As we highlighted last week, Gabon was part of the five African countries invited to the White House last year by US President Donald Trump. Gabon was the only country invited to the summit which was not part of West Africa. Gabon is not only rich in oil but also rich in uranium and manganese, and has one of the world’s largest iron deposit. Gabon has significant iron ore reserves, particularly in the Belinga area, which is estimated to hold about one billion tons of iron ore. Since the visit, Gabon has unveiled several infrastructure deals including the Belinga–Boué–Mayumba railway (901 km) which will open up the north east areas of the country, a new deep-water port, the Boué hydroelectric dam, and a push for local processing of mineral resources.
Yesterday, the president of Gabon Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, while in visit in France to meet French President Macron, unveiled yet another project, this time in connection with the French mining group Eramet for the exploitation of Manganese; with hopes of opening the south east region by rehabilitating approximately 650 km of railway linking Owendo near the capital Libreville to Franceville in the east as part of the Trans-Gabon Railway, and the exploitation and transformation of 700,000 tons of manganese (Africanews). There will be three phases including the creation of a factory for the production of manganese oxide to be built in Libreville by 2028, the construction of a unique site in Moanda specially for the transformation of this mineral in Gabon, and lastly the building of new plant for the production of manganese alloys locally to be built in 2031.
Flag of Gabon
The office of the Gabonese president stated that the agreement will help “generate greater added value within the country, support its industrialisation and boost the competitiveness of the national economy.” These will be followed by other agreements to cover security (maybe consolidating the defense part of The 11 Components of the French Colonial Tax in Africa? Not to forget that Oligui Nguema came to power via a coup) and water and energy sectors.
We applaud all these projects which mark a jump towards the industrialization of the country, and pray that these actually end up benefiting the people, as opposed to the countless other agreements signed over the years which have very little to show for. We still hope that African countries would unite to make stronger contracts/ agreements to get the best deals possible and bigger jumps toward development.
The western media have been pouring vitriol against African leaders who stand for justice, and equality for their people. In recent years, the web of lies they have woven against the leaders of the AES has been quite thick. However, it is nothing new: we just have to travel down memory lane to the days of Sekou Touré of Guinea, Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Amilcar Cabral of Cabo Verde and Guinea Bissau, Patrice Lumumba of Congo, Thomas Sankara of Burkina Faso, Laurent Gbagbo of Cote d’Ivoire, and more recently John Magufuli of Tanzania, or Pierre Nkurunziza of Burundi, it is nothing new. In some countries, many of the independence leaders have seen their names and struggles erased from the history books, to be replaced by these lies.
In his book The Assassination of Lumumba, Ludo de Witte details on page 12,that in 1961, at the height of the Congolese crisis, the media of those days used the usual techniques:
The Assassination of Lumumba by Ludo De Witte
Faced with unconstitutional secessions which eroded the very foundations of the state, Lumumba’s government found itself forced to take measures against the press organs that openly sided with the coup leaders. The Belgian press took this as an opportunity to launch even harsher attacks on the Congolese government. From Leopoldville, Manu Ruys entitled an article: “Lumumba Restricts Press Freedom”. New blended imperceptibly into a call to arms againt the Congolese government: “Prime Minister Lumumba’s brutal condemnation of federalism [in fact secessions!] … We are in a police state where the future is no longer secure. “
Don’t these words sound familiar? Just a month ago, the German DW titled Sahel juntas are ‘crushing’ basic freedoms. In February, it was Humans Rights Watch which was saying that the Military Juntas continue their repression… Yet the same media are silent about the repression in other places with docile puppets. The examples are countless, and one thing is certain: History repeats itself! The question is… are we going to be awake or remain asleep while they lie about our leaders?
The mainstream media’s portrayal of leaders who want true change has not changed over the years. The moment the leader wants to serve the will of its people, or change the country, or improve the conditions of his or her people, or even get a fair deal, he is treated the worse, called all sorts of name. In his days, once Patrice Lumumba gave his independence speech, and asked for the true freedom of the people of Congo, they pulled down the big guns, figuratively, and literally. Reading the headlines from then is like reading all the headlines today about the leaders of the AES Sahel, or countless others who fought for their people’s freedom. In his book “The Assassination of Lumumba,” Ludo de Witte, Verso (2001) detailed how the Belgian press dragged Lumumba. One example can be found on page 10.
