PLO LUMUMBA’S FRIENDSHIP WITH PAUL KAGAME

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is once again drowning in bloodshed. In the last month alone, Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have seized multiple towns, displacing over 500,000 people and tightening their grip on the DRC’s mineral-rich east.

For years, Kinshasa has accused Kigali of providing financial, political and military support to M23, accusations backed by mounting evidence from the United Nations, human rights organisations and intelligence reports. Yet, Rwandan President Paul Kagame has always denied involvement, skillfully masking US and European imperialist aggression behind Pan-Africanist rhetoric.  

Continued….. However, PLO Lumumba, one of Africa’s most revered Pan-Africanist scholars, calls himself a ‘friend’ of Kagame. How do we reconcile Pan-Africanism with friendship with a man accused of destabilising an African state on behalf of imperial powers? This question took centre stage during the ‘Pan-African Attitude’ podcast’s eighth episode at African Stream’s Nairobi studios. We put Lumumba on the spot, where he revealed some of their private conversations, specifically who Kagame thinks is to blame for the long-standing crisis in the Congo.

Give it a watch, and let us know if you’re satisfied with Lumumba’s response.

Hear Us Roar: https://news.1rj.ru/str/AfricanStream

U.S. 2024: HIGHEST POLICE KILL RATE IN 10 YEARS

US police killed a total of 1,364 people in 2024—8 more people than in 2023—according to data analysed by Mapping Police Violence, a project set up to ‘provide accurate numbers on the number of lives taken at the hands of police’ which US law enforcement and government agencies fail to do. The 2024 figure is the highest Mapping Police Violence that has been obtained since it began analysing data in 2013.

In this clip, Tiktok user @rachellapointe, a student of policing and gender-based violence, breaks down the project’s 2024 data. Mapping Police Violence reports that only 11 days in 2024 did not involve US police forces k*lling someone. As of 24 January, of the 1,364 people police k*lled in 2024, 310 were Black, a 4.62 per cent year-on-year decrease but still showing a demographic overpresentation in those killed.

Continued…….. While making up 13 per cent of the US population, Black people made up 22.72 per cent of 2024 police k*llings. This shows that although the Jim Crow era of discriminatory laws may have ended in 1965 following the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Black people continue to be disproportionately affected by the US justice system. We are systemically racially profiled and targeted in all facets of the judicial system—from policies to policing to discriminatory incarceration—in what author and civil rights activist Michelle Alexander calls ‘The New Jim Crow.’

Years of mass activism calling for respecting Black people’s human rights and accountability culminated in the most significant uprising in the country following police k*lling George Floyd in 2020. However, they have yet to yield any systemic transformation. Most police officers involved in extrajudicial k*llings of unarmed Black people in the US are never charged with wrongdoing. The first Trump administration (2017-21), the Biden administration (2021-25) and both parties rejected popular demands to ‘defund the police’ during the George Floyd protests, instead funnelling billions of dollars to hire and arm more police, including overseeing the construction of ‘Cop Cities,’ police training facilities, in many US states.

Video credit: Rachel LaPointe (@rachellapointe on TikTok)

Sources:

https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2025/01/03/xymt-j03.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/24/us/police-killings-prosecution-charges.html

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/report-black-people-are-still-killed-police-higher-rate-groups-rcna17169

https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2024/study-of-fatal-and-nonfatal-shootings-by-police-reveals-racial-disparities-dispatch-risks

https://www.amazon.com/New-Jim-Crow-Incarceration-Colorblindness/dp/1595586431

https://www.statista.com/statistics/585152/people-shot-to-death-by-us-police-by-race

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/24/us/police-killings-prosecution-charges.html

https://mappingpoliceviolence.org

DEATH OF AFRICANS ‘GOOD’ FOR PLANET

With the slaughter in DRC escalating again, let’s remind ourselves of the time The Atlantic - in a fit of callous idiocy - tried to convince us that there was a good side to the mass killing of Africans. It ran a headline proclaiming that the war in eastern Congo has “kept the planet cooler” back in December 2023!

Apparently, the suffering of millions - over 6 million killed, over 7 million displaced (500,000 in January) - is just a minor footnote when it comes to virtue-signalling your green credentials.

To be fair, they did add a subheading: “The grim ironies of climate change.” But that grimness has nothing to do with climate change. It has everything to do with a 30-year resource war that, to a large extent, is fuelled by the West’s continued hunger for cheap resources and has created one of the biggest humanitarian crises on the planet.

