Tag: Omar Al-Bashir

Niger Leads the Way and Leaves the ICP

On By Dr. Y.In Great Moments, Great PeopleLeave a comment
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?

Excerpts below are from Yahoo.News

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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“.

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The US Proposes to Remove Sudan from Terrorism’s List for $300 million Compensation

On By Dr. Y.In Great MomentsLeave a comment
Flag of Sudan

Yes… I know this is another news that is just outrageous! What about the breaking of the country into two: Sudan and South Sudan… Some of it had been supported or helped by the US and foreign forces… so is there compensation for that? Excerpts below are from an article on the Guardian’s website. All of this makes my blood boil! And weird how all these funky deals are taking place right now in these uncertain times during lockdown. Is it because African economies have been hit by the pandemic, thus are vulnerable, and so the leadership is ready to make blood-boiling deals like these? It’s like the elders made a mistake (by the way, which one?) and the kids are paying for it…. yet, when we talk about compensation from genocide perpetrated on our parents and grandparents, nobody wants to hear! Lastly, why are these deals made without consulting the people?

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A US proposal to remove Sudan from a list of states that sponsor terrorism – in exchange for a $330 million payment compensation to American victims of al-Qaida – has caused anger in the poverty-stricken east African country.

Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state, visited Khartoum on Tuesday to underline US support for the new transitional government that took power following the fall of Omar al-Bashir last year, whose 30 year authoritarian rule saw Sudan become an international pariah.

… The US has moved to incrementally restore relations with Sudan over recent years but has insisted that outstanding legal claims are settled before the country is struck from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. …

Sudan has been on the list since 1993, and so faces a range of damaging measures including the denial of much needed financial aid from international multilateral institutions.

The double bombing of embassies in Tanzania and Kenya in 1998 was the work of al-Qaida, then run by Osama bin Laden from Afghanistan. More than 224 people died and 4,000 were injured in the bombings.

Courts in the US have found Sudan guilty of providing essential support to al-Qaida when Bin Laden was based in the country between 1991 and 1996.

But ministers, opposition leaders and ordinary people in the country have expressed their dismay at the prospect of a multimillion-dollar payment to the US. Some complained that it was unfair that the new reformist government in Sudan should suffer for the misdeeds of a fallen dictator.

Activist Mohamed Babiker, 32, accused the US of intensifying Sudan’s problems: “We opposed the regime and overthrew it. Now we have to pay for what it did wrong,” he said.

Shamael el-Noor, a participant in the mass protests that led to Bashir’s ousting, said that the US should have immediately removed Sudan’s name from the list of countries supporting terror once Bashir was gone.

“The terrorism was linked to the former regime’s ideology … It’s unfair to keep Sudan on that list while people revolted against the terrorism of that regime,” El-Noor said.

Others contested the basis for the compensation claim, saying that Sudan had sought to cooperate with the US by expelling Bin Laden and that the attacks had occurred two years after the Saudi-born extremist had left their country.

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Who / What did we say Goodbye to in Africa in 2019?

On By Dr. Y.In Great Moments5 Comments

Robert Mugabe_4
Robert Mugabe (History.com)

1. President Robert Mugabe, Freedom Fighter and First President of Zimbabwe left us this year… This was a man who tirelessly fought for his country’s liberation, and for the Black race as a whole. Some have called him an icon of liberation, and indeed he was! Julius Malema of South Africa said, “We must not allow our enemies to tell us how to remember him; we know our heroes.” Joseph Kabila, former president of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) said, “We will forever remember the worthy son of Africa, who came to our rescue when our country was victim of a foreign aggressor. The continent has lost one of its pan-African leaders, a hero of independence.” Let us keep his legacy up!

2. Toni Morrison, the First Black Woman to Win a Nobel Prize in Literature moved to another plane this year. Luckily, we can still read her thoughts in her profound, heartbreaking, and conscience shakers books.

Toni Morrison_1
Toni Morrison (Source: OvationTv.com)

3. This year, in Algeria, we said ‘basta!’ to the handicapped Abdelaziz Bouteflika who was trying to run for another presidential term. Thousands of Algerians staged sit-ins every Friday for months until they led to his demise! Even though they are now fighting to remove one of his cronies from power… that was a first step toward freedom.

4. We sent our Farewell to Beji Caïd Essebsi, Tunisia’s First Democratically Elected President. This seasoned politician, unity builder, passed away on the anniversary of the republic which reminded people of the role he played in nation-building since independence.

Jean-Baptiste Sipa
Jean-Baptiste Sipa (Source: Cameroun24.net)

5. The Cameroonian journalist Jean-Baptiste Sipa also changed dimension this year. He was known as a tireless seeker of the truth, and kept the Cameroonian government on its toes. An outstanding journalist, colleague of the late Pius Njawe, and head of Njawe’s Le Messager after his [Njawe] demise. I am one of the few privileged ones to have learnt a few things about journalism from him. Cameroon’s journalism has lost a giant.

6. Cameroon shamelessly loss the organization of the African Cup of Nations 2019, which was taken from them because of exacerbated corruption and of course its shameless government which is applauded by the French.

7. The great Zimbabwean singer Oliver Mtukudzi, one of Zimbabwe’s most renowned musicians, joined his ancestors. Interviewed on Eyewitness, Tuku said that, “My music is about touching the hearts… never mind how old. If a baby is born today, she/he must be able to relate to my music.” Indeed, we are still relating and dancing to Tuku’s music.

8. This year, Bujumbura lost its title as the capital of Burundi. After almost 60 years of reign, plus the 40 years during colonial times as Usumbura, Bujumbura has now been relegated to economic capital, in favor of Gitega. Gitega was chosen to become the siege of power because of its central location, as opposed to Bujumbura which is located on the northeastern shores of Lake Tanganyika, almost on the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

9. This year, Omar al-Bashir was ousted by the people of Sudan, after a 30-year reign. The people had had enough of his government which had been marked by corruption, human rights abuses, and which also led to the division of the largest country in Africa into two: Sudan and now South Sudan. There are of course foreign interests that played a major role in this, especially with all the oil fields in South Sudan. Al-Bashir was removed from power on 11 April 2019 by the Sudanese forces after months of civil unrest.

10. Algeria observed several days of mourning right around Christmas for the passing of General Ahmed Gaid Salah. This man was dearly loved, and perceived as the de facto ruler after the power vacuum left by Bouteflika. May his soul rest in peace.