US Targets Burkina Faso’s Ibrahim Traoré

The US of A trotted out a black man to level false accusations against Burkina Faso's Ibrahim Traoré during an April 03 Senate hearing. 

General Michael Langley (right), head of US Africa Command (AFRICOM), made the bold claim that the leader of Burkina Faso is a threat to his own people and that he is keeping the country's gold reserves for his personal gain. 

Truth be told, Captain Traoré reclaimed Burkina Faso’s gold – not for multinational corporations or foreign banks, but to empower his nation. His plan to exploit the country’s wealth to fund infrastructure, development, and self-reliance exposes the uncomfortable truth: Africa’s poverty is manufactured and maintained by those who profit from its resources while keeping its people in chains of dependency. 

But Traoré (left) is not alone. Burkina Faso has joined forces with Mali and Niger to form the Alliance of Sahel States – a mutual defense pact designed to protect their sovereignty from both terrorist threats and foreign intervention. Together, these nations have expelled French troops, rejected Western military dictates, and charted a course toward self-reliance. 

This regional unity represents a direct challenge to AFRICOM and the broader neo-colonial grip on West Africa. And that is why General Langley as well as others are sounding alarms. 

Leave Burkinabes alone, the gold isn't yours, and Burkina Faso isn't your business!! 

Let’s not ignore these facts: Captain Traoré has already survived eighteen assassination attempts since taking power in 2022 – on April 16, the latest bid to dispatch Traoré, US and French intelligences were implicated conspiring with Burkinabe traitors. 

History tells us that when an African leader dares to stand on sovereignty, reclaim his country's own natural resources, and unite with neighboring nations against Western powers, he becomes a target, not because he endangers his people, but because he threatens their interests. 

Captain Traoré’s vision, alongside Mali and Niger, represents more than national pride – it’s a blueprint for genuine African independence. And that’s precisely why he’s being labeled a threat. 

The true danger isn’t Traoré or the Alliance of Sahel States – it’s the desperation of Western powers unwilling to let Africa control their own destiny. And African leaders like Benin's Patrice Talon, Côte d'Ivoire's Alassane Ouattara, Egypt's Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Kenya's William Ruto, Nigeria's Bola Ahmed Tinubu are Western puppets. It's pertinent to point out that General Langley’s statement is not a defense of human rights – it’s a defense of geopolitical interests. 

Indeed, Ibrahim Traore is the best thing that's ever happened to Africa. And he has the support of not only Burkinabes but also many, many Africans!

Junta-led Sahel States Formally Leave ECOWAS

On January 29, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger formally left ECOWAS, the West African regional bloc, after more than a year of diplomatic tensions.

The withdrawal has shaken the Economic Community of West African States that many consider to be the continent's most important regional group and which this year marks their 50th anniversary. 

While ECOWAS work out the terms of their future relationship with the three countries, they say they will continue to recognize all passports and identity cards bearing the ECOWAS logo held by citizens from Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. They will also remain in the bloc's free-trade scheme.

West Africa observers are already concerned the withdrawal will worsen security in the region. The Sahel – the semi-arid region just south of the Sahara Desert that includes the three said countries – is wracked with jihadist insurgencies and now accounts for "almost half of all deaths from terrorism globally", a senior UN official said in April.

And in a sign of the doubts within ECOWAS, Togo and Ghana have normalised their relations with the three states.  

Yesterday's Champions League match pitting Liverpool against PSV Eindhoven wasn’t a dead rubber, despite little riding on it for the former. Even as Arne Slot rotated his squad and leaving behind nine senior players at Anfield. 

The much-changed Liverpool finished top of the Champions League group phase despite losing their 100% winning record after defeat to PSV Eindhoven – the latter won 3-2 – in a five-goal thriller.

In an action-packed first half, Cody Gakpo put the Reds ahead from the penalty spot in the 28th minute in his home city against his former club after a Rood-witten midfielder had fouled Federico Chiesa. The Reds-and-Whites equalised in the 35th minute but five minutes later, Liverpool's lead was restored when Chiesa's shot was deflected to Harvey Elliott, who scored his second Champions League goal in consecutive games. 

And then, two quick goals (45, 45+6) from the Eredivisie leaders turned the game around for them.

Ukraine Linked to Tuareg Terror Attack

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ukraine is at the center of a diplomatic storm in Africa after its officials appeared to back a recent rebel attack in Mali, which has been plagued by jihadist insurgencies for more than a decade.

 

Tuareg insurgents ambushed a military convoy carrying members of the Russian Wagner Group private military company and Malian soldiers late in July in the village of Tinzaouaten, located in the north of Mali, killing dozens. 

