EP 5 Sovereignty !!! Western Sahara & Chagos Islands in the News I African News Review 🌍

 In this week's conversation, Adesoji Iginla and Milton Allimadi covered various significant topics related to Africa, including the EU's ruling on Morocco's agreements with Western Sahara. 

They covered the legacy of Amadou Maktar M'bow at UNESCO and discussed the NYT angle on his passing. 

France's influence in Africa through the Francophonie Summit was given the once over. 

They also discussed the disturbing allegations against the British Army in Kenya and how sovereignty was an issue with the presence of British Troops on Kenyan soil. 

The story of the week surrounded Diego Garcia and the Chagos Islands. 

Each topic is explored in depth, highlighting the historical context, current implications, and the ongoing struggles for justice and self-determination in Africa. 

Chapter 

00:00 Introduction and Context of African News Review 
01:21 EU Court Ruling on Morocco and Western Sahara 
09:24 Legacy of Amadou Maktar M’bow and UNESCO 
11:55 Macron's Francophonie Summit and France's Influence 
49:01 British Army Allegations in Kenya 
01:00:03 Sovereignty of Diego Garcia and Chagos Islands 

Transcript

Adesoji Iginla (00:01.612)

Yes, good evening, good evening, good day, good day, everyone, wherever you're hearing us from. Again, welcome to African News Review. I'm your host as usual, Adesaji Iginla in the crime scene, the imperial crime scene itself, the United Kingdom. And with me is none other than my host and none other than my guests.

He is none other than Comrade Milton Alimadi. He is a broadcaster, journalist, author of the book Manufacturing Hate. In fact, his book here, which I keep handy at all times, inspired this conversation. And yes, we begin. How are you Comrade Milton?

Milton Allimadi (00:50.644)

Very good, how was your week?

Adesoji Iginla (00:52.558)

My week was pleasant as usual, you know, the news keeps rolling in and we keep on top of it. As regards Africa, Africa was actually largely in the news this week for some reason, maybe they're trying to bury a story or something. So we go to the first story for today, which is from the EU itself and it's

Milton Allimadi (01:00.361)

Yes, of course.

Adesoji Iginla (01:21.63)

reprimanding Morocco for some reason and it comes from the Associated Press, headlined, EU top court rules that agreements with Morocco failed to include Western Sahara consents.

Milton Allimadi (01:25.727)

Yes.

Adesoji Iginla (01:41.226)

AP reporting from Brussels, the EU European Union top court ruled definitely on Friday that fisheries and agricultural agreements reached between the EU and Morocco five years ago failed to include consultations with the people of Western Sahara. For those who don't know, Western Sahara sits on the Atlantic coast and has a desert rich in phosphates. Morocco annexed the former Spanish colony in

1975, December 1975, sparking a conflict with the pro-independence Bolizarro Front. The United Nations considered the territory itself a non-self-governing one. The status of the Western Sahara is among the most sensitive topics in North African kingdom. Morocco considers the vast territory at its southern provinces and fiercely defends against anything it considers to be a threat

to its territorial integrity. I'll put that in inverted commas. In his ruling, the EU Court of Justice said for the 2019 EU Morocco farm and fishery agreements to enter force, they must receive the consent of the people of Western Sahara. However, such consent has not been given in this instance. It is said the deals were concluded in breach of the principles of self-determination

and relative effect of treaties. The Luxembourg-based court dismissed in their entirety legal appeals by the EU executive branch and the council representing the 27 member countries.

Comrade.

Milton Allimadi (03:30.132)

Yes. Okay, so what I like about the ruling...

Adesoji Iginla (03:34.243)

Yes.

Milton Allimadi (03:35.89)

is it mentioned the word self-determination. You see? So it's not so much the actual ruling itself, because I think the agreement for the phishing deal has expired anyway. But obviously, the agreement still is potentially very powerful. Because now you can go back.

Adesoji Iginla (03:54.284)

Hahaha

Milton Allimadi (04:04.786)

and using that whole concept of self-determination, it means the agreement itself should have been, of course, null and void, right? And now it means that the resources that benefited the European countries that participated in the fishing, that's theft. That's plundered resources. So it should be returned to our own.

Adesoji Iginla (04:13.281)

Okay.

Adesoji Iginla (04:25.25)

Hmm. Piracy.

