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.

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

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.

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

Continued….. These revelations about the sheer scale of USAID funding so-called ‘independent media’ highlight the United States’ hypocrisy considering the Biden administration’s unfounded allegations in September 2024 that Russia ‘secretly’ funds outlets that feature ‘Kremlin propagandists’ like African Stream. This allegation led US tech companies, such as Alphabet (Google and YouTube’s parent company), Meta (Facebook, Instagram and Threads’ parent company), Stripe, and TikTok to suspend or even ban our accounts, leaving our approximately 2.5 million subscribers without a source of information about the Pan-African movement.

Let us know in the comments what you think of this hypocrisy.

Sources
News
https://rsf.org/en/usa-trump-s-foreign-aid-freeze-throws-journalism-around-world-chaos

Assange treatment cast doubt on US claims
https://theweek.com/politics/julian-assange-extradition-fight

Samantha Power warns against shutdown
https://archive.ph/MVFu8#selection-985.0-985.381

KAGAME KNOWS EVERYTHING EXCEPT WHERE HIS TROOPS ARE

Years of investigations have confirmed the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) has de facto control of the M23 militia, whose latest insurgency forced about 500,000 Congolese to flee their homes in January.

In June 2024, a UN experts report concluded that Rwanda had around 3,000 to 4,000 troops in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to reinforce M23. Despite this, the country’s president, Paul Kagame, in an exclusive interview with CNN International correspondent Larry Madowo (@larrymadowo on X) on 3 February nonchalantly responded, ‘I don’t know’, when asked if any Rwandan troops were in the DRC.

Many have accused Rwanda and Uganda of exacerbating the crisis in the Congo by funding and training the M23, who have wreaked havoc in the resource-rich DRC. 

Continued………In this clip from Episode 18 of our ‘Pan-African Attitude’ podcast, Kambale Musavuli (@kambale on X), political analyst at the Center for Research on the Congo-Kinshasa, peeled back the layers of Kagame’s disingenuous response, citing evidence of Rwanda’s role over the last three decades in the Western-backed war that had k*lled 6 million Congolese by 2010 and internally displaced about 7 million as of last year. He rhetorically questions how Kagame can know everything else but nothing about his army’s whereabouts.

Moreover, Musavuli, who is also the West Africa representative for Pan Africanism Today’s secretariat, sheds light on Rwanda’s propaganda machine on social media and how it uses artificial intelligence (AI) to obscure the truth.

You can watch the complete 6 February episode on our X, Rumble and Patreon platforms.

Sources:

https://docs.un.org/en/S/2024/432

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/03/africa/rwanda-kigame-troops-dr-congo-intl/index.html

https://theconversation.com/ai-propaganda-campaign-in-rwanda-has-been-pushing-pro-kagame-messages-a-dangerous-new-trend-in-africa-23429

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

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

https://lieber.westpoint.edu/conflict-eastern-drc-state-responsibility-rwanda-uganda/

USAID IS NOT A HUMANITARIAN ORG

The Trump administration shutting down the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has reignited scrutiny of the agency’s mandate, which critics argue extends beyond humanitarian aid to covert operations advancing US geopolitical interests. 

USAID worked against Venezuela’s revolutionary leader, Hugo Chavez (1954-2013), orchestrated the 2014 Ukraine coup d’état, and, in 2009, launched a ‘Cuban Twitter’ called ‘ZunZeneo’ to spark political dissent amongst Cuba’s youth.

In Africa, USAID’s legacy is similarly controversial. During the Cold War, the agency’s programmes aligned with US efforts to counter Soviet influence, such as backing corrupt dictatorial administrations like Zaire’s (now DRC) Mobutu Sese Seko (1930-97), whose brutal rule the US tolerated because of his anti-communist stance.

Video credit: @5149jamesli (X)

Continued…….. Sources
USAID Venezuela
https://the307.substack.com/p/how-the-ned-and-usaid-are-tools-of

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

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

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

ANALYSING CLAIMS AROUND M23

M23 has made some key gains in recent weeks, seizing control of the eastern Congolese city of Goma. Despite unilaterally declaring a ceasefire on 4 February, the rebel group went on to violate this by capturing the town of Nyabibwe - apparently with its sights set on Bukavu, another regional capital in DRC’s east.

While the militia claims its mission is to defend the marginalised Tutsi community, its actions strongly suggest other motives are play - as its trail of atrocities, focus on lucrative mines and all-but-undeniable assistance from neighbouring Rwanda attest.

Our man William Sakawa digs deeper.

Continued……Sources:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/congo-ceasefire-m23-nyabibwe-1.7451523

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/2/4/rwandan-backed-m23-rebels-declare-ceasefire-in-drc

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-63899461

https://www.msn.com/en-us/war-and-conflicts/military/un-says-the-death-toll-in-fighting-in-the-eastern-congo-city-of-goma-is-at-least-900/ar-AA1ylgli

https://cic.nyu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/The-Resurgence-of-the-M23-EN.pdf
https://www.hrw.org/report/2005/06/01/curse-gold

https://archive.ph/HA8kK
https://www.hrw.org/report/2005/06/01/curse-gold

https://www.africa-confidential.com/article/id/14013/Tshisekedi-calls-out-Kagame-on-the-M23-militia

https://docs.un.org/en/s/2024/432

LET’S TALK ABOUT LINGUISTIC IMPERIALISM

Linguistic imperialism is the process whereby dominant powers impose their language on those they colonise, suppressing indigenous languages and thus marginalising their speakers and sustaining power inequalities.

Indigenous languages in colonial Africa were frowned upon, while colonial languages were made mandatory. In Anglophone Africa, policies were all written in English; media and broadcasting used English; and there were many systemic policies forbidding the use of indigenous languages.

For example, students in many Kenyan schools were punished for using any other languages, with most of these punishments involving shaming tactics such as the wearing of bones from dead animals as chains around the neck. This also happened to the indigenous people who were forced to speak Arabic and change their names in places like Sudan.