CONGO’S MINERAL WAR & GEN*CIDAL SUPPLY CHAIN

They say, ‘a picture is worth a thousand words.’ This one speaks volumes on Congo’s foreign-instigated, three-decade-long mineral war’s demand-and-supply chain, the cost of which is the sweat and blood of millions of Congolese!

The DRC annually loses $1 billion in minerals through the Western-backed illicit trade, according to Congolese Finance Minister Nicolas Kazadi, with a human cost that is even higher. More than 6 million Congolese had been k*lled by 2010, about 7 million had been internally displaced as of last year, s*xual assault and child labour runs rampant, and about 500,000 Congolese fled their homes in eastern DRC just in January to avoid the M23 militia’s incursion.

In 2007, Belgian companies—Trademet, Traxys, SDE, STI and Specialty Metals—operating in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) exported cassiterite, coltan and wolframite, all minerals used in many ways including in building smartphones.

Continued……The world’s fifth-largest tin-producing company, Bangkok-based Thailand Smelting and Refining Corporation (ThaISaRCO), owned by the Amalgamated Metal Corporation (AMC) and Afrimex—both British companies—are also among the top buyers of Congolese tin.

These are just a few of the hundreds of companies involved in the illicit trade of minerals in the Congo. Due to a data gap, it is difficult to verify how many companies operate there. Nonetheless, a 2017 Global Witness found that over 200 European and Asian companies, among others, bought minerals from traders known to be in business with armed groups, thus funding the latter and fuelling the conflict in the DRC.

The Rwanda- and Uganda-backed M23 controls mines in the Rubaya region, generating $300,000 monthly in production tax revenues. Moreover, despite limited mineral reserves of its own, Rwanda is the world’s leading exporter of coltan.

Regardless of the overwhelming evidence against Rwanda for exacerbating the mineral war, Western powers continue to funnel money into Kigali, with more than 40 per cent of the East African state’s fiscal budget coming from foreign aid.

Sources:

https://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/democratic-republic-congo/faced-gun-what-can-you-do

https://cd.usembassy.gov/statement-of-concern-related-to-certain-minerals-supply-chains-from-rwanda-and-eastern-democratic-republic-of-the-congo-contributing-to-the-ongoing-co

https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2024/5/2/blood-minerals-what-are-the-hidden-costs-of-the-eu-rwanda-supply-deal

http://cdn-globalwitness-production-2.s3-website-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/archive/files/import/drc_release_uk_final.pdf

https://africanarguments.org/2024/11/children-and-the-coltan-wars-in-eastern-congo

https://issafrica.org/iss-today/could-fdi-be-rwandas-lifeline-as-donors-pull-the-plug

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/un-says-congo-rebels-generating-300000-monthly-seized-mining-area-2024-09-30

https://www.caritas.org/2010/02/six-million-dead-in-congos-war

https://drcongo.iom.int/en/news/internal-displacement-overview-2024-published

https://www.dw.com/en/dr-congo-people-flee-homes-2025/a-71440536

The CEO of Resolute Mining - who was arrested by Malian authorities in November last year - has quit his post. Terry Holohan was finally released after the Anglo-Australian firm agreed to cough up $160 million in outstanding taxes.

Bamako also has a conflict with Canadian company Barrick Gold - demanding more control over (and more profit from) its mining activities in Mali. In January, the country seized three tonnes of gold worth $180 million from the firm and, in December 2024, the government issued an arrest warrant for its CEO.

According to the Financial Times, Mali - along with fellow Alliance of Sahel States members Burkina Faso and Niger - is conducting a “terrifying crackdown on mining companies.”

Continued……. That’s one way to spin it. But the revolutionary trio is being hailed in the Sahel and across Africa for forging a new path towards greater sovereignty and economic self-determination - putting an end to what many see as the plunder and pillaging of the region by exploitative foreign multinationals.

Burkina Faso has nationalised multiple gold mines in recent years and Niger has nationalised its main uranium mines.

