#Africa Politics News

[mysharona1987]

For the people asking: “Well, why didn’t they try peaceful protests?”

Um…they did.

[fresh-snow]

Following the footsteps of South Africa; Qatar, Oman, Malaysia have submitted statements in ICJ too.

Thank you South Africa for taking the first step.

[politijohn]

Source

[dandelionsresilience]

Good News - July 22-28

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1. Four new cheetah cubs born in Saudi Arabia after 40 years of extinction

“[T]he discovery of mummified cheetahs in caves […] which ranged in age from 4,000 to as recent as 120 years, proved that the animals […] once called [Saudi Arabia] home. The realisation kick-started the country’s Cheetah Conservation Program to bring back the cats to their historic Arabian range. […] Dr Mohammed Qurban, CEO of the NCW, said: […] “This motivates us to continue our efforts to restore and reintroduce cheetahs, guided by an integrated strategy designed in accordance with best international practices.””

2. In sub-Saharan Africa, ‘forgotten’ foods could boost climate resilience, nutrition

“[A study published in PNAS] examined “forgotten” crops that may help make sub-Saharan food systems more resilient, and more nutritious, as climate change makes it harder to grow [current staple crops.] [… The study identified 138 indigenous] food crops that were “relatively underresearched, underutilized, or underpromoted in an African context,” but which have the nutrient content and growing stability to support healthy diets and local economies in the region. […] In Eswatini, van Zonneveld and the World Vegetable Center are working with schools to introduce hardy, underutilized vegetables to their gardens, which have typically only grown beans and maize.”

3. Here's how $4 billion in government money is being spent to reduce climate pollution

“[New Orleans was awarded] nearly $50 million to help pay for installing solar on low to middle income homes [… and] plans to green up underserved areas with trees and build out its lackluster bike lane system to provide an alternative to cars. […] In Utah, $75 million will fund several measures from expanding electric vehicles to reducing methane emissions from oil and gas production. [… A] coalition of states led by North Carolina will look to store carbon in lands used for agriculture as well as natural places like wetlands, with more than $400 million. [… This funding is] “providing investments in communities, new jobs, cost savings for everyday Americans, improved air quality, … better health outcomes.””

4. From doom scrolling to hope scrolling: this week’s big Democratic vibe shift

“[Democrats] have been on an emotional rollercoaster for the past few weeks: from grim determination as Biden fought to hang on to his push for a second term, to outright exuberance after he stepped aside and Harris launched her campaign. […] In less than a week, the Harris campaign raised record-breaking sums and signed up more than 100,000 new volunteers[….] This honeymoon phase will end, said Democratic strategist Guy Cecil, warning the election will be a close race, despite this newfound exuberance in his party. [… But v]oters are saying they are excited to vote for Harris and not just against Trump. That’s new.”

5. Biodegradable luminescent polymers show promise for reducing electronic waste

“[A team of scientists discovered that a certain] chemical enables the recycling of [luminescent polymers] while maintaining high light-emitting functions. […] At the end of life, this new polymer can be degraded under either mild acidic conditions (near the pH of stomach acid) or relatively low heat treatment (> 410 F). The resulting materials can be isolated and remade into new materials for future applications. […] The researchers predict this new polymer can be applied to existing technologies, such as displays and medical imaging, and enable new applications […] such as cell phones and computer screens with continued testing.”

6. World’s Biggest Dam Removal Project to Open 420 Miles of Salmon Habitat this Fall

“Reconnecting the river will help salmon and steelhead populations survive a warming climate and [natural disasters….] In the long term, dam removal will significantly improve water quality in the Klamath. “Algae problems in the reservoirs behind the dams were so bad that the water was dangerous for contact […] and not drinkable,” says Fluvial Geomorphologist Brian Cluer. [… The project] will begin to reverse decades of habitat degradation, allow threatened salmon species to be resilient in the face of climate change, and restore tribal connections to their traditional food source.”

7. Biden-Harris Administration Awards $45.1 Million to Expand Mental Health and Substance Use Services Across the Lifespan

““Be it fostering wellness in young people, caring for the unhoused, facilitating treatment and more, this funding directly supports the needs of our neighbors,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. [The funding also supports] recovery and reentry services to adults in the criminal justice system who have a substance use disorder[… and clinics which] serve anyone who asks for help for mental health or substance use, regardless of their ability to pay.”