Milton Allimadi (04:31.934)

the people of the Sahawari, as they call themselves, Democratic Republic. So if they're going to say that, there's no, as the UN said, a non-self-governing territory, if they say there's no government, it doesn't mean that you cannot have a just adjudication of compensation owed for the value of the fish extracted, right?

because fishing brings in revenues in billions of dollars, right? I know that because off the Somali coast alone, I read a Somali article that the fisheries, that they're stealing from the coast of Somalia because of the weak government there. Remember when they were demonizing the Somalis as pirates, when in fact the pirates were those big ships coming from all those countries.

Adesoji Iginla (05:07.064)

Yeah, correct, correct.

Adesoji Iginla (05:18.338)

Hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (05:26.36)

Asparagus,

Milton Allimadi (05:30.9)

to steal their fish. And I think in one article it mentioned that the value was more than a billion dollars. So if we had to use that same estimate, and if it's illegal fishing, it was illegal but they thought they were doing it illegally, they would not be doing it in a secretive way. So it's possible that they extracted more than a billion dollars, even exceeding the one in the Somali coast.

Adesoji Iginla (05:51.544)

Mmm.

Milton Allimadi (06:00.896)

So that money, if you're to go 50-50, $500 million belongs to the Sahrawi people. So the lawyer who represented them should now say, thank you for this ruling. So now, using the language of this ruling, it means the court most likely will lean toward your favor, because now you're using the court's own words.

Adesoji Iginla (06:08.238)

You're being fair. You're being fair.

Milton Allimadi (06:30.482)

if you're talking about people who are denied self-determination, well, what better way to let them express self-determination by giving them money that is owed to them? So that's what I like the most about this story. Obviously, I wish that the article had mentioned this or asked the lawyer, so now, in light of this ruling, in light of the fact that all these valuable

resources were extracted, what are your thoughts on, you sometimes as a reporter you have to think also in order to advance a story. So that's a question I would have asked him and that's a question that I hope the reporter who read the story will still go back and ask the representatives of the Sahara people.

Adesoji Iginla (07:22.662)

And also would like to add the reason why most of the Sahrawis are probably based in Algeria is because largely they've been made refugees and the country has been divided vertically by a

Milton Allimadi (07:39.634)

It's ironic that the Moroccans have done to the Sahrawi the exact same thing that the Israelis have done to the Palestinians. And Morocco is talking about sovereignty. They don't want interference and all that. And ironic, they're repeating the same language that the French used to say when Morocco was a French colony. It's amazing.

Adesoji Iginla (07:42.467)

Mm.

Yeah.

Adesoji Iginla (07:49.274)

Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Yeah.

Adesoji Iginla (08:01.966)

no, no, no, no, no, no,

Milton Allimadi (08:21.374)

Mm-hmm.

Milton Allimadi (08:26.164)

Right.

Now I mean if colonialism is bad for Moroccans as victims of the past colonialism, then colonialism is also bad for the people of the Sahrawi Democratic Republic. Free the Sahrawi people. Free Western Sahara.

Adesoji Iginla (08:28.756)

is amazing.

Adesoji Iginla (08:46.334)

And for those who might want to read further, there is a book titled The Fate of Africa by Jeremy Hardin. It's a four-part book, which I think it's part two that is based on the Western Sahara. It goes into breadth the origin of the problem from pre-colonial days up to the promised 1991 referendum.

which again we are talking 33 years since has been frustrated by the Moroccans. And yes, any final thoughts?

Milton Allimadi (09:24.544)

No, I think that's essential thing. Of course, I'm a big supporter of the Sahrawi. I went there, when was it? 2009, 10 maybe, during President Obama's first term. Or was it toward the end of his first term? So it might have been a little later because he won in 2008, he was sworn in 2009. So maybe around 2012. I went there, I went to the

Adesoji Iginla (09:28.536)

Mm-hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (09:39.479)

OK.

Adesoji Iginla (09:45.452)

A-T-A-R-E.

Adesoji Iginla (09:49.56)

Okay.

Milton Allimadi (09:54.432)

Algerian side of course, where the, I wouldn't even call them refugees really. They're displaced people, but they're functioning. They're not living like, you know, the image you get when people talk about refugees. They have a functioning, self-governing administration, which just happens not to be where they're supposed to be. They have a trained, you know, armed force.

