Continued……Additionally, DRC is offering a $4-million reward for information that leads to the arrest of the accomplices of these three men and other individuals being sought, as stated by the Congolese Justice Ministry.

In mid-December 2024, peace negotiations between Rwandan President Paul Kagame and DRC President Félix Tshisekedi - which had been due to take place in Luanda, Angola - were called off. Earlier this year, M23 launched a rapid new offensive, successfully seizing Goma and Bukavu, the capitals of North and South Kivu provinces, along with numerous towns in areas rich in minerals.

Since resuming hostilities after nearly ten years of intermittent attacks, M23 has taken control of key locations such as Rubaya, a hub for coltan essential for smartphone manufacturing, as well as Masisi, Kavumu, Minova, Kalungu, Bunagana, Rutshuru, Lubero, Nyiragongo, Nyabibwe, Kanyezire and Mukwinja.

Since January, over 7,000 people have lost their lives in the ongoing conflict in eastern DRC. The UN reports that more than 700,000 individuals have been displaced since the start of the year, adding to the more than 7-million already displaced by previous fighting as of 2024.

Sources

https://www.voanews.com/a/rwanda-backed-rebels-reach-center-of-east-congo-s-2nd-major-city/7976749.html
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/9/m23-rebels-advance-as-drc-govt-offers-5m-reward-to-capture-rebel-leaders

https://www.voaafrica.com/a/m23-rebels-claim-control-of-drc-smartphone-mineral-rich-town-/7594814.html

During an address to a joint session of Congress on 4 March, US President Donald Trump mocked the African nation of Lesotho as a country ‘which nobody has ever heard of.’

If indeed Trump had never heard of Lesotho, all he needed to do was look at his website, which markets golf T-shirts manufactured in Lesotho by the Greg Norman Collection in collaboration with the Trump golf club.
The shirts emblazoned with the Trump Golf Club apparel logo clearly state that they are manufactured in Lesotho.

Therefore, it is strange that Trump, who has presented himself as a hands-on businessman for decades, would have no idea where his company sources its T-shirts.

Or could it be that he knows Lesotho, and some of his merchandise comes from there but feigns ignorance for strategic reasons?

Continued……There is a good reason why Trump wouldn’t want to be associated with his company’s Lesotho business. Precious Garments, the Lesotho-based company that manufactures the Greg Norman apparel, had been cited for appalling working conditions characterised by physical abuse, low wages and long working hours. In 2024, The Dial, a cultural and political magazine, reported supervisors subjected Precious Garments workers to strip searches at the end of every shift. The workers, who earned an average of $140 per month, reported supervisors regularly hitting them and calling them demeaning names. Some have called out the company for trying to disrupt or weaken the power of trade unions by targeting union leaders, allegations confirmed by a 2023 US State Department report.

Trump claims to be ‘America First,’ but his company outsources apparel production to countries such as Canada, China, Indonesia and Turkey. Plus, in 2022, a US trade agency fined a pro-Trump Utah company for switching out tags that said ‘Made in China’ to those that said ‘Made in the USA.’

Could these allegations be why Trump feigns not to know Lesotho?

Sources

https://www.timeslive.co.za/lifestyle/2025-03-06-does-trump-really-not-know-about-lesotho-this-shirt-might-prove-otherwise

https://www.wave3.com/story/1778911/donald-trump-takes-hands-on-approach-to-business/
https://www.thedial.world/articles/news/issue-18/lesotho-sportswear-factory-abuse-reebok-greg-norman
https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/lesotho

https://agoa.info/news/article/3218-agoa-boosts-lesotho-textile-exports-to-us-by-50-but.html

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-event-touted-made-america-goods-lot-his-merchandise-couldn-n893656

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/aug/10/pro-trump-brand-fake-made-in-usa-tags

https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/lesotho

STATUE OF LIBERTY IN CHAINS: HOW U.S. LIES TO WORLD

Did the United States erase the original message of the Statue of Liberty? According to research done by Joy DeGruy (@dr.joydegruy on Instagram, @drjoydegruy on X) - author of the book, Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome - the original design of the Statue of Liberty featured ‘Lady Liberty’ holding chains in her left hand. However, the design’s homage to the abolition of slavery made elements within the United States uncomfortable. In this clip from the Vault Empowers podcast (@vaultempowers - Instagram), Dr. DeGruy reveals how she discovered the chains and shackles on the feet of the Statue of Liberty and why she believes the original design was changed to keep the chains hidden. What do you think?

