ISRAEL’S NEFARIOUS ROLE IN AFRICA

While we discussed with activist @mariamtheugandan (IG) why Africans need to show solidarity with Palestinians, Israel’s role in Africa came up. Its involvement in Africa has historically aligned with colonial and imperialist interests. For example, early Zi*nist leaders considered settling in East Africa, specifically Uganda and Kenya, before choosing Palestine, a decision driven by strategy rather than religion, as @ahmedkaballo (X) argued. Their correspondence with colonial figures like Britain’s Cecil Rhodes (1853-1902) highlighted their expansionist mindset, viewing their movement as part of a broader colonial project.

Continued……In modern times, Israel’s fingerprints have been all over African arms deals and resource exploitation, and it has been muddying geopolitical waters throughout the continent. Israel reportedly supplied weapons during the Rwandan g*nocide, currently loots Congo through businessman Dan Gertler’s control over valuable resources, and has reportedly armed the Sudanese paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the foreign-backed proxy war raging for almost two years. Israel has also played a divisive role in North Africa, backing Morocco’s claim over Western Sahara despite the African Union’s opposition. Perhaps most notably, Israel maintained strong ties with South Africa’s apartheid regime, reinforcing settler-colonial ideology and supporting Western interests in the region.

Watch the whole conversation on our X or Rumble channels.

Sources

https://fozmuseum.com/blog/jewish-homeland-africa/

http://www.hatembazian.com/books/palestine-it-is-something-colonial/

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/did-israel-arm-rwanda-during-1994-genocide

https://www.newsweek.com/sifting-through-dark-business-131907

https://copperbeltkatangamining.com/dan-gertler-a-first-step-towards-ending-the-plunder-of-natural-resources-in-the-drc-but-too-early-to-declare-victory/

https://www.military.africa/2023/10/israeli-artillery-seen-with-rsf-forces/

https://www.reuters.com/world/morocco-says-israel-recognises-its-sovereignty-over-western-sahara-2023-07-17/

https://mondoweiss.net/2013/12/alliance-relationship-apartheid/

USAID IN AFRICA: ‘WOLF IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING’

Dr Arikana Chihombori-Quao, former African Union ambassador to the United States, lauded the dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), arguing it had attempted to interfere in Africa’s progress.

In a recent interview with journalist Steve Clemson (@scclemons on X) of the Al Jazeera TV network, the former ambassador (@HEDrArikana on X) said that USAID’s exit from Africa is a wake-up call for the continent. She argued that African leaders must look within to create self-reliance, reminding us of the impact of the Global North hoarding medical supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, forcing Africa to fend for itself.  The People’s Vaccine Alliance reported that nearly 70 lower-income countries could only vaccinate 1 in 10, while rich countries comprising just 14 per cent of the world’s population hoarded 53 per cent of available doses.

Continued….. Furthermore, Chihombori-Quao emphasised that USAID has little to show for its extensive investments in education and healthcare across Africa. She reiterated that the agency often contributed to instability while masquerading its actions under the pretexts of environmental protection, human rights or social justice. For example, USAID has been accused of indirectly funding Boko Haram, an extremist group in Nigeria. Boko Haram’s long-running insurgency in northeastern Nigeria has destabilised that region, causing nearly 40,000 fatalities in Borno state between 2011 and 2023.

Video credit: @aljazeera 

Sources

https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/africasource/trumps-dismantling-of-usaid-offers-a-new-beginning-for-africa

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55229894

https://newscentral.africa/usaid-funded-boko-haram-other-terror-groups-us-lawmaker/

https://appliednetsci.springeropen.com/articles/10.1007/s41109-020-00264-4

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1197570/deaths-caused-by-boko-haram-in-nigeria

Niger's Ministry of Foreign Affairs published an official communiqué on 17 March announcing that Niger is withdrawing from the French-backed international body known as the International Organisation of the Francophonie. 

Interestingly enough, the organisation, referred to colloquially as the Francophonie, was founded in Niger during the Niamey Conference on 20 March 1970, regrouping most French-speaking countries on five continents. By 2018, the organisation claimed to represent 321 million French speakers.

