The Biafran Civil War and the French Connection

Flag of the Biafra republic
Flag of the Biafra republic

With the death of C. Odumegwu Ojukwu, the leader of the breakaway Biafra Republic, I decided to talk about another chapter of the ‘françafrique’ book, i.e. the Biafran war.  At first everybody thought that it was just a Nigerian war, but it is more than that.  It is also a war about France’s position in Nigeria, and their support of the Biafra military, as well as their manipulation of the media.  How the word ‘genocide’ was used to influence public opinion… Jacques Foccart himself happily admitted choosing that word so as to get the attention of President de Gaulle and the French media.  Sadly this war, which lasted from 1967 to 1970, cost many Nigerian lives, for the French and European oil greed. Interesting how history repeats itself as in Sudan vs. South Sudan today!

Biafra before & after (source: MySpace.com/rememberbiafra)
Biafra before & after (source: MySpace.com/rememberbiafra)

The other day, I was talking to a Nigerian friend of mine, who did not even know that the French had played a major role in that war… see how we (Africans) barely know our history?  He was telling me about the Igbo, Haussa, and Yoruba, and forgot that the French were the ones supplying guns to the Biafrans for the war…  He did not even know that most of the Biafran leaders who ran away sought refuge in Côte d’Ivoire… why? why not Ghana, Benin, or Cameroon? why a French-speaking country further away? Again the French influence.  Somebody told me that Cameroon refused to help because then president Ahmadou Ahidjo in support of his Northern brothers refused to help supply guns… maybe, but why didn’t Ghana do it? or neighboring Benin? Why was the help coming from Gabon, who apparently had no interest in the story? well, because one of the biggest French military base in Africa was in Gabon (and Ivory Coast), and probably because a president in his right-mind would not accept that his territory be used to create war in someone else’s country, and also because someone like Kwame Nkrumah could already see the French connection in the deal.

Biafran note for 1 pound
Biafran note for 1 pound

The Biafran war is similar to the Angolan or Mozambique wars or so many other wars in Africa, where many of the strings were pulled by external forces while the African puppets danced on the scene and got killed from the ignorance, and greed of their own leaders.  Please watch this great documentary which sheds some light on the Biafran war, another chapter of the great françafrique.  It is so interesting how Corsica has been wanting their independence from France for ages, but is still not independent to this day.  Look at the United States of America, 50 states, as big as a continent,… but an entire country! Why not in Africa? in Africa, division rather than union is encouraged!

The New York Times wrote an article on Colonel Ojukwu, the one who proclaimed the Biafran republic. A beautiful article by Dr. S. Okechukwu Mezu talks of this Nigerian/Biafran leader. As for the Biafran war, check out: AfricaMasterWeb, ICE Case studies, there are many books written on the Biafra republic and the entire history (you can check out some books on Amazon) I read Half of a Yellow Sun, but I believe that there are better ones on the Biafran war out there (feel free to share if you know of really good ones)… there is a nice article titled Biafra war memories no victor no vanquished, and My memories of the Nigerian-Biafran Civil War

Franc CFA: Une Monnaie de Singe / CFA Franc: a Slave Currency

10,000FCFA (BEAC-1992)
10,000FCFA (BEAC-1992)

Suite à l’article sur la dévaluation imminente (ou pas) du Franc CFA, j’aimerais juste parler de l’histoire de cette monnaie de singe, car c’est vraiment incroyable que 15 pays africains aient soit-disant la même monnaie, le Franc CFA, et qu’ils ne puissent pas l’utiliser d’une zone à l’autre. Un Sénégalais ne peut pas aller à Yaoundé faire des achats avec ses CFA, car le CFA de l’Afrique de l’Ouest ne vaut rien en Afrique centrale, et vice versa.  Résultat: seulement 7-10 % de rapports commerciaux (import-export) existent entre les zones BEAC (Banque des Etats de l’Afrique Centrale) et BCEAO (Banque Centrale des Etats de l’Afrique de l’Ouest). Tous les échanges des anciennes colonies sont tournés vers la France! Donc, aucun échange réel entre pays parlant la même langue, ayant la même monnaie, et separés par moins de 2 h de vol! C’est comme si l’Euro de France ne valait rien en Allemagne ou en Espagne, et la monnaie devait être convertie!