Sources:

https://www.ft.com/content/68d9c6e3-861d-4d03-a00f-4a2d33cb9516

https://www.ecofinagency.com/mining/2911-46196-mali-barrick-gold-confirms-new-arrest-of-four-employees-at-loulo-gounkoto-mine

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/3-executives-of-australian-gold-miner-arrested-in-mali/3390015

https://www.mining.com/web/mali-frees-resolute-executives-after-160-million-deal-afp-reports/

https://www.ft.com/content/9a0901f1-070f-43e8-9cd3-6bd6ab4f6c4a

https://www.rml.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/030225-Management-Changes.pdf

BOB MARLEY: I AM AFRICAN

Pan-Africanist musical icon Bob Marley was born on this day, 6 February, in 1945 on a farm in Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica. Sources say he was named Nesta Robert Marley at birth, but that he changed his name to Robert Nesta Marley. However, he was best known as Bob Marley and is widely considered the father of reggae music for popularising it worldwide.

However, some may not know that Marley was a revolutionary who always identified as African first despite his Jamaican heritage. Neither did the legendary musician fail to include the African struggle for emancipation in his work with songs like ‘Africa Unite’ (1979), ‘Zimbabwe’ (1979), and ‘Buffalo Soldier’ (1978), among many others.

Continued……. Just a year before his death, during a 1980 US interview, trailblazing Black journalist Gil Noble (1932-2012) asked whether he identified more as a Jamaican or African, to which Marley offered a succinct two-fold answer, as seen in this clip.

Marley always connected the dots between Africans on the continent and Africans abroad. The reductive white supremacist narratives about our motherland never made him shy away from proudly claiming his roots, something we could all learn from.

Video credit: ‘Like It Is,’ @ABC7NY (X)

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

WAR NO WAY TO ‘PROTECT’ TUTSIS IN CONGO!

Suppose for a minute that Rwanda really is only interested in protecting Congolese Tutsis in eastern DRC. How has the killing of millions of people since the First Congo War helped safeguard the community? That’s the question raised by former Rwandan army chief-of-staff Kayumba Nyamwasa in this video.

Protecting Tutsis in the Congo has long been cited as the main defence for Rwanda’s actions - including via proxies (such as the M23 rebels) - in the mineral-rich eastern region of DRC. But those mineral riches are what critics say is, at least now, the real reason for Kigali’s intervention.

Continued……In May last year, M23 seized the key mining town of Rubaya in eastern Congo, taking control of the industry there. That’s reportedly generating $800,000 a month for the group, which the UN says is funnelling the extracted resources - highly sought after on global markets - straight to Rwanda.

Sources:

M23 casus belli
https://cic.nyu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/The-Resurgence-of-the-M23-EN.pdf

M23 economic interests
https://archive.ph/HA8kK

Goma fighting kills hundreds
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/death-toll-from-violence-in-dr-congos-goma-city-climbs-to-900-who/3471078

TRUMP WANTS TO TAKE OVER GAZA

First, US President Donald Trump announced he wanted to retake control of the Panama Canal, rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America, integrate Canada as the 51st US state, and annex Greenland from fellow colonial power Denmark. 

On 4 February, he sent shockwaves by announcing US intentions to occupy and rebuild Gaza during a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. Palestinian resistance groups, like Palestinian Islamic Jihad, opposed the plan, with foreign ministers from the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar saying Palestinians should be involved in reconstruction conversations.

Continued……While acknowledging Gaza is now unliveable, Trump did not condemn the perpetrator of the enclave’s destruction, seated right beside him. Nor that US arms, diplomatic support and funding helped Israel pull it off.

Further, Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, a real estate investor and former White House advisor, described Gaza as ‘valuable’ if viewed as ‘waterfront property. Plus, senior Israeli government officials have called to rebuild and settle Gaza with Israelis. Does this mean Palestinians’ displacement was the plan all along?

