Deception, destruction and no end to Libya’s suffering
Chaos is the order of the day in Libya more than a decade after the American-NATO overthrow and murder of longtime leader Muammar Gadhafi who ruled the North African nation and led a revolutionary movement for 42 years. Acute tribal discord, a grueling civil war, and failure to create a comprehensive government have plagued Libya. The country is still torn between...
A year of challenges and opportunities in Africa
Africa will be remembered in 2022 as the year of the “Sirens of apocalypse: UN climate report warns of worst to come.” Adding insult to this was the Ukraine-Russia war which has limited access to wheat, on a continent that in the past has said its arable land could feed the globe. Cold War revisited the continent, and U.S....
China’s grievances with the West are echoed by the Global South
On the eve of the upcoming BRICS Summit to be held in August in South Africa, a U.S.-initiated trade war with China over the future of semiconductors has escalated. BRICS is an acronym for the world economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Beijing hit back by playing a trump card: It imposed export controls on two strategic raw materials, gallium and germanium....
Kenya marks 60 years of independence, and the president defends painful economic measures
NAIROBI, Kenya—Kenya’s president on December 12 defended the high taxes the government recently imposed, calling them a “necessary sacrifice” in helping the country deal with ballooning foreign debt which now stands at $70 billion. Speaking at celebrations marking 60 years since Kenya’s independence from Britain, President William Ruto said East Africa’s largest economy was no longer at risk of defaulting on...
The toll of binge drinking on South Africa
The South African Alcohol Alliance (SAAPA), is a collaborative initiative of NGOs (non-governmental organizations) that advocate for evidence-based alcohol policies in sub-Saharan Africa. Over the years the group has reported on the harmful effects of alcohol consumption. Its reporting included the fact that even though over 60 percent of South Africans do not consume alcohol, the population that does...
African Union closes summit with tasks ahead
Bush's Goal: Bring African leaders in line with US policy Gadhafi to western powers: Treat Africa as equal partnerFCN Editorial - The two faces of Bush Reports on the African Union MAPUTO, Mozambique (PANA)–The newly-elected chairperson of the Commission of the African Union, Alpha Oumar Konare of Mali, took the oath of office of the African Union (AU) shortly before the Union’s...
AU plans investment bank to bolster industrialization in Africa
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (PANA)–The African Union (AU) recently announced plans to create an investment bank to finance private sector developments within the continent, as part of efforts to put the continent on a sound growth path towards its industrialization. AU Commissioner for Economic Affairs Maxwell Mkwezalamba said talks on the formation of the continental development bank were underway to...
NATO intervention in Libya rooted in access to oil?
(FinalCall.com) - For decades European oil companies had enjoyed contracts that allowed them access to half of the high-grade crude produced in Libyan fields, reported the May 4, 2012 Wall St. Journal. “Some major oil companies hoped the country would open further to investment after sanctions from Washington were lifted in 2004 and U.S. giants re-entered the North...
Africa Watch – Barack Obama’s words and his Africa policy
America's first Black president, Barack Obama, may have been the honorary speaker at the 100th anniversary of the birth of the late Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first post-apartheid president, and is the creator of the 200 member Young African Leader's Initiative, but his record with Africa as U.S. president left a lot to be desired. During his remarks, delivered...
New head of African Union faces daunting challenges from day one
(GIN)—He’s been described as a “master strategist,” but can the incoming chair of the African Union beat the daunting challenges ahead? That is the difficult question facing Felix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, president of the Democratic Republic (DRC) as he assumes the post just relinquished by South African leader Cyril Ramaphosa. Skeptics are already circling President Tshisekedi who has ambitious goals for the...