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.

Sources

Sources

https://www.visaverge.com/news/namibia-visa-update-no-more-visa-free-travel-for-33-countries/?utm

https://www.we.com.na/international-we/visa-required-upon-entry-from-april-20252024-07-19?utm

https://www.forbesafrica.com/current-affairs/2024/08/06/ensures-our-policies-are-respected-internationally-namibias-new-visa-policy-for-over-30-countries/?utm

HOW RWANDAN GENOCIDE LED TO DRC’S

With more than 6 million killed and over 7 million internally displaced, the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo is a moral stain on Africa. Today, the eastern part of the country remains at war, amid overwhelming evidence that rebel groups like M23 receive support from neighbouring Rwanda and Uganda. The January 2025 offensive by M23 in Goma killed over 3,000 and displaced over 700,000.

Continued……. The origins of DRC’s crisis can be traced to the Rwandan genocide and its aftermath. The international community sat and watched as 800,000 Rwandans were killed, with millions fleeing to neighbouring DRC. The instability that persists there today suits the interests of multinational corporations eager to exploit the country’s riches, and the armed proxy groups making hundreds of thousands of dollars a month from the chaos.

Sources

https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/02/1160486

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

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

https://www.theafricareport.com/375904/drc-rwanda-rubaya-coltan-mine-at-the-heart-of-m23-financing/

MOZAMBIQUE’S MIGHTY MACHEL

Today, we honour the life and legacy of Josina Machel, a fearless freedom fighter, revolutionary and women’s rights pioneer, who passed away on 7 April 1971 at just 25 years old.

Machel (1945-71) was a leading figure in Mozambique’s struggle for independence from Portuguese colonial rule. As a dedicated member of FRELIMO (Mozambique Liberation Front) since age 18, she fought on the frontlines and organised political and military training for women, boldly pushing for their inclusion at a time when that was virtually unheard of.

Continued….. FRELIMO appointed the 24-year-old Machel head of the Women’s Section in FRELIMO’s Department of International Relations and head of FRELIMO’s Department of Social Affairs, through which she developed child care and educational centres for children in the country’s north. 

In May 1969, she married socialist and nationalist Samora Machel (1933-86), who became the country’s first president in 1975.

Though her life was cut short by an illness that has yet to be determined, Josina Machel’s courage, vision and determination continue to inspire generations. 

Rest in power, Josina. Your spirit lives on.

Sources

https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/josina-machel-1945-1971

https://amaka.studio/u/@nicolasnhalungo/remembering-josina-machel-and-the-fight-for-independence-in-mozambique-_BoYwdqpjMY7ldndF1bwo

https://www.pambazuka.org/uncovering-josina-machel-obscurity

PORT SUDAN: SUDANESE CELEBRATE MILITARY’S KHARTOUM RE-CAPTURE

After nearly two years of Sudan’s warring parties wrestling for control of its capital, the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) announced their recapture of Khartoum from the United Arab Emirates-backed paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on 26 March. This clip shows Sudanese in Port Sudan, a coastal city about 500 miles northeast of the capital, celebrating the news in the streets.

According to experts from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Sudan’s proxy war that began on 15 April 2023 had k*lled over 61,000 people in just Khartoum alone in the first 14 months. In recent weeks, the military has been gaining ground against the RSF, accused of gen*cide.

Continued………Meanwhile, the RSF maintains control of several areas, including the Darfur region comprised of five states, where North Darfur’s El Fasher is the last remaining capital under SAF control. However, Sudanese people are hopeful that the military will defeat the RSF and that the grave atrocities they have endured under the paramilitary occupation will soon come to an end.

Evidence gathered by monitoring groups shows both the RSF paramilitary and the SAF have committed human rights abuses against civilians, and the US sanctioned both of their leaders in January. In Darfur, for instance, while the SAF carries out airstrikes on civilians, the RSF is accused of shelling villages, torture and s*xual violence. However, in the past two years, documentation has pointed to the RSF as being responsible for the larger share of the atrocities. Many experts also agree that the UAE has prolonged the proxy war by bankrolling the paramilitary group. Yet, the UAE has still not been held accountable for exacerbating the crisis that has left more than half of Sudan’s population suffering ‘acute food insecurity’ and forced more than 12 million to flee their homes.

Video credit: Rayana Elssadig (Facebook)

Sources

https://www.dw.com/en/sudans-army-chief-says-khartoum-is-free-amid-gains/a-72049352

https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/newsevents/news/2024/invisible-and-severe-death-toll-sudan-conflict-revealed

https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/news/north-africa/us-imposes-sanctions-on-sudan-rsf-leader-hemedti-4882058

https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy2789

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/truce-crumbles-sudanese-armys-last-darfur-holdout-2024-04-23

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/25/sudanese-army-accused-of-deadly-strike-on-civilians-in-darfur-market

https://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/north-darfur-least-nine-dead-17-wounded-rsf-shelling

https://adf-magazine.com/2025/01/evidence-of-uae-supplying-rsf-continues-to-mount

https://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/iom-sudan-displacement-tracking-matrix-dtm-sudan-mobility-update-15-publication-date-5-february-2025

https://www.wfp.org/emergencies/sudan-emergency

MASS PROTESTS IN HAITI

On 2 April, thousands of Haitians took to the streets of Port-au-Prince, meeting police violence as they demanded an end to unchecked gang violence. They marched toward the offices of the acting prime minister and presidential council, chanting, ‘Let’s go, let’s go, and get them out!’

With 85 per cent of the capital under gang control, Haiti is spiralling into deeper chaos. The UN estimates the instability has displaced more than 1 million people, with 60,000 forced to flee their homes in just one month. The UN describes the capital as an ‘open-air prison’ with no safe way in or out.

However, the violence has been spreading beyond the capital. This week, gangs reportedly stormed a prison in Mirebalais, releasing over 500 inmates. Meanwhile, a UN-backed, US-funded Kenyan-led mission is severely under-resourced, with only 40 per cent of the international forces deployed.

Continued…….. With the death toll having surpassed 4,200 during the first eight months of the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti, it seems the effort as well as the transitional council, are failing in their objective to bring security and stability to the country. Perhaps they can take a look at the role that foreign powers have played in destabilising Haiti since the 1804 revolution that marked Haiti as the world’s first Black republic.

Sources

https://marxist.com/the-gangs-of-haiti-and-the-failure-of-bourgeois-rule.htm

https://thegrayzone.com/2021/07/16/us-ties-to-suspected-haiti-assassins-follow-long-history-of-neocolonial-intervention/

https://apnews.com/article/haiti-protest-gangs-prime-minister-police-4438588e62468fa0b57d4b515b24a334

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/thousands-haitians-take-streets-protest-surging-gang-violence-2025-04-03/

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/thousands-protest-haiti-denounce-surge-gang-violence-demand-120420967

https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/2025-03/a-hrc-58-76-auv.pdf