8. The World’s Rarest Crow Will Soon Fly Free on Maui

“[… In] the latest attempt to establish a wild crow population, biologists will investigate if this species can thrive on Maui, an island where it may have never lived before. Translocations outside of a species’ known historical range are rare in conservation work, but for a bird on the brink of extinction, it’s a necessary experiment: Scientists believe the crows will be safer from predators in a new locale—a main reason that past reintroduction attempts failed. […] As the release date approaches, the crows have already undergone extensive preparation for life in the wild. […] “We try to give them the respect that you would give if you were caring for someone’s elder.””

9. An optimist’s guide to the EV battery mining challenge

““Battery minerals have a tremendous benefit over oil, and that’s that you can reuse them.” [… T]he report’s authors found there’s evidence to suggest that [improvements in technology] and recycling have already helped limit demand for battery minerals in spite of this rapid growth — and that further improvements can reduce it even more. [… They] envision a scenario in which new mining for battery materials can basically stop by 2050, as battery recycling meets demand. In this fully realized circular battery economy, the world must extract a total of 125 million tons of battery minerals — a sum that, while hefty, is actually 17 times smaller than the oil currently harvested every year to fuel road transport.”

10. Peekaboo! A baby tree kangaroo debuts at the Bronx Zoo

“The tiny Matschie’s tree kangaroo […] was the third of its kind born at the Bronx Zoo since 2008. [… A] Bronx Zoo spokesperson said that the kangaroo's birth was significant for the network of zoos that aims to preserve genetic diversity among endangered animals. "It's a small population and because of that births are not very common," said Jessica Moody, curator of primates and small mammals at the Bronx Zoo[, …] adding that baby tree kangaroos are “possibly one of the cutest animals to have ever lived. They look like stuffed animals, it's amazing.””

July 15-21 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[totallynotcensorship]

[reasonsforhope]

Note: I super don't like the framing of this headline. "Here's why it matters" idk it's almost like there's an entire country's worth of people who get to keep their democracy! Clearly! But there are few good articles on this in English, so we're going with this one anyway.

--

2024 is the biggest global election year in history and the future of democracy is on every ballot. But amid an international backsliding in democratic norms, including in countries with a longer history of democracy like India, Senegal’s election last week was a major win for democracy. It’s also an indication that a new political class is coming of age in Africa, exemplified by Senegal’s new 44-year-old president, Bassirou Diomaye Faye.

The West African nation managed to pull off a free and fair election on March 24 despite significant obstacles, including efforts by former President Macky Sall to delay the elections and imprison or disqualify opposition candidates. Add those challenges to the fact that many neighboring countries in West Africa — most prominently Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, but other nations across the region too — have been repeatedly undermined by military coups since 2020.

Sall had been in power since 2012, serving two terms. He declined to seek a third term following years of speculation that he would do so despite a constitutional two-term limit. But he attempted to extend his term, announcing in February that elections (originally to be held that month) would be pushed off until the end of the year in defiance of the electoral schedule.

Sall’s allies in the National Assembly approved the measure, but only after security forces removed opposition politicians, who vociferously protested the delay. Senegalese society came out in droves to protest Sall’s attempted self-coup, and the Constitutional Council ruled in late February that Sall’s attempt to stay in power could not stand.

That itself was a win for democracy. Still, opposition candidates, including Faye, though legally able to run, remained imprisoned until just days before the election — while others were barred from running at all. The future of Senegal’s democracy seemed uncertain at best.

Cut to Tuesday [April 2, 2024], when Sall stepped down and handed power to Faye, a former tax examiner who won on a campaign of combating corruption, as well as greater sovereignty and economic opportunity for the Senegalese. And it was young voters who carried Faye to victory...

“This election showed the resilience of the democracy in Senegal that resisted the shock of an unexpected postponement,” Adele Ravidà, Senegal country director at the lnternational Foundation for Electoral Systems, told Vox via email. “... after a couple of years of unprecedented episodes of violence [the Senegalese people] turned the page smoothly, allowing a peaceful transfer of power.”

And though Faye’s aims won’t be easy to achieve, his win can tell us not only about how Senegal managed to establish its young democracy, but also about the positive trend of democratic entrenchment and international cooperation in African nations, and the power of young Africans...

Senegal and Democracy in Africa

Since it gained independence from France in 1960, Senegal has never had a coup — military or civilian. Increasingly strong and competitive democracy has been the norm for Senegal, and the country’s civil society went out in great force over the past three years of Sall’s term to enforce those norms.