Continued……The article’s author, Ross Anderson, casually noted that war had slowed down the economic exploitation of the Congolese rainforest. But he forgot to mention that the illicit timber trade is one of the very things driving this conflict.

Meanwhile, as Congo's war rages on, Western corporations continue their relentless exploitation of the Congolese people, sending them into perilous, pollution-spewing mines. Villages are being erased, forests are disappearing and rivers are turning into toxic soup - all in the name of greed. All very good for the environment - not!

So here’s a thought for Western editors and journalists: how about treating Africans with the dignity they deserve in your stories?

Hear Us Roar: https://news.1rj.ru/str/AfricanStream

GHANA RANKED 2ND-SAFEST COUNTRY IN AFRICA

Ghana has been named the second-safest country in Africa for 2025. The ranking - by Tanzania’s Altezza Travel - points to the West African country’s independent judiciary, multiparty democracy, freedom of speech and free press. Ghana surpasses countries like Moldova, France and Jamaica in the Global Peace Index and boasts a zero score in the Terrorism Index. Additionally, its crime rate is reported to be lower than that of Canada, Greece and Australia, further solidifying its reputation as a secure destination.

Despite lagging behind developed countries in the Global Safety Report and Human Development Index, Ghana outperforms many African countries, including tourist hotspots like Kenya and Madagascar.

Continued…. Mauritius was named the safest country in Africa, with Zambia, Namibia and Morocco in third, fourth and fifth places, respectively.

Sources:

https://mobile.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Ghana-ranked-2nd-safest-place-in-Africa-crime-rate-lower-than-Canada-Australia-Tourism-report-1968547#:~:text=Global%20tourism%20firm%20Altezza%20Travel,than%20Canada%2C%20Greece%20and%20Australia

PART 1: ‘RWANDA IS THE ISRAEL OF AFRICA’

Rwanda is the Israel of Africa! That’s the verdict by Kambale Musavuli (@kambale on X), an analyst at the Center for Research on the Congo-Kinshasa.

Speaking during a recent interview on Breakthrough News (@btnewsroom on X), Musavuli, a renowned expert, pointed out that the West is using Rwanda to commit atrocities so foreign entities can cheaply extract mineral resources in the Great Lakes region in the same way the West uses Israel to destabilise West Asia.

Musavuli’s comments came in the wake of the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group’s escalated attacks on Congolese citizens around the city of Goma, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)’s North Kivu province, as the rebel group fought its way toward reportedly entering Goma on 27 January and taking over the airport.

Continued……Continued……. He said without the West’s support and protection, the Rwandan-backed atrocities that have caused mass displacements could not take place. Currently, more than 7 million people have fled to refugee camps in and around Goma and other parts of the DRC.

Musavuli said Kigali is not only a Western proxy army in the DRC but in countries like Mozambique and the Central African Republic.

Despite overwhelming evidence exposing Rwanda as the M23 puppeteer, the West has continued funnelling tens of millions of dollars in cash and military equipment to Kigali. Most of it ultimately ends up in the hands of M23.

Check for Part 2 of Musavuli’s remarks on Bluesky, Patreon, Rumble, Telegram and X.

Video credit: @btnewsroom

Sources:

https://www.africaintelligence.com/central-africa/2024/05/14/kinshasa-to-acquire-six-new-chinese-attack-drones,110225709-art

https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/news/east-africa/m23-rebels-take-control-of-goma-airport-4904862

https://www.kambale.com

https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2024/11/18/european-peace-facility-council-tops-up-support-to-the-deployment-of-the-rwanda-defence-force-to-fight-terrorism-in-cabo-delgado

https://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/central-africa/central-african-republic-rwanda/b191-rwandas-growing-role-central-african-republic

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/jan/25/rwandan-army-ready-to-invade-drc-and-help-rebels-seize-city

https://dtm.iom.int/sites/g/files/tmzbdl1461/files/reports/DTM_DRC_InternalDisplacementOverview_2024_EN_PUBLIC.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGQt-VUOUPY&t=1s

IS IT GOOD OR BAD THAT TRUMP’S STOPPED HIV FUNDING?

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on January 29 issued a waiver for some life-saving humanitarian assistance that was underway worldwide, following US President Donald Trump's cancellation of aid and withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO). Trump also ordered the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to end cooperation with WHO, and halted funding initiatives like the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

Critics argued the Trump's move jeopardised the lives of people who receive HIV prevention and treatment through the global programme, especially in Africa, where 25.6-million people live with HIV.