 

Ukrainian military intelligence service (GUR) spokesperson Andrey Yusov (right), speaking on national TV, called the incident a “successful military operation against Russian war criminals” carried out with the “necessary information” provided to the militants by his agents. He vowed that “there will be more to come”. 

 

Kiev’s embassy in Dakar, Senegal shared Yusov’s interview – now deleted – on their Facebook page, along with a caption from their ambassador Yury Pivovarov to Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, and Liberia, who said “there will certainly be other results”.

 

Bamako and its West African neighbors have denounced the remarks as Ukraine’s support for “international terrorism”. Even the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a regional bloc that Mali’s military government and their allies in Burkina Faso and Niger quit in January, have said they will not tolerate “any foreign interference” that threatens the region’s peace and security. 

 

Senegal and Burkina Faso issued separate statements on Saturday, warning Ukraine against actions aimed at destabilizing their “brotherly” neighbor Mali. Ouagadougou advised Kiev not to “fight the wrong battle and should refrain from any support” for terrorists involved in the ongoing violence in Mali, which has spread to Burkina Faso and Niger.

 

Niger responded on Tuesday by breaking off diplomatic ties with Ukraine with “immediate effect” in “total solidarity with the government and people of Mali”. Mali had earlier taken a similar decision, claiming Kiev’s actions threatened Bamako’s sovereignty.

 

In an interview with RIA Novosti on Wednesday, Fousseinou Ouattara, deputy chairperson of Bamako’s parliamentary security and defense committee, said Mali and Niger have asked the UN Security Council to investigate allegations that Ukraine provided intelligence to the Tuareg rebels. 

 

Ouattara reportedly questioned Ukraine’s ability to act alone in providing intelligence to armed groups, hinting that Kiev’s Western allies, including the US and France, could have assisted.

 

On the same day too, Russia accused Ukraine of encouraging terrorist groups in African countries friendly to Moscow.

No To ECOWAS

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger announced on Saturday they have "irrevocably" turned their backs on ECOWAS.

 

The Economic Community of West African States regional bloc had swiftly suspended the three countries after their respective military takeovers, which occurred in July 2023 in Niger, September 2022 in Burkina Faso and August 2021 in Mali. 

 

ECOWAS even imposed sanctions on Niger and Mali, and at one stage, had threatened military intervention. And yet, the regional bloc’s leaders held out hope for the trio’s eventual return. Fat chance because in January. the said countries withdrew from ECOWAS. 

 

Speaking at the summit, Niger's General Abdourahamane Tchiani called the 50-year-old ECOWAS “a threat to our states”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Burkina Faso's Captain Ibrahim Traoré and Mali's Colonel Assimi Goïta met General Tchiani in Niger's capital, Niamey to formalise an alliance created in the face of opposition from neighboring countries. The three soldiers took power in their respective countries which have been battered by jihadist violence, in part a reason given for the military coups. 

 

They now establish the Alliance of Sahel States as a step “towards greater integration” between the three countries, in the latest showing of their shift away from traditional regional and Western allies.

 

The junta chiefs said they aimed to build a community of sovereign peoples "far from the control of foreign powers. A community of peace, solidarity, prosperity based on our African values”.

 

In a message on X, Capt Traoré declared that "together, we will consolidate the foundations of our true independence". 

 

Speaking at the summit, he went on to say that "this continent has suffered and continues to suffer from the fire of the imperialists. These imperialists have only one cliché in mind: 'Africa is the empire of slaves'". 

 

Security co-operation is high on the agenda, but the alliance, known by their French acronym AES, will also look towards forming closer economic ties, including the goal of creating a common currency. This would be a rejection of the France-backed CFA Franc, which is used in many states across the region. 

 

Already, the three countries have expelled French soldiers who were there supposedly as part of an anti-jihadist mission. Besides, they have regularly accused former colonial ruler France of meddling in the 15-member ECOWAS. 

 

Finally, we're seeing African countries asserting genuine independence. And I would urge countries which are under the thumb of the Western powers (e.g., Cameroon, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria) to follow the three countries' example and break free!

Boeing's Woes Refuse To Go Away

Boeing's woes simply refuse to go away!

In Senegal, a chartered Air Senegal Boeing B737-300 plane skidded off a runway before takeoff early on Thursday at Blaise Diagne International Airport in the capital, Dakar.

Eight-five people – including two pilots and four cabin crew – were on board the flight operated by TransAir and bound for the Malian capital Bamako. At least 10 people were injured, the transport ministry said. 

The photo above showed the damaged plane at a standstill in a grassy field with a damaged wing, its emergency exit slides deployed. 

Videos shared on social media appeared to show a left wing on fire. 

The aircraft was later cordoned off with red and white tape, the Reuters news agency reported.

