Israel uses Trump administration to get diplomatic ties with Morocco and Sudan
President Trump’s closing foreign policy initiatives have included a major effort to convince and coerce African and Asian nations to “normalize” relations with the state of Israel in exchange for promised U.S. financial, military and possibly diplomatic assistance. In recent past, Israel has been on a mission to strengthen and exploit its ties with Africa. Not only has Israel made...
UN, African Union reiterate commitment to Sudan, as joint mission ends operations
The United Nations Secretary-General and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission have reiterated their commitment to continue to support Sudan consolidate peace as the AU-UN hybrid peacekeeping mission in the country’s Darfur region ends its operations on Dec. 31. In a joint statement on Dec. 31, Secretary-General António Guterres and Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat also called on all Sudanese actors to...
Growing movement demands return of cultural art, artifacts
Two-years-ago, a study, “The Restitution of African Cultural Heritage,” found at least 90 percent of Sub-Saharan Africa’s cultural legacy remains preserved outside of the African continent. “Whereas many other regions of the world represented in Western Museum collections are still about to hold on to a significant portion of their own cultural and artistic heritage, this is not the case...
Freed Nigerian schoolboys welcomed; calls for more security
KATSINA, Nigeria—Bleary, barefoot, apparently numbed by a week of captivity, more than 300 Nigerian schoolboys, freed after being kidnapped in an attack on their school, were welcomed by the governor of Katsina state and Nigeria’s president on Dec. 18. Reunions with their parents began late in the day. “Since this incident happened, I have not been able to sleep, but...
Time for Black South Africans to control the economy?
During a wide-ranging interview with Africa Watch, Redge Nkosi, the Pretoria-based founder and executive director of First Source Money and Public Banking of South Africa, said, “You cannot have a (White) minority determining an agenda in a country that is overwhelmingly African.” South Africa, which is 80 percent Black African, still has an economy controlled by a White minority. Nkosi, who...
Ghanaian activist halts coal plant, wins major prize
(GIN)—Coal kills. Choose renewable. Those were the bedrock principles of environmental activist Chibeze Ezekiel, a grassroots organizer from Ghana, who in November was named one of five winners of the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize for 2020. Through the efforts of Ezekiel and members of 350 Ghana Reducing Our Carbon (G-ROC), among others, the Ghanaian Minister of Environment was persuaded to drop...
Macron’s Anti-Islam Platform And France’s Presidential Race
Anti-Islamic comments made by French president Emmanuel Macron and a speech he made offer previews of his rhetoric in preparation for a presidential election that is two years away. “Islam is a religion that is in crisis all over the world today, we are not just seeing this in our country,” he said during a speech introducing a law to...
Ethiopian Government and UN strike deal for ‘unimpeded’ humanitarian access in Tigray
The UN recently announced that an agreement has been reached with the Ethiopian Government to allow “unimpeded, sustained and secure access” for humanitarian supplies to reach those in need across areas now under its control in Tigray. Confirming details of the deal at UN headquarters in New York, spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said that the safe passage of aid supplies and staff...
New hotspot opens up in North Africa despite UN bid to defuse tensions
(GIN)—War is breaking out all over. Fighting shows no signs of ending in Ethiopia as the prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, attempts to put down a rebellion by the sovereign-seeking state of Tigray. Eritrea now appears to have been drawn into the fighting. A massacre was reported by Amnesty International. In the Amhara region, political unrest and communal violence continue to...
Cash-strapped African countries face pain from foreign interest obligations
(GIN)—Foreign investors who plied African countries with huge loans despite obvious difficulties for repayment got some bad news recently. The government of Zambia announced it missed a Nov. 13 deadline to repay $42.5 million in interest to Eurobond holders after the investors rejected a six-month delay sought by Zambia to pay up. This could set a precedent, lenders fear. Zambia has...