The Francophonie is headquartered in Paris and claims to 1) promote French language and cultural and linguistic diversity, 2) promote peace, democracy and human rights, 3) support education, training, higher education and scientific research, and 4) expand cooperation for sustainable development.

Continued……. However, many have accused the Francophonie of acting as a neo-colonial body that, outside of promoting cultural and scientific exchanges, pushes French-speaking countries toward sharing a foreign policy that revolves around France's interests. Furthermore, some argue that the organisation funding French language and cultural programmes works against African languages and cultures struggling under French cultural hegemony.

After people-backed coups d’état ousted Western-aligned leaders in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger between 2020 and 2023, the Francophonie suspended each of these states. However, the organisation did not suspend Gabon or Chad, which also ousted leaders during this time.

Algeria is the only former French colony to have rejected membership from the outset, while Niger is the first former French colony to withdraw.

News sources have also reported that Burkina Faso has withdrawn from the Francophonie, but the government has not officially announced a decision.

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger broke off diplomatic and military relations with France over the past few years. In October, Niger 're-baptised' streets and monuments that once held French names.

With France’s influence crumbling in the region, is the Francophonie next in line to fall?

Sources

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conférence_de_Niamey
https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ladocumentationfrancaise.fr%2Fdossiers%2Ffrancophonie%2Fchronologie.shtml#federation=archive.wikiwix.com&tab=url

https://africasacountry.com/2020/09/the-specter-of-neocolonialism

https://information.tv5monde.com/afrique/sommet-de-la-francophonie-pourquoi-lalgerie-ne-veut-pas-dune-adhesion-loif-1437962

https://www.francophonie.org/la-francophonie-en-bref-754

https://www.francophonie.org/le-cpf-suspend-le-mali-de-la-francophonie-et-reaffirme-sa-solidarite-avec-le-peuple-malien-1423

https://www.francophonie.org/119e-cpf-suspension-burkina-faso-et-report-9es-jeux-en-2023

https://www.francophonie.org/le-cpf-suspend-le-niger-des-instances-de-la-francophonie-3037

https://www.20minutes.fr/monde/4144012-20250317-afrique-niger-burkina-faso-tournent-dos-francophonie

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/27/west-africas-coup-belt-did-malis-2020-army-takeover-change-the-region

https://www.france24.com/fr/afrique/20250318-le-niger-et-le-burkina-faso-quittent-l-organisation-internationale-de-la-francophonie

https://survie.org/themes/francafrique/article/la-francophonie-un-instrument-de-4824

https://www.jambonews.net/actualites/20181015-francophonie-le-triomphe-de-la-francafrique

RWANDA-BELGIUM SPAT ESCALATES: TIT-FOR-TAT EXPULSIONS

Rwanda and Belgium have just expelled each other’s diplomats tit for tat, as tensions between the two escalate over what Kigali claims are Brussels’ efforts to destabilise it. The European nation has reportedly been gathering international support to pressure the east African state into ending its involvement in the minerals war in eastern Congo. Our video digs deeper.

Sources

https://www.dw.com/en/belgium-rwanda-expel-diplomats-over-dr-congo-conflict/a-71944830

https://bankable.africa/en/mining/1401-686-coltan-rwandan-rebel-group-facilitates-smuggling-from-dr-congo-new-un-report-claims

Continued……https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/what-happening-rebels-congo-rwanda-b2686907.html

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250317-%F0%9F%94%B4-rwanda-cuts-diplomatic-ties-with-belgium-expels-all-diplomats

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

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/13/people-need-a-break-drc-conflict-reignites-dark-memories-of-congo-wars

https://www.rescue.org/article/conflict-drc-what-you-need-know-about-crisis

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

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2025-02-04/east-congo-city-of-goma-rushes-to-bury-bodies-after-rebel-offensive

On Monday, Rwanda-backed M23 rebels announced their withdrawal from peace talks with the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo, just a day before the two sides were set to meet in Angola.