Carte des pays de la zone CFA
Carte des pays de la zone CFA

Le Franc CFA ou franc des colonies françaises d’Afrique (plutard, les Français ont essayé de changer l’appellation pour endormir les consciences) fut instaurer pour la première fois en 1945 à la fin de la deuxième guerre mondiale.  C’est une monnaie de singe, car les anciennes colonies françaises versent au trésor de Paris 65 % de leurs revenus, et ensuite paient 20% pour assurer les fluctuations des marchés et couvrir les frais de la Banque de France.  De nos jours, ces anciennes colonies versent 50 % plus les 20%!  Imaginez-vous un seul instant: j’ai 100,000FCFA, et je dois remettre a quelqu’un 65,000 FCFA, et ajouter en plus 20,000 FCFA de frais…. Il ne me restera plus que 15,000 FCFA…  si mes poches hurlent de douleur…  imaginez un peu ce que 70 % ou 85% en plus ou en moins ferait au budget d’un pays tout entier?  Soit la pauvreté extrême, ou un certain équilibre budgétaire.

J’ai collectionné certains articles sur l’histoire du Franc CFA: Franc CFA- Wikipedia, Mamadou Koulibaly: Pourquoi le Franc CFA doit disparaitreLe Franc CFA un outil de controle politique et economiqueLe Franc CFA toujours contrôlé par ParisLe Franc CFA en Sursis … Lisez et regardez! Vous risquez d’être pris de dégoût! Le professeur Nicolas Agbohou que vous verrez dans cette vidéo a écrit un très bon livre a ce sujet: ‘Le Franc CFA et l’Euro contre l’Afrique.’

=========================== (In English →) Continue reading “Franc CFA: Une Monnaie de Singe / CFA Franc: a Slave Currency”

President J.J. Rawlings denounces the Transfer of President Gbagbo to the Hague tribunal

President J. J. Rawlings of Ghana
President J. J. Rawlings of Ghana

I have learnt with dismay reports that deposed President Gbagbo of Cote d’Ivoire has been transferred to The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday, November 29th, following a speedy indictment, in total violation of relevant internationalcode of procedures and in total disregard for the demands of peace in Cote d’Ivoire.

This transfer followed a procedure so hasty that it could be rightfully described as abduction.

My suspicion grows even more, when the prosecuting attorney claiming to be targeting six officials in Cote d’Ivoire, unduly focuses on Gbagbo, the one who is least likely to escape due to his being already in custody.

This eagerness to indict and transfer Gbagbo, who did not run in the face of the bombing of his palace like a common criminal, defies logic and the quest for true reconciliation and sustainable peace in Cote d’Ivoire.

After fifty years of independence, Africa should have all the know-how to bring justice to its own citizens and do away with imported justice.

President Laurent Gbagbo
President Laurent Gbagbo

What kind of prosecution would rather be in haste to bring to justice the victim of an attack, and be lenient on the perpetrator of the attack?

No one is trying to evade justice. But when such justice is drenched in a sea of humiliation and abuses, so as to be governed by self-righteous hatred with its untenable logic, it only befits human conscience to stand up against it for the good of all.

We will not be silent about this because we must not be silent about it as participating members in this human drama.

