CASTRO: WHY U.S. HATES CUBA

On this day, 16 February in 1959, Fidel Castro was sworn in as prime minister of revolutionary Cuba after leading a guerrilla campaign that forced US-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista into exile. Castro’s commitment to aiding liberation struggles in Africa earned him loyalty and love in Africa.

Two months after the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, Castro visited Argentina, where he delivered a speech that highlighted Cuba's staunch opposition to Washington's destructive imperialist policies, a position that's earned Cuba a six-decade blockade. Castro compared the United States’ bombardments to Cuba's medical internationalism. Since 1963, more than 600,000 Cuban health workers have provided medical services in more than 160 countries. Cuba also provided free military support to the last of Africa's liberation struggles.

Why is Washington desperate to crush Cuba's revolution?

Continued….. Sources:

https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20220207-the-embargo-is-a-virus-too-cuba-marks-six-decades-under-us-sanctions

https://peoplesworld.org/article/brain-drain-senators-urge-revival-of-u-s-program-to-entice-cuban-doctor-defections

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8omjBhxR9W0

LUMUMBA VILLAGE: DRC’S SANCTUARY FOR CHILDREN

Violence against children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has reached unprecedented levels. According to the UN, there are few (if any) worse places to be a child. The country has the world’s highest number of verified grave violations against children in armed conflict.

As of early 2025, more than 26.4-million people in DRC are in need of humanitarian assistance - that’s about one in every four people - including some 14.2-million children. In the first few weeks of this year, escalating violence in the east has displaced over 100,000 people - more than half of them children. Entire communities are on the move, running from a war they never started, hunted by militias and ignored by the world. Conflict has been raging in parts of the country for nearly three decades, with children killed, sexually assaulted, abducted and forcibly recruited for use by armed groups.

Continued……Natural disasters have made things worse. In 2021, Mount Nyiragongo - north of the regional capital Goma - erupted, displacing nearly half a million and killing 50. Some 2,000 children were separated from their parents amid the chaos.

But even in this darkness, there are glimmers of hope. A project called ‘I Heart Africa’ (@iheartafricadotorg - Instagram) has tried to provide a sanctuary for some of those impacted by the disaster. The group, which puts African concerns first, has built a small community called Lumumba Village. Our man Erick Gavala paid a visit to learn more.

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

WEST ALLOWS KAGAME IMPUNITY IN CONGO

Maurice Carney, co-founder and executive director of Friends of the Congo (@congofriends), argued on Episode 18 of our ‘Pan-African Attitude’ podcast that Rwanda’s president, Paul Kagame, is a puppet of the West, serving their interests. Therefore, Carney said, Kagame has operated with impunity as his government arms, trains and harbours the M23 militia, whose campaign to seize mineral-rich territories in eastern DRC led about 500,000 Congolese to flee their homes in January alone. As the militia continues its Western-backed effort to expand territories it controls, it has reaped $800,000 monthly in production taxes in the Rubaya region.

In a 3 February interview with CNN International’s Larry Madowo (@larrymadowo), Kagame claimed not to know if Rwandan troops are in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This shocking denial comes amidst many reports indicating the opposite.

Continued……In this episode, we explore the three-decade-long, Western-backed proxy war over natural resources in the DRC that had k*lled about 6 million by 2010 and internally displaced about 7 million as of last year.

Watch the whole episode on our X and Rumble accounts, and on YouTube (search for @ahmedkaballo4170).

Sources:

https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2025/2/3/dr-congo-near-goma-displaced-people-begin-long-journey-home

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

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2025/02/06/africa/dr-congo-goma-violence-deaths-intl-hnk

https://efe.com/en/latest-news/2025-02-07/dr-congo-conflict/

https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/afr62/9016/2025/en

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW36WN7q7cc

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/congo-rebels-muddy-minerals-market-with-illegal-rwanda-exports-says-un-report-2025-01-08

FIDEL CASTRO IS POLITICALLY AFRICAN

On this day, 16 February 1959, Fidel Castro (1926-2016) was sworn in as prime minister of Cuba after leading a guerrilla campaign that forced US-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista into exile. 

However, as Northeastern University professor Layla Brown (@PanAfrikFem_PhD on IG and X) explained in this video clip, Castro was politically African due to his committing to aiding decolonisation movements in Africa and promoting ideologies that aligned with Pan-Africanism. Castro embodied the principles of revolutionary transformation and justice that resonated deeply within the context of Africa’s fight against colonialism and imperialism. His actions and rhetoric helped forge a connection between Latin America and Africa, emphasising a global struggle against oppression. 

Continued……In fact, Pan-Africanist Kwame Ture (1941-98), who co-founded the All-African People’s Revolutionary Party (@aaprp on X, @aaprpinternational on IG) said  ‘Fidel Castro is a Pan-Africanist of the highest order.’ Do you agree?