M23’s abrupt exit from the negotiations follows the EU’s imposition of sanctions on the group’s leadership and Rwandan military officials. These punitive measures, critics argue, don’t signal a genuine shift in policy - rather, they are a simple slap on the wrist, and won’t force Kigali to back down.

True to form, M23 has responded by playing the victim. On X, its spokesperson accused ‘certain international bodies’ of intentionally undermining peace initiatives in DRC and thereby, allegedly, rendering meaningful dialogue impossible. Did M23 ever intend to negotiate in good faith? It is a Rwandan tool and, like Kigali itself, thrives on conflict and looted resources.

Continued……Kinshasa seems to have called M23’s bluff, as a delegation from Congo is currently in Luanda for the scheduled talks. A spokesperson for Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi told Reuters that Kinshasa “affirms participation at the invitation of the mediators.”

But make no mistake - this is not a war against a mere rebel group. The DRC is under attack from a powerful proxy that serves as the Rwandan state’s smokescreen while it loots Congolese resources. DRC’s 30-year resource war has involved some 120 militia groups, many foreign-backed, vying for control of the country’s $24 trillion mineral wealth.

Since January 2025, M23 has seized Goma and Bukavu, the two largest cities in eastern DRC, killing over 7,000 (according to Congo’s PM) and displacing over 700,000 (according to the UN). The UN has accused Rwanda of supplying arms and deploying troops to support the M23.

APARTHEID SOUTH AFRICA AND ISRAEL: NATURAL ALLIES

Much of the world shunned apartheid South Africa in the 1970s. However, one country, Israel, found a natural ally in Pretoria’s racially discriminatory government, according to UK journalist Jody McIntyre in this clip.  

McIntyre cites the controversial 1976 state visit of South African Prime Minister Balthazar Johannes ‘BJ’ Vorster (1915-83) to Israel, where he received a red-carpet welcome. Vorster visited the Kfir jet fighter factory, heightening speculation that an arms deal was part of his itinerary to Israel. Jerusalem would benefit from access to vital resources, such as coal, chrome, platinum, titanium, and—significantly for the world’s newest nuclear power at the time—enriched uranium from South Africa.

Continued……. McIntyre quoted Archbishop Desmond Tutu (1931-2021) saying Israel’s apartheid state was worse than South Africa’s. In 2002, at a time when many public figures would dare not say it out loud, Tutu called for ending the Israeli occupation of Palestine by drawing parallels between the suffering of Black people in South Africa and the tragic experience of Jews during the Holocaust.

Whereas apartheid officially came to an end in 1994, Israel’s occupation of and policy of racial superiority in Palestine is now approaching its 77th anniversary. 

In the latest escalation that began on 7 October 2023, Tel Aviv’s military onslaught may have k*lled as many as 186,000, according to the Lancet medical journal.

As of press time, Israel had blocked delivery of humanitarian supplies to Gaza, cut off the electricity supply, and had violated a 19 January ceasefire multiple times when it k*lled at least 400 Palestinians and wounded 562 on 18 March. The Israeli regime launched a massive assault, which attack took place across Gaza, including in Khan Younis and Rafah in southern Gaza, Gaza City in the north, and central areas like Deir el-Balah.

Video credit: @jodymcintyre_ on IG and X / @jody.mcintyre on TikTok

Quote on Vorster: ‘The Unspoken Alliance’: Israel’s Secret Rela­tion­ship with Apartheid South Africa by Sasha Polakow-Suransky (@sasha_p_s on X)

Sources

https://www.nytimes.com/1976/04/18/archives/vorster-visit-to-israel-arouses-criticism.html

https://time.com/archive/6817482/israel-into-africa-via-the-back-door

https://jacobin.com/2024/12/israel-south-africa-apartheid-weapons

https://imeu.org/article/is-israel-an-apartheid-state/1000

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/apr/29/comment

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/over-61-700-palestinians-killed-in-israel-s-genocidal-war-local-authorities-say/3469641

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)01169-3/fulltext

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1w0l3q4zd0o

https://www.bbc.com/news/election/2024/uk/constituencies/E14001100

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/18/israel-launches-gaza-assault-killing-hundreds-and-shattering-ceasefire

VOICE OF AMERICA’S CIA ROOTS

Donald Trump has turned off the money tap to the US State Department-funded Voice of America (VOA). VOA’s parent organisation, the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM), was among the organisations targeted by his 14 March executive order, under which the work of targeted entities “shall be eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.”