John Rawlings

Pour la version francaise cliquer sur RevuedePresse-ci.com Continue reading “President J.J. Rawlings denounces the Transfer of President Gbagbo to the Hague tribunal”

Dévaluation imminente du Franc CFA

Billet de 10000 FCFA (1992)
Billet de 10000 FCFA (1992)

Un article du journal Notre Voie vient d’annoncer la dévaluation imminente du Franc CFA, prévue pour le 1 er Janvier 2012.  Bien que cela m’étonne, c’était à envisager, vu que l’Europe va mal, que la France est en faillite, quoi de mieux que de dévaluer le FCFA et multiplier son argent par 2, et les dettes des pays francophones envers la France qui vont aussi être multipliées.  Les seules personnes à déplorer là-dedans sont bel et bien ces africains, intello ou ignorants, qui ont applaudis lorsque les bombes françaises tombaient sur les civils ivoiriens et le président Gbagbo, tous ceux-là qui ont gloussé de joie quand le peuple libyen se faisait bombarder par 42 nations (l’OTAN) pendant plus de 8 mois.  Ils ont applaudis, disaient-ils, parce que le ‘dictateur’ Gbagbo devait partir… dommage car c’est bien Gbagbo qui avait commencé à imprimer une monnaie ivoirienne (le MIR).  Ils applaudissaient parce que, disaient-ils, le ‘dictateur’ Kadhafi devait partir… dommage car c’est bien Kadhafi qui avait crée et financé le fonds monetaire africain et la Banque centrale africaine qui devaient ouvrir leurs portes ce Décembre… dommage car c’est bien Kadhafi qui préconisait l’indépendance réelle de l’Afrique et une monnaie telle l’or pour les échanges.  Au lieu de cela, les africains sont restés silencieux ou ont gloussé de joie quand deux pays souverains africains étaient bombardés par des forces externes sans aucune déclaration de guerre.  N’avions-nous pas vu le peuple ivoirien se réunir à l’appel de Charles Blé Goudé le 26 Mars pour une veillée en support à leur président? N’avions-nous pas vu le peuple libyen se reunir a Bab-Al-Aziziyah le 1er Juillet, liant leurs mains et leurs drapeaux verts sur plusieurs kilomètres, en support a leur Guide? Que dire de quelqu’un qui applaudit quand la maison de son voisin vole en flammes? Que dire de quelqu’un qui ne bouge pas d’un pouce lorsque la maison de son voisin brûle? Ou lorsqu’elle est pillée de toutes parts? Est-ce un lâche? Est-ce un idiot? Non… plutôt un fou!

1000cfa (BEAO - 1983)
1000cfa (BEAO – 1983)

Aujourd’hui la dévaluation du Franc CFA est imminente… que faire de ce continent plein de lâches et fous? Qu’est-ce-que le peuple qui a supporté Gbagbo ou Kadhafi doit faire… car là-dedans il y a bien eu des gens censés, il y en a qui ont denoncé et continue de denoncer… Que faire quand il y en a parmi nous qui sont hypnotisés par le mot ‘démocratie’ sans vraiment comprendre ce que c’est que la democratie? … le 26 Mars nous avons vu le peuple ivoirien à Abidjan clamer son amour du beau et de l’indépendance; le 1er Juillet nous avons vu le peuple libyen clamer sa joie et son amour du Guide… c’est ça la vraie démocratie… et non la fusicratie (‘Je ne t’aime pas, je te tue’… ou plutot ‘je désire ton or, alors je te bombarde’).

25000 FCFA (Banque Malgache-1994)
25000 FCFA (Banque Malgache-1994)

J’ai appris il y a de cela quelques jours que la compagnie aérienne Swiss ne s’arrêterait plus au Cameroun, que Air Ivoire avait été vendue à Air France… et j’ai crié le ciel pour cette grosse malédiction, car comme je le disais en Avril lorsqu’on bombardait la Cote d’Ivoire, ‘si on ne fait rien la recolonisation de l’Afrique aura bel et bien commencé!‘  Que penser de ce continent ou on doit prendre Air France pour se déplacer d’une capitale africaine à une autre? Comment comprendre que l’on prenne Air France pour aller de Yaoundé à Brazzaville? de Dakar à Abidjan? ou de Lomé à Ouagadougou? ou de Niamey à Nouakchott? Quelle incongruité? et avec la dévaluation, mes freres africains seront servis! … bonjour l’asservissement total! Comment traiter avec la Chine avec une monnaie de singe? Comment prétendre vouloir de nouveaux rapports et se tourner vers la Chine pour les profits commerciaux quand on doit encore verser 70% de ses revenus à la métropole à cause de cette monnaie? Quelle incongruité! Oh je pleure pour toi, pauvre Afrique… tu es trop pleine de lâches et de fous! Je vous invite a voir cette vidéo sur l’histoire du Franc CFA (N’oubliez pas de regarder Parties 2, and 3).