Continued……Launched by Republican US President George W Bush in 2003, PEPFAR provided life-saving antiretrovirals for more than 20 million people. It has reportedly saved 26-million lives and prevented nearly 8-million cases of mother-to-child HIV transmission since its inception. It also provided HIV testing services for nearly 84-million people in low- and middle-income countries in 2024.

A disruption in medication could lead to drug resistance, people with a detectable viral load transmitting HIV to their partners, and pregnant women passing the virus to foetuses.

But, why should Africa rely on US aid, so many decades after independence? A 2014 New York Times article admitted the US Agency for International Development (USAID) was sometimes ‘used as a front for CIA operations and operatives.’ The same applies to other US agencies, like the National Endowment for Democracy, whose co-founder and acting president, Allen Weinstein, said, ‘A lot of what we do today was done covertly 25 years ago by the CIA.’

Ultimately, as Burkina Faso’s assassinated leader and Pan-Africanist icon Thomas Sankara (1949-87), said, ‘He who feeds you, controls you.’ Africa is immensely wealthy in natural resources and people. While US programmes have provided much-needed life-saving assistance, what excuse do African leaders have for the lack of self-sufficiency in sectors as crucial as healthcare?

But we want to hear your thoughts.

Sources

https://www.state.gov/emergency-humanitarian-waiver-to-foreign-assistance-pause-2

https://apnews.com/article/trump-foreign-assistance-freeze-684ff394662986eb38e0c84d3e73350b

https://www.ebar.com/story.php?ch=news&sc=health&id=337614

Africa
https://files.aho.afro.who.int/afahobckpcontainer/production/files/iAHO-HIV_Regional_Factsheet_November2022.pdf

USAID / CIA
https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/04/15/when-is-foreign-aid-meddling/secret-programs-hurt-foreign-aid-efforts

NED / CIA
https://archive.org/stream/ned-cia-and-the-orwellian-democracy-project-by-chip-berlet-holly-sklar-covert-ac/NED%2C%20CIA%2C%20and%20the%20Orwellian%20Democracy%20Project%2C%20by%20Chip%20Berlet%20%26%20Holly%20Sklar%20%28CovertAction%20Information%20Bulletin%2C%20No.%2039%2C%20Winter%201991%29%20pp.%2010-13-1_djvu.txt

Thomas Sankara
https://newsreel.org/video/THOMAS-SANKARA-THE-UPRIGHT-MAN

Continued….. United Nations reports highlight Rwanda’s role as a vital channel for illicitly and violently obtained Congolese mineral resources, a fact that President Kagame has openly admitted. A December 2024 UN experts’ report noted that after the Kigali-sponsored M23 rebel group seized Rubaya in east DRC, home to the region’s largest coltan mine, it imposed substantial taxes on the extracted minerals and ensured their transfer to Rwanda.

Kagame has candidly stated that Rwanda acts as a transit point for smuggled Congolese minerals. During a ministerial swearing-in ceremony in November 2022, he remarked, “Some people come from Congo, whether they smuggle or go through the right channel, they bring minerals, but most of it goes through here but does not stay here. It goes to Dubai, to Brussels, Tel Aviv…”

To find the root causes of the decades-old war in Congo, follow the money. Rwanda and its international allies are key players in this ongoing conflict, which has already cost millions of lives - with more blood shed every day.

Sources:

https://www.mining.com/web/congo-rebel-gains-to-boost-illicit-mineral-trade-through-rwanda-analysts-say/

https://amsterdamandpartners.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024.04.25-AP-DRC-Blood-Minerals.pdf

https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2021/mcs2021.pdf

https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/rwanda-mining-and-minerals

https://youtu.be/Opf0b_svQl8?t=3444

https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2024/5/2/blood-minerals-what-are-the-hidden-costs-of-the-eu-rwanda-supply-deal
https://www.forbesafrica.com/opinion/op-ed/2023/03/29/rwandas-mining-sector-is-poised-for-even-more-growth-as-commodity-prices-continue-to-rise/

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/congo-rebel-gains-boost-illicit-mineral-trade-through-rwanda-analysts-say-2025-01-28/

https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-rwanda-minerals-agreement-coltan-ore-mining-conflict-smuggling-rubaya-democratic-republic-of-the-congo-paul-kagame/

https://www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/rwanda/eu-and-germany-join-forces-boost-rwandas-mining-sector_en?s=115

https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/business-tech/rwanda-produces-a-third-of-world-s-tantalum-report--1365584

https://ipisresearch.be/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/20021000_networkwars.pdf

https://www.bgr.bund.de/EN/Themen/Min_rohstoffe/CTC/Downloads/RW_certified_trading_chains_pilot_project.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=2

https://www.newsecuritybeat.org/2024/07/going-beyond-conflict-free-transition-minerals-governance-in-drc-and-rwanda/#:~:text=The%20legitimacy%20of%20Rwanda's%20responsible,in%20international%20markets%20through%20Rwanda.