====
The press campaign against Lumumba’s government reached its most scurrilous in La Libre Belgique. An article on 19 July about Lumumba’s stay at Blair House, the official residence for foreign heads of state visiting the United States, reported: “At Blair House, an old lady looks after the guests. She is white. Let us hope nothing happens to her.” [as if Lumumba would stoop so low… I guess to these media, a Black man is a menace to a white lady… remember Emmett Till?] Marcel de Corte, a lecturer in moral philosophy, made a thinly veiled public appeal to end Lumumba’s life. In the 27 July editorial, he wrote: “Look at Lumumba. … He’s a barbarian. … Officers [Belgian officers on the Ndjili plain] cry with rage because a manly act from them would have delivered the planet from his bloody cheek.” Not without cause La Gauche commented on 4 March 1961: “The press probably did not treat Hitler with as much rage and virulence as they did Patrice Lumumba.”
History repeats itself! After Patrice Lumumba’s 30 June 1960 Independence speech, the Congo Crisis started. The Belgians were not happy to leave their colony and thus funded Moïse Tshombe in the Katanga for the secession of Congo. This was at the height of the Cold War, and served as a proxy conflict between the East and the West or the Soviet Union and the United States and cronies. A little over a week later, on 9 July, Belgium deployed paratroopers, without the Congolese state’s permission, in Kabalo and elsewhere to protect fleeing white civilians. As the conflict persisted, Lumumba appealed to the United Nations, but he was told that all aid to the Congolese government would be going through the UN. Finding this out, his Deputy Prime Minister Antoine Gizenga declared:
“The people of the Congo do not understand why we, the victims of aggression, we who are in our own land . . . are systematically and methodically disarmed while the aggressors, the Belgians, who are in our conquered country, still have their arms and and all their firepower. . . . The UN forces allow Katanga to consolidate secession and let the Belgians behave as if they were in an occupied country under the smokescreen of a phoney Katanga provincial government that we, the legitimate government of the Congo, have declared illegal.” Antoine Gizenga, in CRISP, Congo 1960, p. 615
As you read these words uttered by Deputy Prime Minister Gizenga over 66 years, does it not read like the aggression that the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been going through at the hands of the M23, proxy troops of Rwanda used to loot the Congolese resources? These words remind us of the conflict in Cote d’Ivoire with the Marcory treaties where the victims were disarmed while the aggressors were armed… and so many other conflicts in Africa: the victim wishing for his dependence is disarmed pushed into a corner, while the aggressor is funded by the West. All of this, under the watchful eyes of the UN, just as in 1960!
Today we will talk about the Congolese writer and poet Jean-Baptiste Tati Loutard. To celebrate the ‘independence’ of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), we will focus on Loutard’s poem on Congo: Congo natal (Natal Congo). Even though Loutard is from the Republic of Congo or Congo-Brazzaville, one can tell that he is talking about the entire Congo basin. This poem is very lyrical, and deeply rooted in Congolese identity. It also shows his deep love of Congo and its landscape, joys, flora, fauna, people, and essence. He starts by letting you know the effect of exile on his soul, far away from its country. Then he centers it around nature, but highlighting a world anchored on African ancestral maternal protective traditions.
Enjoy ‘Congo Natal‘ by Jean-Baptiste Tati Loutard, published in his poetry collection La tradition du songe: Poèmes. Presence Africaine (1985). Translated to English by Dr. Y. Afrolegends.com.