The death toll following Israel’s war on Gaza has been revised upwards to 61,000, according to the Gaza media office. The figure may be higher, with the medical journal Lancet reporting in July 2024 that deaths may have exceeded 186,000.

Video credit: @bbc / @cnn

Sources
News
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/analysis-trumps-gaza-stunner-builds-on-his-expansionist-aims/ar-AA1yr7lO

Israeli figures endorse Gaza settlement
https://time.com/7176657/the-questions-israels-plans-for-north-gaza-endgame

https://nypost.com/2024/11/26/world-news/israels-finance-minister-says-occupying-gaza-is-possible-and-necessary-after-war

PIJ, West Asia diplomats oppose
https://x.com/SuppressedNws/status/1886924840164360192

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/saudi-arabia-four-arab-nations-oppose-gazans-displacement/ar-AA1ypJxW

Kushner on 'waterfront property'
https://www.timesofisrael.com/jared-kushner-notes-value-of-gaza-waterfront-property-if-focus-is-on-livelihood/

HAPPY 80TH BIRTHDAY BOB MARLEY!

Music icon Bob Marley was born today in 1945. A champion of Black pride and a symbol of unity, he used reggae as a voice for the oppressed. Through powerful anthems - such as Redemption Song and Get Up, Stand Up - he called for resistance, liberation and the unification of Africa. His music transcended borders, becoming a soundtrack for movements fighting for freedom and equality worldwide, as his son Ziggy relates in this interview.

He used his platform to advocate for pan-Africanism, performing at Zimbabwe’s independence celebration in 1980 and aligning himself with anti-colonial struggles.

Continued……Songs such as Africa Unite and Zimbabwe echoed the call for solidarity among Africans, reminding us of our shared history and strength. His unapologetic celebration of Black culture, from his dreadlocks to his lyrics, challenged Eurocentric norms and inspired pride in our heritage.

As we celebrate what would have been Bob Marley’s 80th birthday, we reflect on his enduring legacy of love, resistance and unity. His music remains a beacon of hope, urging us to stand up for justice and embrace our collective power. Happy birthday, Bob Marley! One love.

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

In a harrowing incident at Muzenze prison in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)’s Goma city, the UN says some of the approximately 4,000 male inmates who escaped on 3 February allegedly r*ped an estimated 165 to 167 female inmates. Then, the male inmates reportedly set ablaze the female section, k*lling most of the r*pe victims. 

This incident unfolded following Rwanda- and Uganda-backed M23 rebels seizing Goma city on 27 January. Peacekeepers say they have been unable to investigate the incident due to restrictions imposed by M23. 

Continued……. Since M23 took control of Goma, a city with a population exceeding one million, it has faced a dire humanitarian crisis, with hundreds of thousands fleeing and at least 2,900 lives lost. M23’s success in seizing territory in eastern DRC comes amidst a Western-backed, three-decade-long war for the Congo’s natural resources that had already k*lled 6 million by 2010 and internally displaced about 7 million Congolese by last year’s figures.

Sources:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgyrxz4k6zo?at_link_type=web_link&at_bbc_team=editorial&at_link_origin=BBCAfrica&at_format=image&at_link_id=A9D54204-E3D8-11EF-AF7F-D8913090FAB4&at_campaign_type=owned&at_medium=social&at_ptr_name=twitter&at_campaign=Social_Flow

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/05/democratic-republic-congo-goma-women-raped-burned-death-prison-m23-rebels-rwanda

https://www.caritas.org/2010/02/six-million-dead-in-congos-war

https://drcongo.iom.int/en/news/internal-displacement-overview-2024-published

TRUMP, MUSK DEMOLISHED ON S. AFRICAN LAND REFORM

In January, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa signed a new law designed to address historical land-ownership inequalities against Black people. This ticked off US President Donald Trump, who threatened to cut aid to Pretoria, which, according to him, is doing ‘terrible’ things to ‘certain groups’ of citizens - meaning White people.