Adesoji Iginla (09:56.194)

Nah, yeah.

Adesoji Iginla (10:03.021)

Hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (10:10.102)

Hmm

Adesoji Iginla (10:15.821)

Okay.

Adesoji Iginla (10:19.384)

Yeah, called the,

Milton Allimadi (10:23.86)

They keep their own security. So literally, Algeria is allowing them to function and practice government so that by the time they're able to go back to their occupied homes, they can continue running what they're already running on the Algerian side right now. They have schools. They have teachers. They have a...

Adesoji Iginla (10:39.266)

Hmm

Milton Allimadi (10:50.065)

Well, I wouldn't really say, well, you could say a legislator, right? They have a cabinet of ministers. What was very admirable was that they were getting a lot of assistance from Cuba. So Cuba doctors were there helping run the hospitals and also helping to train the Sahawari, helping them with the schools. They also give them a lot of scholarships. So I really like what I saw.

I was very impressed and I hope they get to run their own country one day.

Adesoji Iginla (11:25.14)

Okay, as they say, a luta contina, victoria seta. And yes, on to speaking of psychological victories, we go on to the passing of the first African, or first Black, UNESCO chief, which is a story we go to in the New York Times, the Grey Lady, as she's called.

Milton Allimadi (11:28.701)

Indeed.

Milton Allimadi (11:46.75)

Yes.

Adesoji Iginla (11:55.158)

And it's titled, Amadou Mata Mbo 103 dies. His tenure leading UNESCO was stormy. He was the first black African to head a major international organization, but complaints about his tenure led the US and Britain to pull out of it. Let's dig deeper.

Milton Allimadi (12:06.442)

Yeah.

Milton Allimadi (12:17.556)

All right, first of all, I can't even wait to go deep. It's a slur, really, on his legacy. It's a slur, because all you have to need to know is that when Britain and the US pulled out, respectively, the British leader was Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. In the United States, you had Ronald Reagan.

Adesoji Iginla (12:20.398)

You

Adesoji Iginla (12:35.554)

Mm-hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (12:41.986)

Correct?

Reagan.

Milton Allimadi (12:45.908)

the two most reactionary rulers in the Western world. So that alone should tell you the, so for the writer not to acknowledge that and to make it seem as if it was a legitimate pullout, you know, presided over by these two right-wing extremist leaders.

Adesoji Iginla (12:51.426)

Mm.

Adesoji Iginla (13:04.706)

Mm-hmm.

Milton Allimadi (13:14.546)

It's really unfair to the legacy of Amadou Mbao. And that's why I wanted to get that off the bat so that even when you read, our audience knows the context. Because if you just read the headline alone, you would get the wrong impression that it was a legitimate pullout. But all you need to know is no, At that time, the leaders were respectively of the UK and the US, Thatcher and Reagan.

Adesoji Iginla (13:16.877)

Hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (13:34.382)

You

Adesoji Iginla (13:42.572)

Reagan

Milton Allimadi (13:42.876)

End of story, right there, you see?

And the writer knows that. He cannot be that dense, you know? So you can't criticize Reagan and Thatcher on their right-wingism when it impacts other arenas and other people and treat them as if they were competent and legitimate people, right? When you know this is a major organization being led by, number one, an African, number two, a black person.

Adesoji Iginla (13:50.67)

Mm-hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (14:06.158)

Hmm. Correct, correct.

Milton Allimadi (14:16.242)

And you know that disposition already toward Africans and toward black people. So by you not factoring that in, come on. Adam Nossiter, that's outrageous. And in fact, I'm going to write an editorial later this week rebutting this obituary. Completely unfair.

Adesoji Iginla (14:25.74)

Hahaha

Okay, we'll continue.

Adesoji Iginla (14:39.757)

Okay.

Milton Allimadi (14:43.242)

Hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (14:44.3)

Okay, we continue. So, Amadou Maktar Mbo, a Senegalese civil servant and politician who became the first black African to head a major international organization when he was elected director general of UNESCO, but who's contested tenure there led the United States and Britain to pull out. Died on Tuesday in Dakar, Senegal, he was 103. His death was an hour.

is that as a hospital was announced on the website of UNESCO, the United Nations, a education, scientific and cultural organization, which was established to promote international cooperation in those domains. Mr. Umbo, a rare survivor among the continent's first generation of independence leader, had served as Senegal's education and culture minister when he wrote to the top post at UNESCO in 1974.

