Today we commemorate Black Panther member Bobby Hutton, who was murdered in cold blood on 6 April 1968. Born Robert James Hutton in Jefferson County, Arkansas, on 21 April 1950, his family moved to California during the Great Migration, during which six million Black people moved from the US south to the North, fleeing racist acts of t*rrorism and legal discrimination. He became known as Lil’ Bobby after he became the very first recruit for the Black Panther Party for Self Defense (BPP) in Oakland, California. At the young age of 16, he served as the first treasurer of the revolutionary socialist Black Power organisation. He was murdered by Oakland Police officers just two days after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. He was just 17-years old when he was shot over twelve times by the officers. He had already stripped himself naked before them to prove that he was unarmed at the time of his murder.

Continued…. Hutton joined the Black Panther Party because he was committed to its 10-Point Programme which included demands such as,

“We Want Freedom. We Want Power to Determine the Destiny of Our Black Community,” “ We Want An End to the Robbery By the Capitalists of Our Black Community” and “We Want An Immediate End to Police Brutality and the Murder of Black People.”

Today, “Lil’ Bobby Hutton Day” has been commemorated every year in DeFremery Park, Oakland since 1998.

Did you know about the history of this young freedom fighter?

Sources

https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/hutton-bobby-1950-1968/

https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/murder-of-bobby-hutton/

https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/migrations/great-migration

https://www.pbs.org/hueypnewton/people/people_hutton.html

https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/black-panther-party-ten-point-program-1966/

What’s a coup attempt worth these days? If you’re American, apparently, just your passport! President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has commuted the death sentences of three U.S. citizens involved in a failed coup attempt last year, changing their sentences to life in prison. The decision was announced on 1 April 2025 by presidential spokesperson Tina Salam, 6 months after the US nationals, along with 34 others, were sentenced to death for “terrorism” and “criminal association.” The commutation came at a telling moment - as Congolese officials work on a minerals agreement with the US, aiming to secure support to combat M23 rebels in the troubled eastern region.

Continued……. The coup attempt, which occurred last May and was led by relatively unknown opposition figure Christian Malanga, resulted in the deaths of six people. Malanga and a group of armed associates targeted the presidential palace in Kinshasa and a close ally of Tshisekedi. Malanga was shot and killed while trying to evade capture shortly after he broadcast the attack live on social media, according to the Congolese military. Among those convicted for taking part in the coup was Malanga’s 21-year-old son, Marcel Malanga, who is also a US citizen.

Also convicted was Tyler Thompson Jr., 21, a high school friend of the younger Malanga, who claimed to have travelled from the U.S. state of Utah to DR Congo on the assumption that he was going on a free vacation, along with Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, 36, who knew Christian Malanga through a gold mining venture. Most of those found guilty in the rebellion attempt were Congolese, but the group also included individuals from Britain, Belgium, and Canada.

In March 2024, the DRC announced it would resume executions, after a 20-year hiatus. On 5 January 2025, Justice Minister Constant Mutamba said that over 170 people, allegedly linked to criminal gangs known as “Kuluna” or “bandits”, were transferred from Kinshasa to Angenga prison for execution. So how do US coup plotters get life, while poor Congolese accused of banditry face the gallows?

Sources

https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/02/africa/americans-death-sentence-commuted-drc-intl/index.html https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/01/drc-president-tshisekedi-must-halt-plans-to-carry-out-mass-executions/

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/4/2/dr-congo-spares-three-convicted-us-coup-accomplices-of-capital-punishment

https://www.newsweek.com/trumps-mineral-deals-could-bring-peace-congo-opinion-2048698

BOY RECOUNTS HORRORS OF RSF OCCUPATION

In this video, filmed right after the liberation of Khartoum, a boy relates what life was like under occupation by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary - and the atrocities he witnessed. It’s a story no child should ever have to tell - one of r*pe, torture and m*rder. These have become the hallmarks of the genocidal Saudi- and UAE-backed group. The Sudanese army was able to fully drive the RSF out of the city on 26 March - a cause for celebration, but also too late for the paramilitary’s many victims in Khartoum.

Credit: @MohanadElbalal (X)

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

MALI: UKRAINE IS A TERRORIST STATE

According to Mali’s Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop, Ukraine is a terrorist state. The African diplomat made the charge during a meeting between the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) and Russia in Moscow, accusing Kiev of supporting and sponsoring terrorism in the Sahel region.

Following an attack in the northern Malian town of Tinzawaten in July 2024 by Tuareg separatist rebels that killed Malian soldiers, the AES called on the UN Security Council to denounce the Ukrainian government’s “open and assumed support for international terrorism”. Ukrainian intelligence official, Andriy Yusov, acknowledged Ukraine’s involvement in what Malian government spokesman Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga described as a “cowardly, treacherous, and barbaric attack by armed terrorist groups.”

Continued……Speaking on Ukrainian television, Yusov said, “[The attackers] have received the necessary information to enable them to carry out a successful military operation against Russian war criminals”.

Also, the Ukrainian embassy in Senegal expressed support for the attacks in a Facebook post, which was subsequently removed. The Senegalese government summoned the Ukrainian ambassador in their country for an explanation.

While convening with Russian officials, Diop highlighted progress in fighting terrorist threats in his country and announced plans to form a united Sahelian Confederation Force to ensure regional security. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov supported the plan, pledging readiness to assist in equipping AES forces with needed weapons.

Sources

https://www.dw.com/en/mali-ends-diplomatic-ties-with-ukraine-over-attack-claims/a-69860100

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/mali-niger-burkina-faso-agree-to-form-joint-force-to-combat-terrorism-in-region/3527556

https://tass.com/world/1938401

https://www.kyivpost.com/post/50134

Our African proverb this week underscores the importance of recognising and respecting our own limitations as well as strengths. Focus on your own talents rather than overextending yourself in areas where you’ll probably be at a disadvantage.

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

NAMIBIA STRIKES BACK

Tourists from 33 nations - including the US, Canada, the UK and Germany - now need visas to visit Namibia. It’s a clear sign that the new administration in Windhoek insists on its citizens being treated as equals on the global stage - and is widely being hailed as an expression of sovereignty.

Three-month visas will cost around $90 - and should be fairly hassle free, as they can be applied for online or at the airport (so no trips to the embassy).

African visitors have consistently been subjected to strict visa stipulations when they travel to the West, with high refusal rates and long processing. By instituting visas, Namibia is joining other African nations in demanding equitable treatment in the world.

In this clip, Content creditor @Oska_films (IG) reacts to the new visas - and hails the direction of travel Namibia’s new female leadership has set the country on.