28 Nov. 2011: Presidential Elections in DRC

Map of the Democratic Republic of Congo
Map of the Democratic Republic of Congo

Today is election day in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). I would like to share with you this article by Antoine Roger Lokongo which I found quite interesting and deep, about the third presidential elections in the DRC after 51 years of independence, with a brief history of DRC since independence.  I have included some snippets from the article which I liked. You can read the full article on Panafrican Vision; it is entitled: D.R. Congo Democracy at crossroads – One election, two sources of legitimacy.

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‘Countries do not have permanent friends or allies, they have only permanent interests’

… when Joseph Kabila turned to the Western powers for assistance after the 2006 elections, they said they had other priorities.  Perhaps this was a wake-up call for Joseph Kabila.  This is how, in an interview given to Gettleman of the New York Times, Joseph Kabila himself explained why he turned to the Chinese for help after being disappointed with the West’s empty promises:
‘We said we had five priorities: infrastructure; health; education; water and electricity; and housing.  Now, how do we deal with these priorities?  We need money, a lot of money.  Not a 100 million U.S. dollars from the World Bank or 300 from the IMF [International Monetary Fund].  No, a lot of money, and especially that we’re still servicing a debt of close to 12 billion dollars, and it’s 50 to 60 million U.S. dollars per month, which is huge.  You give me 50 million dollars each month for the social sector and we move forward.  Anyway, that’s another chapter.  But we said: so, we have these priorities, and we talked to everybody.  Americans, do you have the money?  No!  Not for now!  The European Union, do you have three or four billion for these priorities?  No!  We have our own priorities.  Then we said: ‘why not talk to other people, the Chinese?’  So we said, [Chinese] do you have the money? And they [the Chinese] said, well, we can discuss.  So we discussed’.

Joseph Kabila, President of DRC
Joseph Kabila, President of DRC

This interview suggests that Joseph Kabila turned to the Chinese only after seeking help from Western powers.  That is exactly the dilemma Patrice Lumumba faced. Increasingly desperate, Patrice Lumumba went on an international trip to enlist Western support (including to Washington, London, Brussels…) to have Belgian troops who had orchestrated the secession of Katanga to leave immediately.  He did not get the support he expected and turned to the Russians for help.  He was immediately accused of being a communist and eventually assassinated.
Congolese leaders turn to other partners other than the ‘traditional Western partners’ because they are in need; and a friend in need is a friend indeed!  They do not mean necessarily to play of the West against the East and so on.  When Joseph Kabila turned to the West, the DRC was almost on the verge of bankruptcy. …

The question we want to deal with now therefore is: ‘What happened after Joseph Kabila turned to the Chinese in his country’s hours of needs?’ Continue reading “28 Nov. 2011: Presidential Elections in DRC”

Western Media Lies in Libya

The destruction of Libya: the cake
The destruction of Libya: the cake

With yet another lie today (the presumed death of colonel Mouammar Kadhafi… buried in the desert), I thought about recapitulating all the lies we’ve been served by western media since the attack of NATO on Libya:

21/02/2011 : The British minister of foreign affairs, William Hague, announced that Mouammar Kadhafi with his wife and daughter, had left the Libyan territory, and were in Venezuela (Lie!!!)

21/02/2011 : Saif Al Islam Kadhafi had been wounded in a fight with rebels (Lie!!!)

23/02/2011 : Aïcha Kadhafi had ran away to Malta (Lie!!!)

20/03/2011 : Khamis Kadhafi died in Brega in a plane crash (Lie!!!)

10/08/2011 or 05/08/2011? : Khamis Kadhafi died in Zliten, after a NATO raid (Lie!!!).