Over the next 13 years, he turned the agency into a spearhead for grievances in the developing world and the Soviet bloc, mainly over Western cultural dominance, while entrenching himself behind a phalanx of hard-picked bureaucrats at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris. His resistance to Western influences, as well as accusation of misspending and nepotism,

contributed to decisions by President Ronald Reagan and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to pull their countries out of UNESCO in disgust. The US in 1984 and Britain in 1985. Britain rejoined in 1997 the United States in 2003. The withdrawal by United States was disastrous for UNESCO as American contributions have provided a quarter of its budget

For years afterwards, the agency was seen by the critics as a poster child for US bloat and politicization. Your take, please.

Milton Allimadi (16:44.116)

All right, so as I previously indicated, all of this is complete, you know, every spinning of history, right? It implies that had this particular individual, Mr. Mbao, not been the one heading UNESCO, the US and Britain would have embraced what UNESCO's trying to do, right? That's complete.

Adesoji Iginla (16:52.895)

Mm. Mm-hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (16:59.15)

Mm.

Milton Allimadi (17:12.35)

That's completely false, and the author knows that too. So he's scapegoating.

Adesoji Iginla (17:13.752)

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Milton Allimadi (17:22.398)

rather than saying these are the kind of issues that a right-wing leader like Reagan and a right-wing leader like Thatcher would not support. Sharing scientific information, Redressing the issue of cultural imperialism, right? Are these the things that a Reagan or Thatcher would support? So instead of framing it and saying,

Adesoji Iginla (17:46.264)

Mmm.

Milton Allimadi (17:50.816)

Perhaps what he was trying to do came at a time when he was completely inauspicious to try to do something like that. Because the leading donor country, the United States, was headed by a guy like Ronald Reagan, who was cutting social spending in the United States, impacting African-Americans, African descendants in the United States. So if he was treating African descendants in the US,

Adesoji Iginla (18:09.986)

Did ya?

Milton Allimadi (18:21.022)

You think he would be inclined to support an organization headed by an African that is trying to redress these historical legacies? The answer is no. So did this not cross the author's mind, the author of this article, Nusita? Or does he just not care? And it seems to me he just does not care. He cannot be that ignorant. Normally, the people who write for the New York Times are educated.

Adesoji Iginla (18:26.286)

Definitely not.

Milton Allimadi (18:51.348)

They like recruiting from Ivy League schools, right? You know, these are not former reporters from the New York Post who are then recruited to come write for the New York Times. It doesn't really work that way. So that's why this writing over somebody who really achieved so much, and I'm not saying it's perfect, and I'll go into that in a minute, but I'm saying this obituary is completely unfair.

Adesoji Iginla (18:53.902)

Mmm. Mm-hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (19:06.915)

Nothing

Adesoji Iginla (19:15.81)

Mm-hmm.

Milton Allimadi (19:21.066)

to the legacy of this individual. And I'll get to some of the contributions that he made that should have been acknowledged first and then go into any shortcomings that he may have had.

Adesoji Iginla (19:36.974)

Now, so what would you say your gripe with his administration was?

Milton Allimadi (19:45.084)

Okay, I think it was not so much a gripe, but I think what it was addressing was legitimate. The issue of not only cultural imperialism, historical imperialism, meaning the powerful Western countries, the industrialized countries get to write their history and our history. Right? So if you're reading about the history of West Africa,

Adesoji Iginla (20:09.88)

Fantastic. Yes. Go on.

Milton Allimadi (20:14.112)

the former French colonies, the books will be written by European French, correct? If you are reading the history of African, East African countries, of Ghana, Nigeria, the books will be written by British European authors. Now, is that really fair? Do you find any Ugandans writing the history of Britain and those are the books that are used in British schools? Do you find any Ugandans writing the history of the United States?

Adesoji Iginla (20:20.15)

Mm. Mm.

Adesoji Iginla (20:31.118)

You

Adesoji Iginla (20:37.944)

Good luck with that.

Milton Allimadi (20:43.794)

And those are the books using to instruct Americans in school, from grade school to secondary school to college. And of course, the answer is completely, absolutely no. And these are the things that he said needed to be addressed. Now, in terms of media dominance, which of course is still with us today, but was much more intense even in those days.

Adesoji Iginla (20:56.031)

No.

Adesoji Iginla (21:05.869)

Hmm.

Milton Allimadi (21:12.83)

He said we should have, I forget the time he used, a new global information order or something like that. And what he was trying to say was that the dominance of the narrative established by, at that time I don't think CNN existed, but media outlets such as that, the BBC was already there, so the BBC, Voice of America, the New York Times, the Washington Post.

Adesoji Iginla (21:20.447)

Yes, yes.

Adesoji Iginla (21:26.124)

of the narrative. Yeah.

Europeans.

Adesoji Iginla (21:34.771)

BBC Voice of America.

Great. Radio Dottie Vela.

Milton Allimadi (21:41.728)

I was already there, right? He's saying often they have an agenda and that becomes the only story. So in order to counter it, we need to find a way to regulate these stories. So I think that is the part where that was the best idea or proposal that he could offer at that time. I don't think that's the right way to do it.

Because once you start regulating, that is very similar to what African autocratic governments do to domestic media within African countries. At that time, there was not even much when he started out. I think he became the Secretary General in 1975, something like that, or 74 rather. At that time, there was, if any, virtually almost nonexistent.

Adesoji Iginla (22:33.774)

74 74 74

Milton Allimadi (22:41.376)

in terms of free press, independent press in African countries. They are mostly just the government newspaper, the government control radio, the government control TV. So now, in order to counter this imperialism, information imperialism of the West, we're saying we should induce this type of regulations and restrictions that would only legitimate the rest...

Adesoji Iginla (22:47.896)

government yet.

Adesoji Iginla (23:06.328)

top down control.

Milton Allimadi (23:10.112)

restrictions that are being applied against domestic media by African autocracy. So that was the problem. But obviously that has now been partially addressed because now you have plenty of privately owned media in many African countries. Number one. Number two, the internet and social media have somewhat democratized the ability to collect

Adesoji Iginla (23:16.611)

Mm.

Milton Allimadi (23:40.116)

gather and disseminate information. So if he was operating today, I don't think that's how he would have proposed that we counter the pervasive imperialism of Western narratives that predominate globally and particularly in Africa. So that's what he was trying to do. So I understand what he was trying to do. So that would be my reservations. But in terms of the topic, okay, so for example,

He was actually trying to push back against what is now called fake news. So he was way ahead of his time. He was talking about fake news. He did not use that term, you see? But now fake news we find pervasive even within these Western countries, right? In Britain, in the United States, the two countries that led the campaign to malign him withdrew so that the organization

Adesoji Iginla (24:30.936)

Sure, sure.

Milton Allimadi (24:40.584)

suffered financial distress, you know, what he was trying to do was not as drastic enough for you to take that kind of action. It's the main point I was trying to make. And many of the issues that he addressed, we are now seeing materializing in front of our own eyes. You know?

Adesoji Iginla (24:47.84)

of action, yep.

Adesoji Iginla (24:58.242)

Hmm. My salute to him would be taken from one of his pet projects, which is the publication of the General History of Africa, volumes one to eight.

Milton Allimadi (25:09.052)

Absolutely. And if Nusita knew anything at all, that's what he should have started with. But obviously he's not familiar with the impact of the series, the UNESCO series on Africa, which included very many permitted African scientists, African historians, Professor Ogoth, Professor Cheka Anton, you know.

Adesoji Iginla (25:19.179)

of

Adesoji Iginla (25:22.542)

Hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (25:35.968)

Ali, Missouri.

Milton Allimadi (25:38.688)

Antojob, know, Masri and all these, you know, absolutely. So if he knew the impact of that, he would have elevated that in the lead. So he's still writing to, I don't know how old he is, and that is also might be relevant. He's writing to an era of people whose minds are still in the 1980s and 1990s. For him,

Adesoji Iginla (25:41.249)

I do boil hen.

Milton Allimadi (26:07.53)

to not acknowledge that the issues that Mbo was trying to address is not mind-boggling because obviously, Nusita must be educated. So it's disturbing rather than mind-boggling. It's disturbing. He writes the editorial as if he's not anticipating that it would be read by people like myself and people like you. And we would be able to deconstruct.

Adesoji Iginla (26:24.227)

Hmm.