Video credit: Vault Empowers

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

Continued…….. In Haiti, Cuban doctors played a crucial role in disaster relief after the 2010 earthquake, while in Algeria, Cuba has supplied medical aid since 1963. Similarly, Ghana and South Africa have relied on Cuban doctors to bridge healthcare gaps, especially in rural areas.

Despite Rubio’s claims, Cuba argues that its doctors participate willingly and that the revenue generated supports its public healthcare system. Cuban officials maintain that their doctors serve humanitarian and economic purposes, helping sustain Cuba’s hospitals and clinics. 

Critics also accuse the US of hypocrisy, pointing to its use of poorly paid prison labour that some call ‘slavery.’ Based on US history, Rubio’s push seems aimed at undermining Cuba’s influence while the island nation continues to be a global leader in healthcare and genuine solidarity.

Sources

Rubio vs Cuba
https://editorials.voa.gov/a/expanded-penalties-for-those-exploiting-cuban-labor/7995240.html
https://x.com/SecRubio/status/1894439449666187593

Algeria Cuba
https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2020/06/68716/us-bill-against-cuban-doctor-trafficking-could-impact-algeria/
https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.13169/intejcubastud.15.2.0203
https://time.com/5467742/cuba-doctors-export-brazil/?ref=hir.harvard.edu

Haiti Cuba
https://www.counterpunch.org/2012/12/14/medical-internationalism-in-cuba/
https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.13169/intejcubastud.15.2.0203
https://themilitant.com/2010/7404/740457.html

South Africa/Ghana Cuba
https://theperspective.org/2018/0319201801.php

Cuba provided more than G7/WHO
https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/latamcaribbean/2017/02/10/cubas-strong-tradition-of-medical-internationalism-looks-set-to-continue-despite-upheaval-in-the-americas/

Millions must live
https://cubabusinessreport.com/cuban-medical-internationalism/#:~:text=The%20Cuban%20medical%20internationalism%20sends,received%20during%20the%20Cuban%20Revolution

Is it slavery
https://johnriddell.com/2020/04/08/cubas-unique-model-of-medical-internationalism/
https://en.granma.cu/cuba/2024-05-23/cuban-doctors-are-still-there-where-they-are-most-needed

Cuba doctor-patient ratio
https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.MED.PHYS.ZS?locations=CU

US doctor-patient ratio
https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.MED.PHYS.ZS?locations=US

South Africa doctor-patient ratio
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1413514/medical-doctors-per-10-000-population-in-south-africa/

US prison industrial complex and slavery
https://harvardpolitics.com/involuntary-servitude-how-prison-labor-is-modern-day-slavery/

Fidel quote
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opjtk9NgyUw

Started in 1960
https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/556/oa_edited_volume/chapter/3914141

CONGO’S ELITES DRIVE TESLAS AMIDST WAR

Kivu News 24 reported spotting the first Tesla cyber truck in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in the capital of Kinshasa. Joël Bakonga, son of former state minister Willy Bakonga—both of whom are convicts—apparently owns the electric truck.

This viral video sparked angry reactions among Congolese, who see Bakonga’s alleged purchase as evidence of the elite’s alienation from the three-decade-long, Western-backed conflict that has displaced more than 7 million people in the country’s mineral-rich east. The electric-powered truck, depending on trim options, costs between $79,990 and $99,990.

The sad irony is the battery powering Bakonga’s flashy new toy may have been manufactured using Congo’s ‘conflict minerals,’ like cobalt, which desperately poor Congolese mine under horrific conditions.

Continued…….. According to Medafrica Times, the senior Bakonga was sentenced in 2021 to three years in prison for money laundering and illegal transfer of capital abroad. In the same case, a court convicted the younger Bakonga to six months in prison. When authorities arrested the father and son in Brazzaville on a Paris-bound plane, they reportedly found $30,000 on the duo before extraditing them to Kinshasa. However, a presidential pardon released both men after seven months.