However, some of the alleged ‘victims’ have called his bluff - among them, the White South African content creator in this clip. @honestappraisal1, who has built a reputation for his on-point political commentary, says Trump is not just racist but also ignorant regarding South Africa’s history and social and economic reality.

Continued……He argues that Trump’s misinformed position results from his fraternising with South African right-wing elements and his tech-bro sidekick, Elon Musk (who was born in South Africa) - noting that most of the opposition towards the country’s land-reform programme is racially motivated by those who benefitted from the apartheid system.

Video credit: @honestappraisal1 (TikTok)

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

WHAT WAS BOB MARLEY REALLY TALKING ABOUT?

Legendary reggae singer Bob Marley would have been 79 years old today!

We celebrate his iconic and revolutionary songs that provoked us to think deeply about our African heritage and emancipation. Marley (1945-81) helped popularise Rastafari, a social and religious movement that embraced a Pan-African political consciousness. 

In this video, his granddaughter, Donisha Rita-Claire Prendergast (@ on X), an actress, model, dancer and poet, speaks about the reggae icon’s revolutionary lyrics, which the mainstream has conveniently ignored. His granddaughter calls us to action, asking us not to allow others to sanitise the liberatory message that Marley tried to spread through his music.

What is your favourite Bob Marley song? Drop your birthday messages in the comments for the one and only Bob Marley.

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

On 5 February, newly-appointed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared on X that he would not attend the G20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, scheduled for later this year on 22-23 November. He said the southern African country is ‘doing very bad things,’ pointing to the new land expropriation law and that he would not ‘waste [US] taxpayer money’ or ‘coddle’ so-called ‘anti-Americanism.’

Continued……Ironically, on 25 April 2024, as a US senator during the Biden administration, Rubio travelled to Israel to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as seen in the picture above. At the time, Israel’s offensive—funded by US taxpayers—had displaced at least 75 per cent of Gaza’s population, and 72 per cent of the schools were either thoroughly bombarded or would need ‘major rehabilitation work to be functional again,’ according to the UN. Yet, Rubio did not consider these conditions as constituting ‘very bad things,’ stating on X that in his meeting with Netanyahu, he reaffirmed US ‘support for [their] ally, the Jewish state of Israel, as it continues to defend its right to exist.’

Meanwhile, South Africa still grapples with the historical injustices of apartheid that continue to impact the country. According to the 2017 land audit, the most recently available data, white settlers owned 72 per cent of private farmland in the country, a legacy of apartheid. Between 1948 and 1994, the apartheid regime systemically robbed Black South Africans of their land. The recently enacted 2025 Expropriation Bill attempts to address the inequitable distribution with land-reform initiatives.

This nonviolent attempt at redress is what the secretary of state considers a ‘bad thing,’ speaking volumes about Western resistance to anti-imperialist efforts.

Nonetheless, we are witnessing a global shift in geopolitics, whereby countries of the Global South work to overturn Western hegemony by forming alternative alliances, like BRICS and the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

Sources:

http://www.unicef.org/media/156451/file/SoP-Humanitarian-SitRep-

https://www.business-standard.com/world-news/us-secretary-of-state-marco-rubio-skip-g20-summit-south-africa-climate-

https://x.com/SenMarcoRubio/status/1783578758630318144

https://www.gov.za/sites/default/files/gcis_document/201802/

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/2/5/is-south-africa-confiscating-land-targeting-some-groups-as-trump-claims

https://au.int/en/auhrm-project-focus-area-apartheid

NIGER PRESIDENT DENOUNCES ‘GENOCIDE PLANNED BY FRANCE’

We could speak for many days straight about the crimes and human rights violations that France has committed in Africa.

In this video clip, Niger’s president, Abdourahamane Tiani, adds to the list by accusing France of planting or helping to plant explosives in the ground designed to k*ll Nigeriens, but spare French soldiers. He even refers to France’s actions as a ‘planned g*nocide.’

This may sound exaggerated to some, but we need only remember how UN conventions define g*nocide. According to Article II of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of G*nocide, a ge*nocide is ‘any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: