How Canada Politics May View Zimbabwe's Indigenization Act
http://www.countercurrents.org/chipato160114.htm
"Having recently clinched a huge trade agreement with the European Union through (CEUTA); he has now positioned himself to be a big thorn in Zimbabwe's back, if the Government messes around with the Canadian Mining companies within the nation and is seen as being against capitalism..."
US Expands Military Net Over Africa, Checking China's Influence - by Eric Draitser
http://rt.com/op-edge/us-expands-military-net-africa-081/
"Recent years have seen an unprecedented military expansion which has gone almost entirely unnoticed by the US public.
All over Africa, the United States has tried to check the growing influence of China..."
Violence Displaces 400,000 in DRC (and vid)
http://www.presstv.com/detail/2014/02/25/352153/dr-congo-violence-displa...
"The UN says fighting between government troops and militia groups has displaced 400,000 people in recent months..."
Rwanda 1994: The Lies Continue - by David Peterson
http://zcomm.org/zblogs/rwanda-1994-the-lies-continue/
"To the Editors of Rabble.ca
In 'Inflammatory falsehood poor homage to twentieth anniversary of Rwanda genocide' (Rabble.ca, February 24, 2014), the head of the Paul Kagame Fan Club of Canada, Gerald Caplan, writes..."
The Corporate Scramble for Africa
Judging simply by its name, the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition sounds like a worthy initiative. Just the kind of thing we should be spending international aid money on, you might think. But look just a little closer, and it becomes clear that the scheme, launched by the G8 governments along with the biggest global food and agriculture companies, has little to do with feeding undernourished people.
Real Rwandan Genocide & Brainwashing of the Western Mind - by Keith Harmon Snow
http://rt.com/op-edge/real-genocide-rwanda-hutu-extremist-848/
"Every year in the first week of April, western media venues are flooded with stories that begin with statements about the anniversary of the Rwanda 'genocide, where at least 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus died at the hands of Hutu extremists.'
Such stories recount the official narrative about the 'Genocide in Rwanda', a narrative that has five or six key elements that have been almost canonized and are repeated robotically by Western and English-speaking news consumers..."
Public Utilities Exporting Privatization
Manitoba Hydro involved in controversial power sector privatization in Nigeria and beyond
Manitoba Hydro International (MHI), a wholly-owned international subsidiary of Manitoba Hydro, is taking part in a controversial deal to ultimately privatize Nigeria’s publicly-owned power utility.
MHI will manage the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) for a period of three years under a management contract with the government of Nigeria and the Bureau of Public Enterprises. MHI was offered the contract in September 2012.
Under the contract MHI will restructure the transmission company and prepare it for eventual privatization. Manitoba Hydro International expects to make $23.7 million from the deal....
http://dominion.mediacoop.ca/story/public-utilities-exporting-privatizat...
How Kidnapped Nigerian Schoolgirls Became Propaganda for Imperial Policy
video
Glen Ford: Western intervention aims to make region malleable to neoliberal economic policies and further militarize the continent.
http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&I...
More than five decades after his death, the question seems to be: why Fanon is relevant now? Rather than, is he relevant at all? It would be instructive to explore how this revolutionary would think and act in the face of contemporary issues in Africa and the world.
The Media's Rwandan Fairy Tales - by Yves Engler
http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/12/28/the-medias-rwandan-fairy-tales/
"While two decades old, the distortion of the Rwandan tragedy continues to have political impacts today..."
..an important video that reminds us of the congo's brutal history and how this continues today. it also shows how we are connected to it in canada via cobalt.
The Empire Files: Empires Feed on Congo's Treasure
For five centuries, the continent of Africa has been ravaged by the world's Empires for its vast untapped treasure. Today, the U.S. Empire is increasing it's military role through their massive command network, AFRICOM, carrying out several missions a day.
'Little To Lose': Poverty and Despair Fuel South Africa's Unrest
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/7/14/little-to-lose-poverty-and-desp...
"South Africa is facing its worst unrest in decades as protests over the jailing of former President Jacob Zuma have led to spiraling violence and looting. 'Communities left behind in the world's most unequal society feel angered by the system and are lashing out,' Professor Mcebisi Ndletyana, a political analyst told Al Jazeera..."
See also #28
Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) for South Africa (and vid)
https://twitter.com/EFFSouthAfrica/status/1415382782826721288
"The fact of the matter is that the post-1994 government has not disrupted the economic power relations that defined apartheid. We are living in a neo-apartheid state where those that controlled wealth and had access to riches prior to 94, continue to have that power..."
Full AJ 'Inside Story'
What triggered the recent violence in South Africa.
ANC government roiled by protests as South Africans protest worsening social conditions
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/07/15/safr-j15.html
"The protests by Zuma's supporters, largely in his home province of KwaZulu-Natal, rapidly morphed into a wider movement against the ANC government. Millions are angered over its mismanagement of the pandemic and vaccine rollout and an escalating economic crisis that has left many people without jobs, income or financial support from the government, as the top echelons of the ruling party have enriched themselves at public expense.
With one of the highest levels of income inequality in the world, South Africa's most affluent 20 percent of the population take more than 68% of income. According to government statistics, a pale reflection of reality, one third of workers are without work, leading to the pauperisation of millions, while the government has frozen public sector wages..."
Pentagon carries out first air strike in Somalia under Biden
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/563972-pentagon-carries-out-first-air...
"The US military on Tuesday conducted an air-strike against an al-Qaeda affiliated group in Somalia, the first such strike in the country since President Biden took office, multiple outlets reported..."
South Africa Suffers Worst Unrest in Decades (CBC radio)
https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-63-the-current/clip/15856515-sout...
"Hundreds of people have been killed in South Africa's worst unrest in decades. We discuss the root causes of the unrest and possible paths forward with Xolani Dube, a political analyst at the Xubera Institute for Research and Development in Durban, and Kwandiwe Kordlo, a professor of political economy at the University of Johannesburg."
'They are angry at the establishment because South Africa as a socio-political system is now an establishment led by an elite. It's a bourgeoisie social formation over millions of the poorest of the poor. This is the kind of 'liberation' we've got in South Africa...'
Was pleasantly surprised to hear something of this quality coming from what has otherwise generally become CBC's flagship magazine show of reaction and propaganda, particularly on foreign affairs.
Israeli observer status at the AU? 'The price tag attacked to these projects is neutrality on Palestine and normalisation with Israel'
https://twitter.com/mbueckert/status/1423698447836893188
'South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Botswana and Algeria are among the states vocally opposed to Israel receiving observer status at the African Union.'
Free Gaza! Free Palestine! Stop Apartheid Israel! No AU Status!
"The leader of the new coup junta in Guinea - Col Mamady Doubouja - with his [American] friends."
https://twitter.com/vijjayprashad/status/1434727286968885249
Canada supports - Canadians ignore.
Canada Sets Up Embassy in Rwanda, Amidst Growing Mass Anti-Imperialist Movement in Neighbouring DRC
https://twitter.com/TheCanadaFiles/status/1595878959706677250
"The new Canadian embassy in Rwanda, opened to combat Russian and Chinese relations with Africa, comes as the neighbouring DRC sees a mass anti-imperialist movement emerge to combat the nation's plunder by Rwanda and NATO countries."
Because Canada-backed Kagame's Rwanda is 'the Israel of Africa,' used to attack its neighbours for western geopolitical purposes.
EU's Borrell: Africans Backing Russia Don't Know Who's Putin or Where's Donbass (and vid)
https://twitter.com/RT_com/status/1601577477163438082
"Josep Borrell, the EU's top diplomat has found himself in hot water after he insulted the intelligence of Africans who express support for Russia, saying they probably don't know 'where Donbas is or even who Putin is..."
American arse-lickers think everyone must do the same as they.
Two Months Ago, Sudan Gave Russia Permission To Build A Naval Base At Port Sudan (and vid)
https://twitter.com/richimedhurst/status/1648450623103434753
"Does that have anything to do with the fighting...?"
Well somebody knows who he is:
https://eurasiantimes.com/9-chinese-workers-killed-right-before-xi-jinpi...
Very cryptic and unknowable. WTF are you trying to say?Well somebody knows who he is:
https://eurasiantimes.com/9-chinese-workers-killed-right-before-xi-jinpi...
Oh nothing, k. I'm just a stupid guy posting stupid stuff that doesn't mean anything, after all.
I read the story and honestly could not make head nor tails about your comment. Did you post the wrong story?
It's all gobbledygook k. You are clearly way too smart for me. Nothing in there at all.
Here is some more double speak from the evil empire.
The U.S. is deploying additional troops to an East African Military base. The Military is claiming this is only in case they are needed to evacuate U.S. diplomatic officials or civilians from Sudan, the Defence Department said.
Bombing Khartoum: CIA's Attempted Coup in Sudan
https://www.thenigerianvoice.com/news/319785/bombing-khartoum-cias-attem...
"...Hopefully this war, which came out of the blue and has developed rapidly will come to an end soon and the long suffering Sudanese people will be able to live in peace once again.
Unfortunately, not if the CIA has its way. They want their henchman Burham or no one, the US way or let all hell break loose..."
https://cdnuploads.aa.com.tr/uploads/InfoGraphic/2021/09/16/76fffb94b68b...
Guess who else is there, and why.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/4/17/what-is-the-wagner-groups-role-...
https://apnews.com/article/politics-sudan-government-moscow-803738fba4d8...
If that killing of Chinese miners was Wagner was it a turf war, or was it a deliberate attempt to throw a wrench into Putin's meeting with Xi?
Again, they know who Putin is, despite Borrell's comment. This site asks if he is a secret Russian agent (in the same way some wonder if Putin is a secret agent for NATO).
https://african-century.org/is-josep-borrell-a-secret-agent-for-russia/
Sudan's Fight to the Finish (and vid)
https://www.rt.com/shows/going-underground/575724-sudan-armed-conflict-c...
"General Burhan is the CIA's henchman in Sudan, Thomas Mountain says. Why the fight between Burhan and Hemedti is a 'fight to the finish', and more."
Borrell is far more likely to be a Mossad agent. A whole summer of indoctrination at the impressionable age of 20.
Borrell is far more likely to be a Mossad agent. A whole summer of indoctrination at the impressionable age of 20.
Not that I really believe it (he actually is a boneheaded racist) but that also makes sense. After all Israel does have a fairly tight relationship with Russia. There are all kinds of reasons why they might want to back that horse in African nations.
A Win For Sudan's Armed Forces Good For Democratic Transition
https://www.blackagendareport.com/win-sudans-armed-forces-good-democrati...
"The battle between warring generals in Sudan must end with a return to civilian rule."
It is clear that China is considered a neutral party by both sides. Its citizens get evacuated, in this case by a fourteen hour bus ride across various contested regions.They did call ahead of course.
How is South Africa Dealing With Western Pressure on BRICS Summit? (and vid)
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/06/26/how-is-south-africa-dealing-with-...
"Mandla Radebe of the University of Johannesburg talks about how South Africa is dealing with external and internal pressure on the BRICS summit and how the country sees its role in the forum. He also talks about how South Africa has responded to the Ukraine war."
Niger: The Ethnic & Economic Background of the Conflict
https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Niger-The-Ethnic-and-Economic-Backgr...
"...From the external point of view, the situation in Niger also indicates the interest of the West in Africa, especially France.
The European colonizer has huge business and companies in Niger. For this reason it tries its best to get control..."
BREAKING...
https://twitter.com/simonateba/status/1686174532690657280
"Niger's neighboring countries, Mali and Burkina Faso, vow to go to war against the US [and Canada] -backed African Union and ECOWAS, if they use force in an attempt to reinstate the ousted President of Niger..."
Podur: The Coup in Niger
https://justinpodur.substack.com/p/the-coup-in-niger
"Who was overthrown, who overthrew, some context..."
Prashad: Niger Marks 4th Anti-Western Coup in the Sahel
https://consortiumnews.com/2023/08/02/niger-marks-4th-anti-western-coup-...
"...A highly informed source in Niger tells us that the reason why the military moved against Bazoum is that:
'he's corrupt, a pawn of France. Nigereans were fed up with him and his gang. They are in the process of arresting the members of the deposed system who embezzled public funds, many of whom have taken refuge in foreign embassies.'
The 'corruption' that is talked about in Niger is not about petty bribes by government officials, but about an entire structure - developed during French colonial rule - that prevents Niger from establishing sovereignty over its raw materials and over its development..."
Niger Marks 4th Anti-Western Coup in the Sahel
https://consortiumnews.com/2023/08/02/niger-marks-4th-anti-western-coup-...
"...A highly informed source in Niger tells us that the reason why the military moved against Bazoum is that:
'he's corrupt, a pawn of France. Nigereans were fed up with him and his gang. They are in the process of arresting the members of the deposed system who embezzled public funds, many of whom have taken refuge in foreign embassies.'
The 'corruption' that is talked about in Niger is not about petty bribes by government officials, but about an entire structure - developed during French colonial rule - that prevents Niger from establishing sovereignty over its raw materials and over its development..."
Abdoulaye Maiga, State Minister for Territorial Administration and Decentralisation of Mali, during a TV press conference in Bamako, on Tuesday, stated Burkina Faso and Mali will declare war in case of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) nations invade Niger.
The national military elites in the area have decided that being vassal colonial states of France is no longer an acceptable sate of affairs. Without the French controlled CFA and its reserve requirements the French economy would be in bad shape. The locals think they are getting screwed by the French and are overthrowing the "democratic" leaders elected under the electoral system set up by the colonizers.
"Controversy
There has been some debate over whether the West African CFA franc serves as a way for France to keep influence in the region, often to the detriment to these nations.[12] For example, one of the "rules" of the currency is that the central banks of all of the nations involved have to keep at least 50% of their foreign assets in the French Treasury. Some see this as a way to keep the currency stable while other see it as limiting the economic independence of the West African nations that are involved. Even though during the early 1950s to the mid-1980s, CFA countries experienced higher real GDP growth and lower inflation rates than other non-CFA Sub-Saharan countries, the economic shocks of the 1986 and 1993 caused the CFA franc to become increasingly overvalued and run increased deficits in the French Treasury. Some policymakers have argued that the CFA franc be tied to a basket of currencies rather than one currency as it currently is. Also, they state that the reserve requirement should be restructured in order to give CFA countries more economic freedom.[13] "
Ajamu Baraka: War in Africa & War in the Americas - Accelerating the End of White World Supremacy
https://www.blackagendareport.com/war-africa-and-war-americas-accelerati...
"...Change is in the air. With the exposure of the US as a paper tiger after its defeats in Iraq and Afghanistan, and its defeat in Ukraine that is yet to be announced to the US population, the peoples of the global South, and in particular in Africa, are in no mood to accept the continued humiliation meted out by the institutions of white colonial capitalist domination.
The struggle for peace is the struggle against Western imperialism led by the US, which continues to reveal itself as the greatest existential threat to collective humanity..."
And its little dog too.
Are They Playing With Fire? Canada May Send Their Army![lol]
https://twitter.com/AlternatNews/status/1687015478047207425
"The President of Burkina Faso orders the expulsion of a Canadian mining company from the country and the confiscation of 200 kilograms of gold..."
bravo.
The French neo-colonial system that was was set up post WWII is disintegrating as its former colonies are seeking actual independence not a paper facade. The demand from the West is that the puppet leaders elected under the colonial electoral system be returned to power to continue ruling on behalf of Paris. Here is good article from 2017 explaining the financial control issues that drive the direction of the economies. If your political elites cannot feed the people maybe it is time to change the system of governance.
The pillars of the CFA franc
Like other colonial empires – the UK, with its sterling zone, or Portugal, with its escudo zone, France had its franc zone. The CFA franc – originally the French African Colonial franc – was officially created on 26 December 1945 by a decree of General de Gaulle. It is a colonial currency, born of France’s need to foster economic integration among the colonies under its administration, and thus control their resources, economic structures and political systems.
Image: Antonio Medina via The Corner EU (http://bit.ly/2slfjZu)
Post-independence the CFA franc was redesignated: for the eight members of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) – Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo – it became the African Financial Community franc; for the six members of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CAEMC) – Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Chad – the Central African Financial Cooperation franc. The two zones possess economies of equal size (each representing 11 per cent of GDP in sub-Saharan Africa). The two currencies, however, are not inter-convertible.
The CFA franc: for and against
Despite its exceptional longevity, the CFA franc by no means enjoys unanimous support among African economists and intellectuals. Its critics base their analysis on three separate arguments. Firstly, they condemn the absence of monetary sovereignty. France holds a de facto veto on the boards of the two central banks within the CFA franc zone. Since the reform of the BCEAO in 2010, the conduct of monetary policy has been assigned to a monetary policy committee. The French representative is a voting member of this committee, while the president of the WAEMU Commission attends only in an advisory capacity. Given the fixed rate of exchange between the CFA franc and the euro, the monetary and exchange rate policies of the franc zone nations are also dictated by the European Central Bank, whose monetary orthodoxy entails an anti-inflation bias detrimental to growth.