=====
Congo Natal
Je ne redoute rien tant que l’exil Le regret de mon soleil versé sur les vagues Comme l’huile qui s’exalte dans la poèle Et chante le cantique du feu Et ma mère trempée d’angoisses Devant son foyer aux-trois-pierres Combien de poètes portent à jamais Le deuil des Tropiques dans les contrées du Nord Les douleurs dans leurs écrits se disposent comme des noctuelles sur des étaloirs Quand le climat déploie ses forces arides L’oeil s’ouvre sur la grisaille et s’embue Le coeur nidifie dans la pierre Parfois la mémoire se déplie Vient la clarté puis à nouveau le ciel s’embrume Toi l’étrange cultivateur transmigrant Quel espace as-tu fructifié Depuis que la terre en toi s’est rétrécie Que le fleuve Congo n’y est plus qu’un sillon Je pense à mon horizon où lève l’épi de l’aube Aux enfants qui s’éparpillent sur le miroir du jour Aux passereaux en tumulte dans le rônier A ce peuple missionné qui reprend feu Quand passe le vent avec ses poissons-pilotes de feuilles mortes Cherchant dans son trouble inapaisable A jeter bas les masques du mensonge A ceux qui ont déserté les ailes D’une maison obscurcie par la mort Le soleil survient qui replante ses lances dans la rue J’observe les générations nouvelles qui ondulent Et cette fille de l’espèce lianescente Sort du terroir profond Son visage a bruni au feu de santal Elle passe comme une jacinthe dans les eaux errantes Aveugle elle va briser son coeur sur l’écueil L’asphalte lui ouvre ses mares ses mirages Et je n’oublie pas la gloire des Jours d’Août Sanglés dans leur tunique couleur de sang Et l’héritage exhalant encore le parfum du frangipanier.
Natal Congo
I dread nothing so much as exile, The longing for my sun spilled upon the waves Like oil rising in the pan Singing the hymn of the fire, And my mother, steeped in anguish Before her three-stone hearth. How many poets forever mourn The Tropics while in northern lands? The sorrows in their writings are arrayed Like owlet moths upon a display board. When the climate unleashes its arid forces The eye opens upon the grayness and clouds over The heart makes its nest in the stone Sometimes memory unfolds Clarity comes, then the sky grows hazy once more You, strange transmigrating cultivator What space have you made fruitful Since the earth within you shrank Since the Congo River became but a furrow there? I think of my horizon where the stalk of dawn rises Of the children scattering across the mirror of the day Of the sparrows clamoring in the Palmyra palm Of that missioned people catching fire again As the wind passes, with its pilot-fish of dead leaves, Seeking, in its unappeasable turbulence, To tear the masks of falsehood from the faces Of those who abandoned the wings Of a house darkened by death, The sun arrives to plant its spears once more in the street; I watch the new generations undulating, And this daughter of the vine-like breed Emerges from the deep soil; Her face has turned brown in the sandalwood fire, She passes like a hyacinth through wandering waters; Blind, she will shatter her heart against the reef, The asphalt opens up its pools and mirages to her, And I do not forget the glory of the August Days, Girt in their blood-colored tunics, Nor the legacy that still exhales the scent of frangipani.
Last Thursday, there was another attack on Niger’s main airport, the Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey. In the early hours of the morning, inhabitants of the capital Niamey heard gunshots. This new wave of attacks by gunmen is said to have killed 11 soldiers and 2 civilians on the government side, while government forces repelled the attack and killed 22 assailants. According to the government statement read out on state television, 20 people were arrested and assorted weapons seized. A large cache of weapons including RPG-7 launchers, AK-47 rifles, explosives, grenades, communications equipment and thousands of rounds of ammunition were also reportedly seized. The assailants also mixed in with the local population to run from the government, but were caught by local residents who joined forces with soldiers to unearth them. And of course, foreign media were rejoicing and could not wait to tell us all about it. Let’s keep our countries in our heart all the time and remain strong! The enemy lurks, but we stay alert!We will never give up!
Gunmen launched a violent assault on the Diori Hamani International Airport, which serves the capital city of Niamey, Niger, in the early hours of Thursday, June 18, 2026. The attack shattered the morning calm with sustained gunfire and multiple explosions, prompting an urgent mobilization of national security forces. The incident began at approximately 6:00 a.m. local time (05:00 GMT), leading to a security standoff that lasted for nearly an hour, with intense fighting concentrated near the airport’s main gate. One local resident described the scene, noting, “I heard the first gunshots at 06:00 (05:00 local time) while I was at the mosque. But the current situation is under control.”