In Türkiye, 190 people – including six crew members – were safely evacuated from a Boeing 737-800 belonging to Corendon Airlines after one of the aircraft’s tyres burst on Thursday during landing at Gazipasa, an airport near the Mediterranean coastal town of Alanya.

Corendon Airlines denied Turkish media reports that the aircraft, which had arrived from Cologne, Germany, had landed on its nose. Türkiye’s Ministry for Transport and Infrastructure had reported damage to the plane’s nose landing gear.

Flights were diverted to nearby Antalya airport while the aircraft was removed, the ministry said.

A Boeing 767 cargo plane had reportedly landed at Istanbul Airport, also in Türkiye without its front landing gear.

 

A video on social media showed the aircraft belonging to FedEx Express using the back landing gear and then dipping its nose with the front portion of the fuselage. 

 

The plane was on the last leg of its flight from Paris, France to Istanbul when the pilots realized the front landing gear failed to open, state-run news agency Anadolu said. 

 

There were no casualties and authorities had launched an investigation, the Reuters news agency reported on Wednesday. It was not clear why the failure occurred.

 

A day earlier, an Air France plane – a Boeing 787 – was stranded in Canada's deep north following an emergency landing. 

 

About six hours into what should have been a nine-and-a-half-hour flight to Seattle in Washington, USA from Paris, a burning smell and smoke were detected onboard, including the cockpit. Pilots quickly resorted to their oxygen masks and prepared for an emergency landing at the nearest available airport, which happened to be in Iqaluit, per Business Insider. 

 

The remote town in Nunavut territory, which has a total population of less than 8,000, is often known as Canada's Arctic capital. The airline launched a rescue operation after the passengers were left stranded in the isolated region.

 

Manufacturers are not typically involved in the operation or maintenance of jets once they enter service, but Boeing have been under intense media and regulatory scrutiny following a very long series of incidents involving their planes. Like it or not, we cannot dismiss the fact that these are Boeing planes and the issues besetting them are neverending!

Africa Tops 400,000 Coronavirus Cases

Covid-19 is here to stay in Africa. 

Given the current trends in incidence – more so when the coronavirus pandemic transitions to more widespread community transmission – and underlying healthcare systems vulnerabilities, the continent is in real danger of becoming the next epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Note that it took 98 days for Africa to reach 100,000 cases – and just 18 to hit 200,000 and another 22 days to reach 400,000. On that Tuesday, the continent also registered 10,000 deaths.

It is pertinent to highlight that the twelve most-affected countries are responsible for 84.2% of Africa’s total cases; insofar as fatalities are concerned, the Top 12 contributed 87.7% of total deaths. 

Elsewhere, Pakistan garnered 200,000 cases on Sunday whilst India, Turkey and Colombia collected 600,000, 200,000 and 100,000 cases respectively on Wednesday:

It is heartening to know that Malaysia has reported positive news today with the number of active cases dipping below 100 – with 85 cases only.

Racism is Alive and Well in Malaysia

Image credit: http://www.thestar.com.my/metro/community/2016/06/21/made-to-feel-unwelcomed-african-tenants-at-taman-tun-perak-apartments-feel-hurt-by-banner-put-up-by/

 

An image of a dark-skinned male crossed with a large, yellow ‘X’ with the words, "Say No To African People" at Waja Apartments located in Taman Tun Perak, Cheras in KL has upset members of the community.

 

The banner also urged landlords and real estate agents to refrain from renting units to African tenants.

 

Nigerian student Austin Chibuzo, 25, expressed disgust at the sentiments expressed in the banner.

 

“This is racism. The people who did this are not treating us like human beings”, said Chibuzo who had just moved into the apartment three months ago.

 

Another Nigerian student Victor Onuoha, 25, also said Malaysians are prejudiced against Africans.

 

“Malaysians in general behave awkwardly with African people. When we go into lifts, some will close their noses”, said Onuoha.

 

The students said the banner is contrary to how Malaysia is depicted as a harmonious multiracial country. Hmmm, the reality is very different. 

 

[Note: Most of the Africans here are students and professionals from Ghana, Mali and Nigeria].

 

When questioned, Mohamad Sahidan Hassan, chairperson of the apartment’s management corporation said the banner was a reflection of the residents’ feelings.

 

Hallooo! The correct thing to do, if at all there are issues with Africans – is to kindly take them up with the relevant authorities. Just because of a few, don't be quick to blame other people. Please don’t tar the whole community with the same brush.

 

Before we point the finger at them – kindly look at ourselves first. We are not whom we portray. We are racist. We really are.

 

Anyway, I don’t really blame Malaysians for stereotyping Africans! Don’t we do the same to fellow Malaysians?

 

The Chinese are tarred with one brush. We are money-grubbing. We are unscrupulous. We are exploitative.

