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@african_stream

Mar 2

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Like other Western powers, the UK has been deeply involved in destabilising the DRC.

Our latest Facts of the Week unpack how British governments, corporations and intelligence agencies have consistently undermined Congolese sovereignty for profit and geopolitical interests - be it through colonial-era scheming or modern economic exploitation.

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African Stream

@african_stream

Feb 22

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The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is a seemingly benign entity tasked with the noble-sounding mission of “advancing democracy” worldwide.

It was founded under the Reagan administration when the CIA was the capitalist bloc’s chief puppet master, orchestrating covert operations against governments that dared to defy the US.

The NED does openly what the CIA did secretly during the Cold War.

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African Stream

@african_stream

Dec 24, 2024

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LIBYA: NATO'S FAILED STATE

Libya gained independence from Italy on December 24, 1951, becoming the first country to do so through the United Nations. Yet many analysts argue that it only became genuinely sovereign on September 1 1969, when a group of Libyan Army officers under the leadership of Gaddafi launched a coup from Benghazi and quickly established control over the country. The coup was bloodless and received enthusiastic support from the public.

We look back at a figure who is controversial in the West but respected in many parts of the Global South, particularly in Africa. Putting aside the varying opinions, we objectively examine what Libya looked like before, during and after Nato-backed rebels toppled him in 2011. It brought to an end Gaddafi’s 42-year reign as president.

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African Stream

@african_stream

Dec 1, 2024

A Thread 🧵

From 1915 to 1934, the United States occupied Haiti under the guise of ensuring stability and protecting it from European interference. However, according to the New York Times, evidence from decades of diplomatic correspondence, financial records and historical analysis reveals a more menacing driver behind the occupation: Wall Street! Specifically, National City Bank, now Citigroup, played a central role in pushing for US intervention in Haiti, driven by the desire to secure financial dominance over the Caribbean state to expand its business beyond US borders.

In 1914, a year before the invasion, National City Bank orchestrated the seizure of $500,000 in gold from Haiti’s treasury. This aggressive financial intervention destabilised Haiti's economy and laid the groundwork for US control. US Marines invaded Haiti seven months later, in 1915, but the occupation primarily served to protect and expand Wall Street's investments. National City Bank assumed control of Haiti’s central bank and redesigned Haiti’s financial system to benefit US economic interests.

The occupation reshaped Haiti’s economy, transforming it into a tool for Wall Street profiteering. Infrastructure projects during the occupation primarily served US business interests. The occupiers redirected export industries like sugar to benefit US corporations. Meanwhile, much of Haiti’s revenue was funnelled toward debt repayment to US banks, leaving little for national development.

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African Stream

@african_stream

Nov 10, 2024

The portrayal of Scots as abolitionists and liberal champions hides a long history of Scottish profiting from the enslavement of Africans. The wealth accumulated from the exploitation of millions of men, women and children was a huge boon to Scotland’s cities, institutions and economy. This week’s Facts of the Week explores the shameful Scottish slaver past.

COLONIAL AMBITIONS
Though ultimately unsuccessful, Scotland’s 1698 attempt to colonise Panama (through the so-called Darien Scheme)foreshadowed its later involvement in the exploitation of African labour

BUNCE ISLAND OPERATION
Scots turned Bunce Island in Sierra Leone into a significant slave-trading post, shipping (between 1728-1807) hundreds of thousands of Africans to the Americas (an estimated 50% of them died on the journey), where they would work on plantations that enriched Scottish merchants

TOBACCO AND COTTON LORDS
Over half of Britain’s tobacco imports came through Glasgow, a hub for the cotton and tobacco trade, which relied on enslaved labour in the Americas, largely controlled by Scottish merchants like Andrew Buchanan and John Glassford, who have streets in the city named after them

PLANTATION OWNERSHIP IN JAMAICA
In the 18th century, Scots owned nearly one-third of plantations on the Caribbean island, their estates contributing heavily to the British economy

SCOTTISH WEST INDIA SUGAR COMPANY
This company, fuelled by slave labour, contributed heavily to finance the Industrial Revolution in Scotland as Caribbean sugar became a luxury good in high demand in Europe

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African Stream

@african_stream

Nov 1, 2024

Botswana's political landscape has been reshaped as the ruling party, the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), suffered a historic defeat after nearly 60 years in power. In a media conference held on the morning of 30 October, the incumbent president and BDP leader, Mokgweetsi Masisi, conceded defeat even before the final results were announced. As of 7 am local time, the BDP had only won one out of all the 36 parliamentary seats whose results had been announced. The main opposition party, the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), led by lawyer and longtime opposition leader Duma Boko, had amassed 25 seats and was on track to hit the 31 seats threshold needed to form a government.

Masisi said he had called Boko to inform him that he was conceding defeat and ready to start the transition formalities at Boko's convenience.
While many had anticipated a close race, the BDP's defeat was a shock. The party's lengthy reign over the diamond mining nation, coupled with Botswana's relative economic stability, had led to expectations of a different outcome. Many can only speculate on the reasons that could have led to Masisi's humiliating defeat. One of the most apparent reasons is the downturn in the economy due to falling global demand for diamonds. Between January and September 2024, there was a 52 per cent decline in the sales of Botswana, partially attributed to the rising popularity of lab-grown artificial diamonds.

This has reduced government revenue, forcing it to cut social spending and struggle to create employment for its growing population.
Masisi's fallout with his former mentor and predecessor, Ian Khama, in 2019 led to the ruling party split that saw several BDP heavyweights move to Khama's new party, the Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF). This has taken away a significant number of votes from the BDP. Disagreement over the sharing of diamond revenue led to a protracted feud between the Masisi administration and the London-headquartered diamond miner and trader, DeBeers which has presided over Botswana's diamond industry since its inception in the late 60s through Debswana-a 50-50 joint venture between the two sides.

Masisi's list of foes went beyond Botswana's borders; earlier this year, he threatened to send 20,000 elephants to Germany in protest against that country's opposition to his decision to lift a ban on elephant trophy hunting. In 2019, Masisi lifted the ban that the Khama administration had put in place five years earlier. The decision set him on a collision course with conservation groups and Western governments, claiming the move would result in more poaching; Masisi countered that the country's elephant population had exploded to unsustainable numbers, increasing human-wildlife conflicts. His embrace of Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF party, a longtime nemesis of Western countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom, also earned Masisi more enemies in the West.

At this stage, it is hard to tell which of these factors was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi, on 1 November, conceded defeat in the 30 October elections.

Early results indicate that the three main opposition parties have won at least 35 of the 61 parliamentary seats.

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