“I think that it is really the victory of the democratic institutions — the government, but also civil society organization,” Sany said. “They were mobilized, from the unions, teacher unions, workers, NGOs. The civil society in Senegal is one of the most experienced, well-organized democratic institutions on the continent.” Senegalese civil society also pushed back against former President Abdoulaye Wade’s attempt to cling to power back in 2012, and the Senegalese people voted him out...

Faye will still have his work cut out for him accomplishing the goals he campaigned on, including economic prosperity, transparency, food security, increased sovereignty, and the strengthening of democratic institutions. This will be important, especially for Senegal’s young people, who are at the forefront of another major trend.

Young Africans will play an increasingly key role in the coming decades, both on the continent and on the global stage; Africa’s youth population (people aged 15 to 24) will make up approximately 35 percent of the world’s youth population by 2050, and Africa’s population is expected to grow from 1.5 billion to 2.5 billion during that time. In Senegal, people aged 10 to 24 make up 32 percent of the population, according to the UN.

“These young people have connected to the rest of the world,” Sany said. “They see what’s happening. They are interested. They are smart. They are more educated.” And they have high expectations not only for their economic future but also for their civil rights and autonomy.

The reality of government is always different from the promise of campaigning, but Faye’s election is part of a promising trend of democratic entrenchment in Africa, exemplified by successful transitions of power in Nigeria, Liberia, and Sierra Leone over the past year. To be sure, those elections were not without challenges, but on the whole, they provide an important counterweight to democratic backsliding.

Senegalese people, especially the younger generation, have high expectations for what democracy can and should deliver for them. It’s up to Faye and his government to follow."

-via Vox, April 4, 2024

[akonoadham]

[comrade-onion]

Stand with students, stand with Palestine❤️🇵🇸

(Not OC)

[alwaysinbetweeninsaneandinsecure]

Please help this family get to safety. The situation in Sudan worsens every day. Please give what you can & reblog this post!

[mysharona1987]

Lady, you are literally admitting to a war crime on tv.

[chaithetics]

ICJ, Security Council and What the ICJ Ruling Means

I want to start by saying that the recent ICJ ruling isn’t enforceable, but we can make it useful if we choose to. It’s a landmark decision in international law that we can mobilise for our activism. We’ve now seen Britain resume funding of UNRWA. And this ruling is something that is much more tangible for trying to convince governments to place diplomatic and economic sanctions on Israel, demanding ceasefires, recognising Palestine etc. 

More on that below but I’m now going to explain a bit more about that and some of the UN bodies/structure stuff as I saw a couple of reblogs on this post have questions about what this means and what the ICJ’s powers really are. (This post responding to a question about the original post has some information as a much shorter read)

There’s a lot of flaws with the United Nations System (the General Assembly, Security Council, UN Secretariat, International Court of Justice, Trusteeship Council, and the Economic and Social Council), it acts as a tool of neocolonialism for the interests of the global powers, especially the Western powers, its binding/enforcement status makes it superficial, is often arguably undemocratic, and has a poor separation of powers. In this long read (I’m sorry) I’m mainly going to be talking about the Security Council and International Court of Justice (ICJ). 

The Security Council technically has greater enforcement powers than the ICJ and can technically apply them to ICJ rulings if they’re taken to the Security Council. But the five permanent members of the UN Security Council USA, UK, China, France, and Russia have veto powers. 

This has been justified for reasons like maintaining international political stability and to ironically prevent US domination but it has been understandably criticised for being undemocratic and also for preventing action to stop crimes against humanity and war crimes as this veto means that the UN can’t take action against these permanent members and their allies. 

Nicaragua v. United States of America [1986] was one of the biggest ICJ cases. It ruled that the US has violated international law by supporting the Contras (right-wing rebellion group) in their rebellion against the Nicaraguan government and mining of the Nicaraguan harbours. The ICJ ordered the US to pay reparations to Nicaragua, which the US refused to do. Nicaragua then took their case to the Security Council to try and make them enforce the ICJ’s ruling. To no one’s surprise, the US used their veto powers and vetoed this at the Security Council. It then went to the UN General Assembly and passed as a non-binding resolution urging US to follow the rulings. 

Recently, we saw the US use their veto power earlier in the year to block immediate ceasefire resolutions from other countries.