Video credit: Black Liberation Media (@blackliberationmedia on IG and @BLM_edia on X)

Sources:

https://misiones.cubaminrex.cu/en/articulo/left-alliance-national-democracy-and-socialism-jamaica-salutes-8th-congress-pcc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9xo2b-QHjg

https://www.themilitant.com/2016/8006/800649.html

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/castro-sworn-in

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/02/16/nation/today-history-february-16-fidel-castro-becomes-premier-cuba/

NIGER PRESIDENT: ‘THE ENEMY IS FRANCE’

‘Unfortunately, the enemy we face is not terrorism, but above all, France.’ These are some courageous words from Niger’s anti-imperialist, Pan-Africanist president, Abdourahamane Tiani in an interview with journalist Abdoulaye Tiemogo. Yet, throughout this video clip, Tiani proved himself capable of backing up his bold claim by laying out clear examples of the colonial violence that laid the foundation of French-Nigerien relations. In other words, he knows his history.

One of the most notorious incidents of colonial violence that Tiani referenced is the infamous massacre commanded by French colonisers Paul Voulet and Julien Chanoine. The Voulet-Chanoine mission notoriously massacred Africans and razed villages throughout the Sahel and savanna regions of Africa. One documentary, ‘African Apocalypse’ (2020), covers this history.

Continued……Importantly, Tiani reminded us that this exploitative and unequal relationship with France continued up until 26 July 2023, the day that the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP) took power after ousting a Western-backed leader. Since then, Niger has nationalised multiple uranium mines once controlled by France. It has expelled both French and US military occupation, leading France to close its embassy in Niger. Niger has taken control of basic human needs by nationalising its water sector, which had been owned and operated by a French company. Furthermore, the country has cracked down on several French-based NGOs and media outlets. In response, the people of Niger have regularly taken to the streets to celebrate and defend Tiani and the CNSP.

Are you interested in seeing more speeches and interviews by President Abdourahamane Tiani?

Video credit: Office of Radio and Television of Niger (@ortntele on X)

Sources:

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_Voulet-Chanoine

https://africanapocalypsefilm.com/digging-into-the-archives-and-giving-voice-to-the-people-of-niger/

https://www.neimagazine.com/news/niger-seizes-control-of-somair-uranium-mine/?cf-view

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

https://apnews.com/article/niger-junta-ngo-ban-acted-9d2d8dd3905eed35a228e35f67f20b7b

https://www.africom.mil/pressrelease/35590/us-withdrawal-from-niger-completed

https://peoplesdispatch.org/2024/03/19/why-has-niger-declared-us-military-presence-in-its-territory-illegal/

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/last-french-troops-leave-niger-military-cooperation-officially-ends-2023-12-22/


https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/dossiers-pays/niger/evenements/article/niger-fermeture-de-l-ambassade-02-01-24

Each week, we share an African proverb - and try to relate it to what’s happening in Africa today. As so often, we think again of the immense suffering being inflicted on the Congolese people.

Even if the ‘axe’ of Rwandan proxies stops coming down, the pain will take generations to heal. It will never be forgotten.

The sooner the proxy war in DRC - aided and abetted by the resource-hungry West - comes to an end, the sooner the Congo can regrow and finally flourish the way it should.

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

MALEMA: TAKE NETANYAHU TO THE HAGUE

Amidst US President Donald Trump’s attacks on South Africa over the recently enacted Land Expropriation Act that has seen a section of Afrikaners call for US intervention, South African opposition parties, including the Economic Freedom Fighters (@effsouthafrica), see the bone of contention being Israel. 

South Africa lodged a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice on 29 December 2023, alleging Israel had committed and was committing g*nocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, contravening the UN Genocide Convention.

The US has exerted pressure in an attempt to scuttle proceedings, including sanctioning ICC officials. Israel, on the other hand, had lobbied US congresspeople to threaten South Africa with consequences following the legal challenge.

Continued……However, with South Africa refusing to bow, some say the aid cuts (about 17 per cent of its HIV/AIDS programme) are less about the land law and really punishment for taking a stand against Israel.

South Africa’s legal move against Israel has broad support across the political spectrum, except for among white-led right-wing South African parties like the Democratic Alliance. 

In this November 2023 video clip, Economic Freedom Fighters President Julius Malema (@julius_s_malema on X, @julius.malema.sello on IG) called for the prosecution of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In recent weeks, Malema has called for closing the Israeli embassy in the country.

Video credit: @effsouthafrica 


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

https://www.un.org/unispal/document/icj-southafrica-israel-genocide-29dec2023

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm27g2jzd78o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itVb-RPkKGk

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-lobbying-us-congress-south-africa-icj-genocide

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/imposing-sanctions-on-the-international-criminal-court

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/6/17/will-south-africas-new-coalition-govt-change-tack-on-israel-palestine

https://sundayworld.co.za/politics/ramaphosa-must-deal-with-trump-by-closing-israeli-embassy

Today, 17 February, we celebrate the remarkable legacy of Huey P Newton, visionary leader and co-founder of the Black Panther Party (BPP). Had he lived, he would have been 83 years old.