22/08/2011 : Saif Al Islam was captured by rebels, and his brother Mohamed had surrendered. Obama even came out of vacation to confirm in a speech… the next day, guess who was free? Saif!!! Never captured, etc…

27/08/2011 : Mouammar Kadhafi had ran to Algeria (Lie!!!)

29/08/2011 : Khamis Kadhafi had died in Tarhuna after intense combats, and was burried in Zliten… officially listed on the Wikipedia page. (Lie!)

29/09/2011: Mouammar Kadhafi was hiding near Algeria (Lie ?)

Libyan flag
Libyan flag

Last week: Moutassim Kadhafi had died (another Lie!!!)

Kadhafi is in Niger (Lie!!!) – Kadhafi is sick and will be transported to Saudi Arabia (Lie!!!) – Kadhafi is in the south of Libya (Lie!!!) – Kadhafi has been cornered in his campground (Lie!!!) – and the biggest of all, the start of it all, Kadhafi has killed 6000 of his own people (or was it 10,000?) (Lie!!!)

The list is so long… How many times has Khamis died again? 8 times! and how many times was Saif captured? at least twice! How many times did Kadhafi run away? Did we ever see OBL’s body after his supposed death in May? No wait… it was disposed off at sea! Now Kadhafi’s body has been disposed of in the desert! I guess one lie couldn’t fly twice. Well… my friends, the message is simple: stop being gullible… open your eyes and learn. Read Mathaba!

La charte de l’impérialisme

La présente « charte » a été élaborée à Washington pendant la « traite négrière », ensuite discrètement négociée à la « conférence de Berlin en 1885 » pendant que les puissances Occidentales se partageaient l’Afrique ; renégociée secrètement à Yalta au moment du partage du monde en deux blocs après la deuxième guerre mondiale et pendant la création de la « Société des Nations », l’ancêtre de l’« ONU ».  Source : « Musée de Tervuren ».

La charte de l'imperialisme telle publiee dans le journal "La Nouvelle Expression"
La charte de l’imperialisme telle publiee dans le journal “Germinal “

I. DISPOSITION GÉNÉRALE

Article 1° :
De la Devise : – Devise  de  l’impérialisme : Gouverner le monde et contrôler les richesses de la planète ; Notre politique est de diviser pour mieux régner, dominer, exploiter et piller pour remplir nos banques et faire d’elles les plus puissantes du monde.

Article 2° :
Aucun pays du tiers-monde ne constitue un Etat souverain et indépendant.

Article 3° :
Tout pouvoir dans les pays du tiers-monde émane de nous, qui l’exerçons par la pression sur les dirigeants qui ne sont que nos marionnettes. Aucun organe du tiers-monde ne peut s’en attribuer l’exercice.

Article 4° :
Tous les pays du tiers-monde sont divisibles et leurs frontières  déplaçable selon notre volonté. Le respect de l’intégrité territoriale n’existe pas pour le tiers-monde.

Article 5° :
Tous les dictateurs doivent mettre leurs fortunes dans nos banques pour la sécurité de nos intérêts. Cette fortune servira des dons et crédits accordés par nous comme assistance et aide au développement aux pays du tiers-monde.

II. DU RÉGIME  POLITIQUE

Article 6° :
Tout pouvoir et gouvernement établi par nous est légal, légitime et démocratique. Mais tout autre pouvoir ou gouvernement qui n’émane pas de nous est illégal, illégitime et dictatorial, quelle que soit sa forme et sa légitimité. Continue reading “La charte de l’impérialisme”

