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)

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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.

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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:

Continued……. - Killing members of the group;
- Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
- Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
- Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
- Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.’

Given Niger and neighbouring Mali claim France arms and backs t*rrorist organisations in Africa’s Sahel region, perhaps Africans can argue a g*nocide claim based on the first three aforementioned acts.

Do you agree with Tiani? Let us know in the comments.

Source:

https://www.un.org/en/genocide-prevention/definition

USAID AS A FOREIGN POLICY TOOL

Over the years, many have accused the United States of using organisations like the US Agency for International Development (USAID) as a Trojan horse, not for genuine aid or development. It advances US foreign policy interests by funding media organisations, unions, student bodies and civil society groups.

The US government created National Endowment for Democracy (NED) as the CIA’s ‘sidekick,’ according to CIA whistleblower Phillip Agee. And, just like the NED, USAID has disrupted other societies, such as with operations against Cuba and Venezuela. The organisation also ran torture-training programs with the Uruguayan police and trained and armed anti-communist Brazilian police.

In this clip, watch US Senator Chris Murphy explain how the USAID is used against China in Africa and Hezbollah in Lebanon to advance US interests. Let us know what you think of it.

Video credit: @cnn

Continued….. Sources
NED CIA
https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/502618/NED-has-replaced-CIA-covert-activities

USAID in Latin America
https://the307.substack.com/p/how-the-ned-and-usaid-are-tools-of

USAID torture programs
https://www.counterpunch.org/2020/08/13/teaching-torture-the-death-and-legacy-of-dan-mitrione/

Today, 7 February, we commemorate the 39th death anniversary of Cheikh Anta Diop (1923-86), a luminary in the Pan-African movement. 

As a fervent advocate for African history and identity, this distinguished scholar and philosopher devoted his life to challenging and dismantling colonial narratives, striving to reclaim Africa’s true essence.

Diop’s work contested Eurocentric historical perspectives, positioning Africa as a pivotal player in the narrative of human civilisation. His groundbreaking theories on linguistic origins, particularly the ‘Paleo-African’ hypothesis, ignited essential dialogues regarding Africa’s significant intellectual and cultural contributions to global history. He boldly addressed the distortions and biases that had long marginalised African narratives, paving the way for a more accurate comprehension of Africa’s past.

Continued……
His steadfast conviction in Africa’s dignity and potential served as a catalyst for the Pan-African movement, encouraging individuals of African descent to unite and honour our collective heritage. Diop underscored the necessity of cultural reclamation, advocating for the rediscovery of our languages, traditions, and knowledge systems. His powerful message resonated profoundly, inspiring liberation and self-determination movements throughout the African continent.

Diop died of a heart attack at age 62 in 1986.

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WHAT DOES USAID DO?

Contrary to popular perception, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) does not provide aid without strings attached. Rather, according to former US State Department official Mike Benz (@mikebenzcyber on X), it implements US foreign policy through development and capacity-building initiatives.

In Africa, USAID has funded health, education, and governance programmes. Notably, initiatives like the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) have been crucial in combating HIV/AIDS, saving millions of lives across the continent.

However, many like Benz see USAID operations as a means to an end, a Trojan horse. Some argue that its programmes perpetuate dependency, undermine local industries, and advance US interests at the expense of local needs. The organisation has been implicated in regime-change efforts in Cuba, where it created a ‘Cuban Twitter’ called ‘ZunZuneo’ to stir unrest beginning in 2009.

Continued…….. Foreign Policy magazine reported USAID attempted to undermine Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez (1954-2013) by penetrating his political base, dividing the Chavismo movement and isolating Chavez internationally. USAID also ran a torture-training programme with Uruguayan police. USAID funded Ukrainian media organisations and NGOs in the run-up to the 2014 Maidan coup that toppled a democratically elected president, backed think tanks that pushed to cancel Romania's 2024 election results and supported the extremist rebel-linked White Helmets in Syria.

USAID funnelled tens of millions of dollars to extend the corrupt DRC president, Mobutu Sese Seko's (1930-97), tenure. Seko helped overthrow DRC's Pan-Africanist prime minister, Patrice Lumumba (1935-61), and continued to be a US ally during the height of the Cold War.

With US President Donald Trump’s decision to shut down the agency, do you think Washington’s foreign interference will end? Please let us know.

Sources:

https://the307.substack.com/p/how-the-ned-and-usaid-are-tools-of

https://www.counterpunch.org/2020/08/13/teaching-torture-the-death-and-legacy-of-dan-mitrione

https://archive.ph/WN5BA

https://apnews.com/article/technology-cuba-united-states-government-904a9a6a1bcd46cebfc14bea2ee30fdf

https://democracyfund.ru/userfiles/THE%20%20WHITE%20HELMETS%20.pdf

USAID Mobutu
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/2/3/what-is-usaid-and-how-central-is-it-to-us-foreign-policy

https://www.devex.com/news/opinion-usaid-at-60-101934

WE WILL NOT BE BULLIED -SA’S RAMAPHOSA

South Africa refuses to be bowed. That was one of the key messages of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s state-of-the-nation address on Thursday.

His statement, reiterated over X, was apparently aimed at his US counterpart, Donald Trump - who has just signed off on sanctions against the International Criminal Court for ‘targeting America and its close ally Israel.’ (Last year, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes in Gaza.)

Continued……In his address and tweet, Ramaphosa defended South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice - invoking the global solidarity enjoyed by oppressed South Africans during their fight against the apartheid regime.

Tel Aviv has instructed its diplomats to lobby members of the US Congress to pressure South Africa into dropping its ICJ case against Israel, warning Pretoria it will ‘pay a heavy price.’

Going by president Ramaphosa’s remarks, South Africa remains unshaken.

Sources
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-02-06-we-will-not-be-bullied-resolute-ramaphosa-stands-up-to-us/?dm_source=dm_block_grid&dm_medium=card_link&dm_campaign=main

Rubio-Trump vs South Africa
https://www.reuters.com/world/us-top-diplomat-rubio-will-not-attend-g20-meet-south-africa-2025-02-06/
https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/trump-cut-off-all-future-funding-south-africa-2025-02-02/

US sanctions ICC
Trump imposes sanctions on ICC, accusing it of targeting US and Israel | Trump administration | The Guardian

Israeli lobby against South Africa
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-lobbying-us-congress-south-africa-icj-genocide

More than 150 Kenyan riot police have arrived in Haiti’s capital, just days after US President Donald Trump halted funding for a Nairobi-led UN security mission. This new contingent joins over 600 Kenyan officer already collaborating with Haitian police forces. The US has frozen more than $13 million of a promised $15 million in aid for the mission, as part of a broader suspension of foreign assistance initiated by Trump. However, the US State Department has since approved waivers for $40.7 million in foreign aid to support the ongoing UN operation and Haitian police.

Continued……. The arrival of additional officers comes in response to a surge in gang violence. A UN human-rights report indicates an increase in gang-related homicides despite the presence of the Kenyan-led multinational security force.

In early 2024, the Kenyan High Court deemed the deployment of Kenyan police to Haiti unconstitutional. Flouting its ruling, Kenyan President William Ruto and then-Haitian Interim Prime Minister Ariel Henry proceeded to sign an agreement that authorised the deployment - widely slammed as providing Blackface cover for more US meddling.

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