Government security forces acted with speed to repel the assailants after the facility’s perimeter was breached. By mid-morning, soldiers were conducting rigorous security checks on travelers and civilians along the roads surrounding the airport. While government authorities have yet to issue a formal statement, security sources confirmed that the army successfully neutralized the immediate threat and pushed back the gunmen. Reports indicate the fleeing attackers abandoned several weapons at the scene. These ongoing security challenges persist despite recent government measures to bolster defenses, which included the demolition of adjacent neighborhoods identified as “terrorist risks” and the installation of over 350 surveillance cameras to monitor the facility.
The International Criminal Court in the Hague (Source: inews.co.uk)
At last, another African country leaves that racist and prejudicial institution that is the International Criminal Court of Justice. It is no secret that the ICC only indicts mostly African leaders: Joseph Kony of Uganda, Laurent Gbagbo and Charles Blé Goudé of Côte d’Ivoire, Charles Taylor of Liberia, Jean-Pierre Bemba of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto of Kenya, Muammar Gaddafi of Libya, and the list goes on. Out of the 17 situations currently under investigations by the ICC, 10 of them are on African countries. Since the ICC’s creation in 1998 up until around 2021, 100% of people indicted by the ICC were Africans, while today 60 – 75% of those indicted are Africans. In view of this, it would seem as if there is only one continent on planet earth: Africa! and the ICC only sees crime in Africa! The ICC has an African bias! I am not saying that some of these people do not deserve to be judged, but when we compare to leaders around the world who have committed major atrocities or authorized horrendous things, why are they not at the ICC too? Why the bias?
Flag of Niger
Today, Niger is the third country to leave the ICC joining the Philippines and Burundi. It is about time! Niger has accused the ICC of selective justice. In a letter submitted on Monday to the United Nations, another organization which only serves the West, Niger’s authorities said “While the court had raised great hopes among peoples who cherish peace and justice, it has been misused and exploited.” We, Africans, should leave all these institutions that devalue us, and serve those who continue looting our continent with impunity. Shouldn’t we strengthen our own judiciary systems to handle our very own matters? Why should we let some people located thousands of kilometers in some of the countries that are often bombing us like in the case of Libya, judge our leaders? How fair could they possibly be?
Niger has officially submitted its request to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), nine months after announcing its intent to leave.
President Abdourahamane Tiani of Niger
In September 2025, Niger, along with allies Mali and Burkina Faso – which are all under military rule – issued a joint statement saying they would not recognise the ICC’s authority, calling it an “instrument of neo-colonialist repression“.
The court said it had received an “instrument of withdrawal” on 18 June, according to a statement seen by the AFP news agency. Withdrawal takes effect one year after notification. The ICC added that Niger must honour its obligations to the court until that date. The ICC – based in The Hague in the Netherlands – was set up in 2002 to pursue cases of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and aggression.
The court’s statement on Tuesday did not make any mention of Mali or Burkina Faso.
When announcing their withdrawal, the three Sahel states said they wanted to set up “indigenous mechanisms for the consolidation of peace and justice“.
Soweto Uprising: children running away (Source: kilimedia.com)
Today marks the celebration of the 1976 Soweto Uprisings which have been seen historically as the beginning to the end of apartheid in South Africa, and which is a public holiday celebrated South Africa as Youth Day. Remembrance: 16 June 1976 Soweto Massacre. It is also celebrated as the International Day of the African Child. On June 16, 1976, thousands of Black students in Soweto, South Africa, marched to protest the compulsory use of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in schools, seen as a tool of oppression under apartheid. The peaceful protest escalated when police responded with tear gas, batons, and live ammunition resulting in the deaths of hundreds of students including 13-year-old Hector Pieterson whose image became the international symbol of the uprising. I visited the Hector Pieterson’s memorial in Soweto and talked about it here extensively. Visiting the Hector Pieterson Memorial and Museum. June 16 is a day to commemorate and remember the ills of apartheid and their treatment of the Black community and how children who were just protesting for some basic rights, the right to education were massacred.