Secondly, they focus on the economic impact of the CFA franc, construed as a neocolonial device that continues to destroy any prospect of economic development in user nations. According to this perspective, the CFA franc is a barrier to industrialisation and structural transformation, serving neither to stimulate trade integration between user nations, nor boost bank lending to their economies. The credit-to-GDP ratio stands around 25% for the WAEMU zone, and 13% for the CAEMC zone, but averages 60%+ for sub-Saharan Africa, and 100%+ for South Africa etc. The CFA franc also encourages massive capital outflows. In brief, membership of the franc zone is synonymous with poverty and under-employment, as evidenced by the fact that 11 of its 15 adherents are classed as Least Developed Countries (LDCs), while the remainder (Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Congo, Gabon) have all experienced real-term economic decline.
Finally, they maintain that membership of the franc zone is inimical to the advance of democracy. To uphold the CFA franc, it is argued, France has never hesitated to jettison heads of state tempted to withdraw from the system. Most were removed from office or killed in favour of more compliant leaders who cling to power come hell or high water, as shown by the CAEMC nations and Togo. Economic development is impossible in such circumstances, as is the creation of a political system that meets the preoccupations of the majority of citizens.
https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/africaatlse/2017/07/12/the-cfa-franc-french-mone...
Does it really take 2.2 million liters of water to make 75 lithium-ion batteries for electric cars?
In pictures: South America's 'lithium fields' reveal the dark side of our electric future
Two Wagner group ads from December 2022 and early 2023.
Note the sledgehammer, their tool for bashing deserters' heads in. And the west African family dining on rat.
https://www.memri.org/tv/russia-wagner-cartoon-fighting-france-forces-in...
Operation NABERIOUS
https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/services/operations...
"The CAF sends a training team of up to 50 members to Niger per year under the leadership of Canadian Special Operations Forces Command with attachments from the Canadian Army..."
Canada OUT!
If your political elites cannot feed the people maybe it is time to change the system of governance?
Why should we think military juntas will be be able to make beneficial long term political reforms after so many failures by political juntas in the past?
People's Movements Oppose West-Backed Military Intervention by ECOWAS in Niger
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/08/03/peoples-movements-oppose-west-bac...
"The West African People's Organization said ECOWAS' threat of military intervention was a maneuver by colonial France and Great Britain, under the hegemony of US imperialism.
With Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso extending support to Niger's new government, any use of force by ECOWAS may hurl the entire sub-region into war.
Warning that the real purpose is to 'keep Niger continuously in the imperialist fold,' the group of unions, left parties and civil society organizations described Bazoum as 'servile to the imperialist powers of NATO, particularly France..."
Thomas Sankara
https://twitter.com/peoplesdispatch/status/1687535498732961800
"On this day in 1983, Thomas Sankara, the Burkinabe Marxist and revolutionary pan-Africanist took office and started a ground-breaking, anti-imperialist movement..."
Engler: Careful When Shaking Rwandans' Blood-Soaked Hands Mr Dallaire
https://yvesengler.com/2023/08/02/careful-when-shaking-rwandans-blood-so...
"If a famed Canadian 'humanitarian' participated in a government sponsored conference in Moscow there would be howls of outrage.
But Romeo Dallaire boosting Africa's most blood-stained regime will likely be ignored.
How much longer will Canada fund Rwanda's army via the Dallaire Institute? This is aiding and abetting crimes."
Why should we be involved in the internal affairs of other countries?If your political elites cannot feed the people maybe it is time to change the system of governance?
Why should we think military juntas will be be able to make beneficial long term political reforms after so many failures by political juntas in the past?
Strange how Canada's diplomatic sabre rattling is different depending on whether it is a coup in Venezuela or Bolivia where we tried to overthrow democratically elected governments that were trying to introduce socialist principles and policies. In French controlled Africa the locals might also think that a better system than European democracy that is designed and built to ensure that the ruling elite stays the ruling elite. A corrupt double talking politician might not be as good for their people's well being as a sincere autocrat determined to ensure that people are fed and housed and can walk the streets. Since I don't live there I just like to observe and make comments on various possible scenarios.
“Sincere autocrats” and benevolent dictators have done well for their countries but they have unfortunately been very few and hard between. Most dictators and autocrats have been failures.