Huey was born the youngest of seven children in 1942 in Monroe, Louisiana. His family's migration to Oakland, California, was not just a search for safety but a step toward fighting for justice.

In 1966, alongside his classmate Bobby Seale, Newton co-founded the BPP, becoming its leading theorist and political strategist and introducing internationalism among the party's ranks. Newton viewed the Black people in the US as an internal colony.

The party challenged police brutality, but the over 60 social programmes—renamed Survival Programmes—by 1971 were equally impactful. The groundbreaking Free Breakfast for Children initiative fed youths in US cities where BPP had chapters, transforming communities and uplifting countless lives.

Continued…. Despite the relentless opposition from figures like J Edgar Hoover, the BPP inspired people from all walks of life. In 2021, a plaque for 'Dr. Huey P. Newton Way' was placed at the corner of the three-block section of the city's 9th Street, where a gang member murdered him, serving as a tangible reminder of his indomitable spirit and the fight for equality.

Today, as we honour Huey P Newton, we recognise his contributions and his enduring struggle for justice and liberation.

Happy birthday to this inspiring elder!

Sources:

https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/workers/black-panthers

https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/newton-huey-p-1942-1989

https://www.ktvu.com/news/part-of-ninth-street-in-west-oakland-named-for-huey-p-newton

HUEY P. NEWTON SPEAKS

Today, 17 February, would have marked Huey P Newton’s 83rd birthday. A gang assassinated the Black Panther Party (BPP) co-founder after he dedicated his life to socialism, the liberation of the Black working class, and fighting against the US empire.

The BPP transformed the Black freedom struggle within the United States, cultivating new dimensions, garnering global attention and forming relationships on the world stage.

While misinformation about the party and Newton abound, the best source of information comes directly from Newton himself. In this clip from the PBS documentary, ‘Eyes on the Prize II’ (1987), he explained the party’s 10-point programme. Those included building a socialist economy, fighting for Black community control over neighbourhood institutions, and the right to self-defence for Black people and other oppressed people.

Continued……. In 1967, police arrested Newton for allegedly shooting a police officer. This led activists to launch the ‘Free Huey’ movement to force authorities to drop the charges and release Newton from political imprisonment. In May 1970, the California Court of Appeals reversed Newton’s conviction because of the judge’s incomplete instructions to the jury. A court tried Newton for a second time in August 1971, with the charge changed to manslaughter, but a deadlocked jury produced a mistrial. A hung jury delivered another mistrial during the third trial in November 1971.

The party also sparked the establishment of other revolutionary groups, such as the Young Lords for Puerto Ricans, the Brown Berets for Chicanos (Mexicans in the US), and Yellow Peril for revolutionaries of Chinese heritage. 

Newton, a staunch anti-imperialist, connected the party to revolutionary organisations in China, Palestine and Cuba. He authored numerous books, including his autobiography, ‘Revolutionary Su*cide’ (1973), and ‘Revolutionary Intercommunalism and the Right of Nations to Self-Determination’ (2004). He also has a speech collection noscriptd, ‘To Die for the People’ (1972)

Video credit: ‘Eyes on the Prize II’ (1987)


Sources:

https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/newton-huey-p-1942-1989/

https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/newton-huey-p-1942-1989/

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/what-united-black-panthers-puerto-ricans-white-southerners-new-doc-n1119101

https://guides.loc.gov/latinx-civil-rights/young-lords-organization

https://researchrepository.universityofgalway.ie/server/api/core/bitstreams/b3d4a4b3-b608-4f22-b3d4-21c4fd61a4a7/content

https://ia903401.us.archive.org/9/items/revolutionary-intercommunalism-and-the-right-of-nations-to-self-determination/Revolutionary%20Intercommunalism%20and%20the%20Right%20of%20Nations%20to%20Self-Determination.pdf

https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780863163272

https://www.encyclopedia.com/law/law-magazines/huey-p-newton-trial-1968

Continued……. M23 has now achieved its largest territorial expansion since its insurgency began more than a decade ago. With both of Kivu’s provincial capitals under its control, the group now effectively controls eastern DRC’s transit hubs, which lie on the border with Rwanda.

Congo's 30-year resource war had k*lled around 6-million people by 2010, with many more casualties since then. The UN says over 700,000 have been displaced since January 2025 alone, adding to the 7-million displaced in previous conflicts and more recent fighting in the mineral-rich country.


Sources:

https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/02/un-experts-call-urgent-humanitarian-relief-and-political-solution-protect

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/conflict-natural-disaster-displace-nearly-7m-in-dr-congo-un-migration-agency/3370582