Hector Pieterson being carried away by Mbuyisa Makhubo, with his sister running alongside (Photo by: Sam Nzima)
Now, 50 years later, South Africa is back to being a xenophobic country … I don’t like using such words because it implies a generalization which should not be done, but how do you explain the current division or hate for African foreigners in South Africa? We all remember how, during the apartheid era, many African governments supported, hosted, and even funded the ANC for the liberation of the Black population of South Africa and now this? After apartheid, attacks on migrants in townships started becoming more prevalent and cyclical. Foreign shop owners are accused of “stealing jobs” or undercutting local businesses, especially in the informal economy. Around the world, migrants are frequently cast as scapegoats for deeper structural problems, reaching from inequality and corruption to weak economic growth and state failure. In South Africa, this scapegoating overwhelmingly targets Black and African migrants: Zimbabweans, Nigerians, Mozambicans, Ghanaians, etc.
Plaque to the Hector Pieterson Monument
When will the Black South African population realize that this is just a division tactic used by politicians to shift the blame for their poor performance or lack thereof? In other parts of Africa, they use tribalism, but in South Africa it is xenophobia. Black South Africans are taking their frustrations at unemployment, social inequality, on other Africans who they claim take their jobs or are illegals! Yet, they say nothing about the Europeans who come and stay or take jobs, or own lands, or who inherited from the wealth that came from the apartheid regime. Instead of blaming their governments who have been misappropriating funds, they take it out on the rest of Africans residing in their country. They forget that over 90% of the wealth is still in the hands of European descendants or people who profit from separation. That just because ‘apartheid’ no longer exists or rather its name, it still is present, and they still own nothing! They don’t realize that this is a tactic for those in power (the government and more) and to keep them down, distracted from the real issues of economic empowerment, land ownership, and more. Even former President Thabo Mbeki addressed this, when he warned against blaming immigrants for South Africa’s unemployment crisis, urging citizens to reject xenophobic narratives that scapegoat other Africans for domestic governance failures.
Map and Flag of Ghana
The governments of Nigeria and Ghana have now started repatriating their citizens. Over 1,000 Ghanaians have been repatriated. The Nigerian government has threatened to retaliate by boycotting South African assets by giants like MTN in their country; let’s see if it it not all fluff. This spat has even showed its face at the FIFA 2026 World Cup last week during the opening game between Mexico and South Africa played in Mexico City, where many African fans were supporting Mexico against South Africa.
Our African ancestors must be rolling in their graves wondering how their support to end apartheid could have paved the way to such behavior! They must be rolling in their graves as they watch us fight, while the real culprits stand on the sides and fill their pockets with our minerals, our resources, and more. In reality, we should be united, and the enemy will use every technique known in the book to keep us down… anything that divides us is not good. Xenophobia is no way to celebrate the memory of Hector Pieterson
Nigeria has threatened retaliatory measures against South Africa after Abuja began repatriating hundreds of Nigerians from South Africa this week amid alleged xenophobic attacks by South African protesters.
Flag and map of Nigeria
Diplomatic tensions between the two countries have spiked since the latest wave of violent anti-immigration protests by thousands of South Africans calling for strict, mass deportation measures.
… There have been three waves of anti-immigration protests since 2008, all turning violent and resulting in casualties and the looting of shops and other property. Much of the anger has targeted, in particular, nationals from Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi, as well as Nigeria and Ghana.
… On Monday, Nigerian Foreign Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu accused South Africa’s government of failing to forcefully denounce violence against Nigerian nationals in South Africa. She said this had damaged the bond the two countries have enjoyed since the solidarity Nigeria showed during South Africa’s fight against apartheid. Legitimate businesses are being “looted” while children are forced to stay away from school, she said. “The police refused to do anything,” the minister added. “Nigeria is not happy because Nigeria has sacrificed much for the South African independence struggle,” Odumegwu-Ojukwu told journalists on Monday. “My own generation, we carried placards, we demonstrated in front of South African assets, sometimes we even got arrested.” At least 1,000 Nigerians were initially scheduled for repatriation this week, but Abuja says the number of people wishing to return home is rising
“Revolutions can be hijacked, co-opted or stripped of their substance when they lack both a clear doctrine and an organization capable of ensuring that change is sustained over the long term. And that is why this congress is historic, two years after we assumed the highest offices of state,” is what Ousmane Sonko said during his address to the PASTEF congress this past weekend.