‘NIGER USED TO BE A BANANA REPUBLIC’

Niger’s reality has changed drastically since President Abdourahamane Tiani came to power on 26 July 2023. In this video clip, he spoke about Niger going from being a neo-colonial ‘banana republic’ state to asserting its sovereignty and self-determination on the world stage.

Tiani stated that European and US powers previously considered the country’s uranium worth less than clay or red onions. Today, Niger’s government has nationalised its uranium mines in Somair and Imouraren, kicking out the French-owned Orano mining company. Niger was previously the European Union’s second-largest supplier of uranium.

Continued……As soon as Niger’s coup d’état threatened Western business interests, media outlets based in Europe and the United States rushed to denounce the military for ousting a Western-backed leader as undemocratic, chaotic, destabilising and doomed. Yet, even at the start of this new year, Nigeriens continue pouring out into the streets to express their support for the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP), Niger’s new government.

Sources:

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/6/21/niger-revokes-french-nuclear-groups-licence-at-major-uranium-mine

https://www.africanews.com/2023/08/01/eu-says-no-uranium-supply-risk-after-niger-coup//

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/french-company-orano-loses-control-of-uranium-mine-to-niger-admin/3414093

F.M. ON DRC CRISIS: ‘RWANDAN EXCEPTION TO INT’L LAW’

Is there a ‘Rwandan exception’ to international law? According to the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) foreign minister, Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, there seems to be one at the UN Security Council.

Her remarks came just a day before Rwandan-backed M23 forces entered North Kivu province’s capital city of Goma in the DRC’s mineral-rich east on 27 January. The United States has long maintained that Rwanda backs the M23 rebels, and a June 2024 UN report produced by experts who conducted ‘on-site inspections’ points to solid evidence of the Rwanda-M23 connection.

But, if Rwanda is behind M23, then who is behind Rwanda? That would be the United States, a UNSC permanent member with veto rights. The US gave Rwanda $175 million in aid in 2023 alone.

Continued……. Meanwhile, the world’s eight-wealthiest person, billionaire Warren Buffett, has been close with Rwandan President Paul Kagame for years, spending $435 million to support the country since 2000 through the Buffett Foundation.

So, why do billionaires and imperialist states support Rwanda? Well, Kagame admitted in 2022 that Congolese minerals are smuggled into Rwanda, largely through warfare, and then get exported to companies based in powerful industrialised countries. Or in Kagame’s direct words, ‘Some people go through Congo, whether they smuggle or go through the right channels. They bring minerals. But most of it goes through here. It does not stay here. It goes to Dubai. It goes to Brussels. It goes to Tel Aviv. It goes to Russia. It used to go to Russia. I don’t know if it still goes there.’

In other words, the US, other countries, the billionaire class, and other major players back Kagame’s Rwanda. In turn, Rwanda arms and trains M23 rebels, who wreak havoc in the DRC. In the midst of the fighting, resources are funnelled into Rwanda and from there, they are distributed worldwide and into the hands of billionaires.

So, this might be the Rwandan exception to international law.

Sources:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgyzl1mlkvo

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2022/08/05/confidential-un-report-provides-solid-evidence-of-rwanda-s-involvement-in-the-east-drc_5992599_4.html

https://usun.usmission.gov/remarks-at-a-un-security-council-briefing-on-the-situation-concerning-the-democratic-republic-of-the-congo-3/

https://www.usaid.gov/rwanda/history-usaidrwanda

https://www.fpri.org/article/2024/10/toward-a-balanced-approach-how-should-the-us-engage-with-an-increasingly-powerful-rwanda

https://science.time.com/2013/12/19/q-and-a-with-rwandan-president-paul-kagame-and-howard-buffett/

https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2022-8-9-inside-the-howard-g-buffett-foundations-big-bet-on-rwanda

https://www.forbes.com/real-time-billionaires/#588200c93d78