The ongoing case South Africa v. Israel with South Africa accusing Israel of being in violation with the Genocide Convention. The Genocide Convention is an international treaty that basically says as a state, you have obligations to prevent, stop, and not commit genocides and if you do, there are consequences. The Genocide Convention was born from the atrocities that happened during World War II with the Holocaust, Armenian Genocide etc. Genocide became a crime against international law in 1946 and the Genocide Convention was signed in 1948 but became effective in 1951. 

The scope of the Genocide Convention has been raised as an issue in a few cases. And cases of genocide taken to the ICJ are pretty complicated with the findings. It’s something they find very hard to find a state guilty of and are hesitant to do. There’s a few different reasons for that but this post is already super long and I’m trying to keep it short. One of the first cases that was submitted to the UN as an alleged violation of the Genocide Convention was the ‘We Charge Genocide’ paper written by the Civil Rights Congress (CRC), which accused the United States of America of genocide against black Americans under the genocide convention, the CRC paper cited lynching, police brutality, inequalities in health, disenfranchisement of black people in the south (it was over a decade after this paper did black women get the right to vote in 1965), and legal discrimination. It was rejected by the UN for being a misuse and was laughed at by the US government and Press, accusing it of being exaggerated and even as an attempt to advance communism. It’s a paper that’s worth a read and also has an interesting history and legacy worth looking into. The US was never a really big fan of the Genocide Convention, they signed 30+ years later and have since withdrawn. 

 In Bosnia and Herzegovnia v Serbia and the Montenegro [2007], the ICJ found that the Srebrenica massacre was a genocide but the ICJ did not find that the Serbian government was responsible or complicit in the genocide. They were still found in breach of the convention though for not cooperating with UN bodies and for failing to prevent the genocide and acquitted Serbia. The ICJ rejected Bosnia’s request for reparation repayments. 

These two papers/cases are some of the bigger ones that I think show how the ICJ is hesitant to and struggles to define and hold states accountable with violations of the Genocide Convention. 

The findings of the recent ICJ ruling and their ordering of Israel to return land, leave settlements and remove settlers, are not binding. Israel does not need to comply! And with a refusal of this, the ICJ ruling could potentially be taken to the Security Council to try and make it more enforceable, but it is likely that if that situation happened, the US would veto that resolution.  

This current ICJ ruling is still a landmark for International Law and carries political weight. Since this ruling we’ve seen the British government say they will resume funding to UNRWA (they stopped this after Oct 7th). 

I said it before but the ruling isn’t enforceable but we can still make it useful. It carries the political weight of

We need to continue advocating so that there is a free Palestine in the lifetime of every single living Palestinian, they deserve it and we owe it to them. 

Israel and its supporters now have international law saying that what they’re doing is wrong, they can no longer hide behind grey legal matter. This is political and justice ammunition that we can mobilise for activism to put pressure on our governments, especially those of us with western governments, governments who have been complicit, tried to play both sides etc. We need to use this to pressure out governments, contact our head of governments, different representatives and ministers to place economic and diplomatic/political sanctions on Israel, recognise the state of Palestine, withdraw recognition of the state of Israel, demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire, create and approve Palestinian visas, increase Palestinian aid funding etc. 

The west no longer has grey legal matter to continue what they’re doing, especially with plausible deniability and the narrative they’ve been subscribing to. They can’t hide behind this grey area as what they’re doing directly contradicts and violates international law. 

Thanks for reading this far if you made it, I will answer genuine questions but I will delete, report and block any comments and asks that are anti-Arab, zionist, Islamophobic, racist, and/or antisemitic.

[politijohn]

Source

Free Palestine

[totallynotcensorship]

on this week's installment of "ziobots are a joke"

here we have a bot copy pasting the same comments on multiple posts 25 times in the span of 10 minutes. some of the posts aren't even about palestine

edit: by the time i finished writing this. it made 26 more replies... gotta respect the dedication)

DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME OR ENERGY ON BOTS

this(and a lot of other copypasted zionist replies) are paid (probably porn)bots in some server farm somewhere paid for as propaganda. interacting with them is basically shouting at a wall. at most report and move on

this is 100% a bot but has selfies of the same person from years ago. so am censoring their face in case this is a hacked abandoned account and the person in the picks might not be related to it's actions

DON'T STOP TALKING ABOUT PALESTINE

[thevvitchbitch]

[spaciebabie]

hey so im not white

[alwaysinbetweeninsaneandinsecure]

This family needs help fleeing Sudan. There are children, elders, and disabled people at risk in this family. Please give what you can & share!