 

The Indians are tarred with another brush. They are belligerent. They are bad hats. They are drunkards.

 

And yet another brush for the Malays. They are stupid. They are lazy. They are bribe-takers.

 

Admit it lah! Malaysians are racist through and through!

Bloody Carnage in Brussels and Elsewhere

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Image credit: http://europeanpressagency.com/world-news/islamists-celebrate-brussels-terror-under-sick-belgiumonfire-arabic-hashtag

Islamists and Islamic State sympathizers have been celebrating the Tuesday massacre in Brussels, starting a sick Arabic #Belgiumonfire (#بروكسل_تحت_النار) hashtag – similar to the #Parisonfire trend which appeared after the Paris attacks – the twin bomb attacks in Belgium’s capital saw 34 people killed and hundreds more injured.

 

“Strike terror in the heart of Kufar [infidel]… we will take in the hearts of those who disbelieve horror”, tweeted one Alswedi Omar. His profile picture features an IS emblem above the words “support from Germany”.

 

“What a beautiful day today,” another agitator added, describing the innocent victims as “Belgium supporters” who are fair game because of their Western identity.

 

“Fuck Belgium. Belgium wanted to bomb the Islamic state. Now enjoy what your hands have sown… A lot of doas [prayers] were answered today”, said another.

 

“We not only applaud. But we are happy, happy smiling laugh, happy day was on holiday #Brussels and Kalh_oamag Harith”, one more added.

 

One of the most common sentiments expressed under the sick hashtag was: “You declared war against us and bombed us, and we attack you inside your homeland”, along with Islamist war cry: “Allahu Akbar!”

 

The hashtag rapidly gained traction in the Arab-speaking world, and is seemingly inspired by a similar “Paris is on fire” trend which was popularized by IS supporters soon after the bloody carnage in Paris, France.

 

Many of the Tweets have already disappeared, however, and accounts that express support for terrorist organizations are usually deleted within days – so it is difficult to gauge the true popularity of the hashtag.

 

 

This latest incident in Belgium came on the heels of a long string of terrorist attacks in many parts of the world – and they will keep haunting us.

 

Here’s a sample of the bloodshed spilled in the name of Islam:

 

On the evening of November 13, 2015, a series of coordinated attacks occurred in Paris and its northern suburb, Saint-Denis and 130 people were killed and another 368 people were injured. IS claimed responsibility.

 

Seven days later, the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako, Mali’s capital was seized by al-Qaeda-backed militants – they took 170 people hostage, ultimately killing 20 and seven people were wounded.

 

On January 12, 2016, a suicide bombing in a popular central square in Istanbul, Turkey's largest city, left 13 people dead and 14 people injured. The perpetrator was identified as IS-affiliated Nabil Fadli.

 

Two days later, in Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital came under attack that left eight people dead, including four assailants and another 24 people were wounded. IS claimed responsibility.

 

The next day, a group of al-Qaeda militants attacked the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. At least 30 people were killed, and another 56 were wounded.

 

On March 13, 2016, at least 18 people were killed and another 33 were injured when yet another al-Qaeda-linked group attacked the Étoile du Sud hotel in Grand Bassam, Ivory Coast.

 

Obviously, dangerous people are lurking out there! And they sincerely view themselves as Muslims and they have happily committed devastating acts of violence in the name of Islam.

 

This bloody carnage that they brought upon society will continue. During these trying times, saner voices must prevail.

 

We must not succumb to the popular refrain that all Muslims are terrorists, and that they are hell-bent on wiping out all non-believers from the face of this earth.

More than anything else – this is what the world needs now:

 

Yesterday evening, I was in KL’s Brickfields to attend the MIA Toastmasters meeting. This was the first time I actually counted eight MIA Toastmasters in attendance. A rarity and hopefully, an omen of better things to come.

 

I was there to deliver my CC #6 speech on Vocal Variety titled “Scream Fest”. Another good speech!

 

I was also a Speech Evaluator for the club president who presented an Advanced speech – and I was voted Best Evaluator.

 

 

Ebola Deaths Still Trending Upward

Ebola deaths up to November 23, 2014 have gone up to 5,689 deaths and this includes one death in the US and six in Mali.

 

Now, the WHO are admitting the statistics are underestimated, given the difficulty collecting the data. Therefore, their arithmetic is questionable but whatever it is, the fact remains that people are still dying from Ebola.

  

I was involved with the Toastmasters-organized Youth Leadership Programs. Altogether three days, i.e. one day with MAS Toastmasters (November 24) and two days with Crystal Toastmasters (November 29-30).

Crystal Toastmasters did a really awesome job – they were thorough and meticulous. They also practised excellent time management and they had introduced individual mentoring which really helped the participants a lot.