The decision has seen 1,300 VOA employees placed on administrative leave, while 500 contractors have been axed permanently. A statement from the White House press office said the move is to ensure that “taxpayers are no longer on the hook for radical propaganda.”

We are neither fans of Trump nor agree with his politics. However, we agree with him that VOA is indeed a radical propaganda outlet that has been spreading falsehoods across the world for decades.

Continued…. In 2024, we joined the list of victims of VOA smear campaigns when, without any evidence, it accused us of the exact same thing Trump is accusing it of: spreading state-funded propaganda.

A few days later, again without providing any evidence, then-US Secretary of State Antony Blinken parroted VOA’s baseless accusations. This led to social-media giants such as Meta, Google, and TikTok banning us.

We wait to see if they will now take a similar step against the VOA, given that the current White House says that it is a state-funded propaganda outlet. (And while they’re at it, they can reverse our bans - as these were based on VOA’s false claims!)

In this September 2024 video, produced in reaction to VOA’s unfounded allegations against African Stream, we discuss why the outlet is nothing more than a propaganda machine.

Sources

https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/03/the-voice-of-radical-america/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-signs-order-to-cut-staff-at-voice-of-america-media/

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/trump-signs-order-gut-voice-america-other-federal-agencies-rcna196564

https://www.usagm.gov/2025/03/15/u-s-agency-for-global-media-complies-with-presidential-executive-order-to-reduce-the-federal-bureaucracy/

U.S. FUNDS BOKO HARAM, PUNISHES NIGERIA FOR T*RRORISM

At the 12 March US House of Representatives hearing on religious persecutions in Nigeria, Africa Subcommittee Chairman Chris Smith called on Congress and the Trump administration to impose sanctions on Nigeria for extremist group Boko Haram persecuting Christians.

Oddly enough, the insurgents have long sought to overthrow the Nigerian government that is now under threat of US sanctions. Boko Haram aims to govern the country under their radical version of Sharia law and has been active since 2009, particularly in northern Nigeria. By 2021, the group’s t*rrorism had displaced 2.4 million people in the Lake Chad region. In January alone, a Boko Haram attack in the northeastern state of Borno, the epicentre of the t*rror attacks, reportedly k*lled 40 civilians, just a drop in the state’s 38,000-person death toll between 2011 and 2023.

Continued……Although Smith’s request may sound noble, the irony is that US Congressman Scott Perry claimed on 13 February that the US Agency for International Development (USAID) had been funding t*rrorist organisations, including Boko Haram, Al Qaeda and ISIS.

Nigerians have long sounded the alarm on foreign powers’ role in strengthening Boko Haram’s capacity. On 18 February, Nigeria’s former foreign minister, Bolaji Akinyemi, also lodged similar claims to Perry’s. He said that investigations revealed that locals report foreigners delivering weapons and supplies to the militants.  

Boko Haram does indeed pose a threat to Nigeria’s security. However, in light of these accusations and given the United States’ long history of manufacturing crises by arming t*rrorists to destabilise states before swooping in with their ‘Captain America’ cape, can US sanctions really be the answer? What do you think?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Video credit: House Foreign Affairs Committee Republicans on YouTube (@HouseForeignGOP on X)

Sources

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3a4L11Wj_6A

https://foreignaffairs.house.gov/press-release/africa-subcommittee-chairman-smith-delivers-opening-remarks-at-hearing-on-religious-persecutions-in-nigeria/

https://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=413555

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo4y52el2_A

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/01/nigeria-boko-haram-must-end-vicious-killing-spree/

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8233023

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1197570/deaths-caused-by-boko-haram-in-nigeria