5000-troops-says-minister-2025-01-22/

https://www.africanews.com/2025/01/22/alliance-of-sahel-states-to-form-5000-troop-military-unit/

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/16/mali-niger-and-burkina-faso-establish-sahel-security-alliance

https://www.rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/frances-strategic-failure-mali-postcolonial-disutility-force

https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2024/09/17/the-alliance-of-sahel-states-implications-challenges-and-prospects-in-west-africa/

https://ecfr.eu/special/sahel_mapping/operation_barkhane

https://www.leidensecurityandglobalaffairs.nl/articles/operation-serval-the-french-intervention-in-mali

ARE ISRAEL & U.S. PLANNING REGIME CHANGE IN ERITREA?

Is Israel manufacturing consent for regime change in Eritrea? In a 16 January article in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, author Habtom Ghebrezghiabher argues Asmara poses a threat to Israel and the US due to its warm relations with Iran, China and Russia.

The Haaretz article argues that Asmara is an Iranian proxy used to disrupt the maritime routes used by Israel’s allies, citing the detention of a vessel of Azerbaijan, an Israeli ally. The author argues Eritrea and Yemen effectively grant Iran control over both sides of the southern Red Sea. Iranian vessels using Eritrean territorial waters is another sticking point, with the author taking issue that Eritrea accused Israel of violating Eritrean sovereignty when Tel Aviv attacked an Iranian vessel.