The Bakongas’ case showcases the stark contrast between the opulent lifestyles of the DRC elite and the harsh realities the majority of its citizens face. According to the World Bank, an estimated 73.5 per cent of Congolese live on less than $2.15 per day. A small group of well-connected people collaborating with foreign interests is siphoning off Congo’s estimated $24 trillion in mineral reserves.

While rich politicians in Kinshasa enjoy lavish parties, complete with imported champagne and gourmet food, their soldiers in the war-torn eastern provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu have retreated in the face of lightning advances by the Rwanda- and Uganda-backed M23 militia, partly due to a lack of modern arms and low pay.

Video credits: @congomood.cd / @peoplecd243 (IG) / @kivunews24 (X)

Sources

https://x.com/kivunews24/status/1896521299209699495

https://www.caranddriver.com/tesla/cybertruck

https://www.tesla.com/cybertruck

https://www.barrons.com/articles/dr-congo-ex-minister-gets-three-years-for-money-laundering-01619789116

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBirsuDxrU0

https://www.instagram.com/joebak7?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

https://medafricatimes.com/tag/joel-bakonga

https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/drc/overview

https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/news/east-africa/congo-army-desertion-trials-cast-spotlight-on-a-broken-force-4949376

https://www.dw.com/en/mapped-out-why-isnt-the-dr-congo-the-worlds-richest-country/video-70620354

IS U.S. HELPING GABON COUP LEADER RUN FOR PRESIDENT?

Gabon’s coup leader, Brice Oligui Nguema, has officially announced his candidacy for the 2025 elections on 12 April. However, unlike recent coups in French-speaking Africa, some suspect the West backs this one. 

In this video, we look at how Gabon has inched closer to France and the United States since Nguema took power on 30 August 2023. 

Most notable may be the recently dismantled US Agency for International Development (USAID) granting the Gabonese government $5 million in October 2024 for the upcoming elections despite the US accusing other countries of interfering in US presidential elections. 

Is this not hypocritical? Let us know in the comments.

DRC CUTTING OUT THE MIDDLEMAN?

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) President Félix Tshisekedi’s administration is offering the US exclusive access to its critical minerals and infrastructure projects in exchange for military assistance against Rwanda- and Uganda-backed M23 rebels. 

This proposal, outlined in a letter from the Africa-USA Business Council lobbying on behalf of the DRC government to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, seeks urgent discussions between Tshisekedi and US President Donald Trump. The president’s brother, Jacques, also travelled to the UAE to secure military equipment. However, the feasibility of these diplomatic efforts remains uncertain, given the US and UAE's strong ties with Rwanda. 

Continued……. Despite over two years of M23 activity, the US sanctioned a Rwandan official and an M23 militia spokesperson who don’t rank high in Rwanda, raising questions about whether a direct deal would prompt a shift in US policy. 

Additionally, the DRC is going in the opposite direction of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES)—made up of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger—which has taken greater control of its resources, expelled foreign powers and secured better mining deals following coups d’état over the past few years. Questions remain about how well recent talks went between Malian President Assimi Goïta and the DRC’s justice minister, Constant Mutamba.

Let us know what you think in the comments.

Sources

https://www.mining.com/web/congo-courts-trump-for-strategic-minerals-tie-up-as-war-looms/

https://archive.ph/kwI0A#selection-1193.4-1193.69

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/us-open-minerals-partnerships-with-democratic-republic-congo-2025-03-09/

https://archive.ph/4j8DC

https://www.africaintelligence.com/central-africa/2025/03/05/tshisekedi-dangles-mineral-resources-in-exchange-for-help-against-m23,110382753-eve

https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/transition-minerals/the-itsci-laundromat/#resource-library

https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0022

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czjd70mzge2o

https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2024/09/04/burkina-faso-reclaims-gold-mines-from-largest-british-mining-firm/

https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/new-mali-mining-law-could-boost-state-local-interest-projects-35-2023-07-14/