Africans and the Trap of Democracy

Libya, the Prey of the West
Libya, the Prey of the West

With the bombing of the presidential residence in Cote d’Ivoire by French forces for over a week, followed by the arrest of president Laurent Gbagbo, with the current intense bombing of Libya by NATO for the past 6 months, I cannot help but try to answer some of the same justifications used by Africans to approve the bombings by foreign troops on their neighbors’s countries, and ultimately on African soil. Any African who claimed and accepted that Cote d’Ivoire should be bombed by the French, shame on you! Any African who thought that the bombing of Libya was correct… shame on you! Any African who uses the same stupid phrase used by the West to abuse us: “… well Gbagbo had his day, he was in power for 10 years!… or Kadhafi was there 42 years!” Well my friend… Shame on you! Should democracy be imposed using bombs? Should democracy be imposed using warplanes, and Apache helicopters? Is it democracy to bomb the people you plan to help? Is it democracy to deliberately bomb civilian targets, hospitals, state televisions, homes, etc… to, like NATO said “protect civilians”? Was there not a peaceful solution? Was it so hard to re-count the votes in Cote d’Ivoire? Was it so hard to organize elections as Kadhafi asked? Why bomb? Why bomb? Why bomb?…

Libyan flag
Libyan flag

Now tell me, you, African who live in the west, are you in a democracy? When government increases taxes… do they ask you? When airline companies increase the price of air ticket, do they ask you? When school tuition goes up by 15%, have you been asked? Continue reading “Africans and the Trap of Democracy”

A message from the Guide of the Revolution

The current article can be found in its integrality on Mathaba.net

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From the international liaison office of the Green Committees Movement

Oppressed people around the world, the battle has begun. Do not despair, help is nigh. Do you realize that this is the Night of Power? What is the Night of Power? It is better than thousands of other nights, it is the destiny, when the heavens are open to receive your prayers thousands fold.

Watch what is happening now in America. Did we hit them with our missiles? No, they came and struck us, 64 hits on Bab Al-Aziziya which is now destroyed, and finally I had to leave my home, where they killed many innnocents. But I will never leave Libya and in this fight, it is either victory or death. […]

… true friends of Libya, and you are with me. Do not despair of the rat flag on only one house out of one million. All of you can cut pieces of green cloth, measured exactly two by one in dimension, that is your flag, the flag of people’s power, of hope, of truth, of the future.

All you in the world who support truth, freedom, Jamahiriya, hang it on millions homes, cars. The green flag is yours and belongs to all the masses of the world. With the dawn of people’s authority and the end of governments, we chose the green flag and made its colour and dimension easy for all. Choose any green. Cut it one by two, exactly, and hang it everywhere, carry it with you.

Soon the green flag will fly all over the world, as governments collapse, they failed their people, I alone did more than all of them. They served different masters. They did not intend to serve the people, never. They are owned by others. They do nothing for you. Ignore them and they are gone. Prepare yourselves by forming committees, openly or in secret, set up your local mathabas to meet and share. Chart the way forward. The green flag belongs to you all.

The future is jamahiriya, everywhere. Masses self-governing societies. Basic popular congresses and people’s committees. Green committees to guide, defend, expose, call, show the way forward to people’s power. It’s all there in The Green Book, read it, copy it, share it. Use your own communication systems, don’t rely on the enemy. Make your own communications. Take back your resources to your hands, do not be afraid of power, possess it. It is your power, wealth and arms that the governments, banks and militaries stole from you. Continue reading “A message from the Guide of the Revolution”

Libya: Media lies exposed – Saif-al-Islam and a Resurgence like no Other

Dear all,

With the current events in Libya, I cannot help but try to make my contribution to the freedom of the people of Libya who are currently fighting an unjust war brought to them by the imperialistic powers of the world. The war in Libya, under the false pretense of “protecting civilians” has been a set-up from the beginning. In the name of the protection of ‘civilians’, civilians are being killed! Today NATO bombed Bab Al-Aziziya 64 times! Imagine that… 64 times! What in the world requires 64 bombs all at once in one compound? Goodness Gracious! As hatred unfurls in Libya, as my Libyan brothers and sisters are being attacked by the greed of western bankrupt bankers… As the western media continue their saga of lies with a Saif-Al-Islam captured and extradited to the ICC one day, and him resurrecting and giving a tour of Tripoli to western media the next day … I could not help but show you a different side, the side of the Libyan people, the side of our winning Spirit, the spirit of the Guide! Enjoy!