These words resume the essence of the congress. With delegates coming from all over the country, from other countries on the continent, and the diaspora, it was a real show of people’s dedication, strength, enthusiasm, and muscle power. It was beautiful! It was encouraging, and most importantly it was inspiring. Indeed, revolutions can be hijacked, co-opted, or stripped of their substance when they lack substance, but when a revolution is driven by the people, when a revolution is driven by a clear vision, it cannot be stopped!
With 553 sections from around the country, and the diaspora, Ousmane Sonko has been unanimously elected as the first official president of the Pastef party during its first ordinary congress, held on Saturday.
Flag of Senegal
This is the first time Pastef has formally elected a party president since its creation in 2014. The party’s internal regulatory body (HAREP) described the election process as transparent, inclusive, and democratic. The election is seen as a symbolic milestone, officially recognizing Sonko as the leader who has guided the party since its founding. The congress marks a new chapter in Pastef’s organizational and political evolution.
To read more check out Seneweb.com, Senego, and AfricaNews. Thank you to Sonko and the Senegalese people. We are all members of PASTEF today.
Kenyan President William Ruto (Source: Nairobileo.co.ke)
Since William Ruto came to power in Kenya, it has been one thing after the other, or rather one shady deal after the other. From deploying Kenyan troops to Haiti, deploying Kenyan nurses to Germany or who knows where, welcoming the Africa Forward summit with French President Emmanuel Macron who could not help showing open disdain for Africans on national television (he promised $27 billion investment in Africa… maybe that’s why he forgot manners?); Ruto appears to have tried to sneak in another controversial deal! It’s as if the man is in a hurry to cut deals! He has now signed a $13.5 million deal with the United States to open an Ebola quarantine center for US citizens in Kenya. This US-built facility was set to open at the Laikipia Air Base last week, but the High court of Kenya halted the launch. The facility was intended to host Americans from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) who had contracted Ebola. This facility, located 200 km from the capital Nairobi, was built by the American army on Kenyan soil, to house American doctors, to treat American patients with state of the art medicine. Why not treat them in America where such advanced medical care already exists? The US president says he cannot risk infecting his population, but what about the risk posed to Kenyans?
Protests erupted on Monday near the facility when people stood against this project, and the Ruto’s government responded with teargas and violence! The population is angry, and rightfully so! Is Kenyan/African life worth nothing? Why have an Ebola quarantine center in Kenya? Why not Rwanda which is a neighbor to the DRC? Oh wait… Rwanda cannot have cases with its M23 forces looting Eastern DRC…
Flag of Kenya
President Ruto defended his plan on X, posting on today, that the proposed US facility was “neither unique nor exceptional but part of a broader national preparedness system“, adding that it “will be there to serve the people of Kenya and to serve our friends, including the Americans“. On Monday, he said: “I can assure the people of Kenya that the agreement between the government of Kenya and the American government is for the good of our country and for the partnership.”
The man is ready for deals, deals, deals… it does not matter what the people want so long as he gets his deals. The US is mad and vowed to have this treaty respected, i.e. open the quarantine facility in Kenya at all costs. Let’s pray no sudden cases are now discovered in the country.
Check out the summary of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s call to President Ruto about the Ebola quarantine facility. ” The Secretary and President Ruto discussed coordinated efforts to secure vital medical supplies for Kenya and ensure the strength and preparedness of Kenya’s health system. The United States Government intends to commit $13.5 million toward Kenya’s Ebola preparedness efforts and has already committed to providing $112 million in bilateral assistance to the regional response.”
Recall that in December 2025, The Trump administration signed the first in what were expected to be dozens of “America First” global health funding agreements to prioritize combating infectious diseases in countries deemed to be aligned with the president’s broader foreign policy goals and positions. The five-year, $2.5 billion agreement with Kenya was signed by Kenyan President William Ruto and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to replace a patchwork of previous health agreements that had traditionally been run by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for decades…
African Heritage 