Milton Allimadi (26:37.426)

and critique it. So who is he writing for then? Is he writing for a bunch of Eurocentric people who viewed Mao, who view Mao today as the ones who were there in the 1970s? That's the only way in which this could make sense. There's a part where, and I forget the entire sentence, where I used the term, something like perceived Western monopoly.

Adesoji Iginla (26:51.95)

Hmm.

Milton Allimadi (27:06.682)

on reporting and dissemination of news. Is that something that is perceived?

Adesoji Iginla (27:09.144)

There is no passage.

That's the reality. That's the reality.

Milton Allimadi (27:15.376)

Really? Is that something that's perceived? If he was sitting in front of me, I would ask him honestly a question. Is that really something that you believe in your heart is perceived, or is that a reality and a fact? And if he's honest, he would have to say yes, it's a reality. So why would he write perceived? That to me suggests malicious intent. And that's why I say it's disturbing, not mind-boggling.

Adesoji Iginla (27:28.747)

That's a reality.

Adesoji Iginla (27:35.393)

Hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (27:43.116)

I mean, they, they,

Milton Allimadi (27:43.796)

that is writing things that he himself knows not to be true. And he's actually confirming what Mbaha was trying to fight against.

Adesoji Iginla (27:53.566)

which is why I wanted to read a sentence or two from, Umbo O'Riit, he wrote the introduction in most of this series. But there is a part here in the final series, final volume, volume eight, Africa since 1935, where he says, another phenomenon that did great disservice to the objective study of the African past was the appearance with slave trade and

Milton Allimadi (28:04.149)

Mm.

Adesoji Iginla (28:23.16)

colonization of racial stereotypes that bring contempt and lack of understanding and became so deep rooted that they distorted even the basic concepts of historiography. And finally, said, Africans, what is it? From the time when the notion of white and black were used as generic labels by the colonialists who were regarded as superior.

Milton Allimadi (28:37.204)

Yeah. Yeah.

Adesoji Iginla (28:50.466)

The colonized Africans had to struggle against both economic, psychological enslavement. Africans were only identified by the color of their skin because they had become a kind of merchandise, airmark for hard labor. And eventually in the minds of those dominated them, they came to symbolize an imagery and inferior Negro race. This pattern of spurious identification relegated the history

Milton Allimadi (29:16.332)

that is remarkable.

Adesoji Iginla (29:20.086)

of African people in many minds to the rank of ethnocentrism in which appreciation of the historical and cultural facts are bound to be warped.

Milton Allimadi (29:31.172)

that is some deep stuff. I'm glad you read that. When I rewrite, when I do the second version of my book, Manufacturing Hate, I'm definitely going to quote that and accept that and give him the tribute that he deserves. So forget about Dorset, Africans know, and not only Africans. Okay, the part I like was that the current secretary general.

Adesoji Iginla (29:46.733)

I mean, when I...

Milton Allimadi (30:00.584)

I think he's a European, of the UNESCO, paid tribute to Mboga in a statement. So, North Zeta quotes that tribute and says the Secretary General neglected to point out his shortcomings. Talk about piling it on. Your whole article is cutting him down and you want everybody else to follow your lead and cut him down?

Adesoji Iginla (30:02.017)

Yep.

Adesoji Iginla (30:19.148)

which he has dutifully done.

Adesoji Iginla (30:26.734)

to cut him down.

Milton Allimadi (30:28.724)

That's precisely what he was fighting against, that you guys get to set the narrative and you want everybody to follow the same narrative that you set. So while the current Secretary General may acknowledge that Mr. Mbeau may have had some shortcomings like most human beings do, the achievements far outweigh the shortcomings.

Adesoji Iginla (30:36.11)

Hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (30:40.75)

Hmm.

Milton Allimadi (30:56.68)

And if you're using your anchor, your strongest argument is that you have proven that you have shortcomings because the US and Britain quit. You're defeating your own argument because the US and Britain at that time were led respectively, as I said from the beginning, right wing extremists, particularly when it comes to dealing with African issues, Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher.

Adesoji Iginla (31:18.904)

Hmm.

Hmm.

Milton Allimadi (31:25.182)

These are people who did not even want to fight apartheid in South Africa. They were talking about constructive engagement with the apartheid regime. And you are using them as the people to rebut, bow, shame on you. That's my final word to Nusita. Shame on you, truly.

Adesoji Iginla (31:33.09)

management.

Adesoji Iginla (31:46.52)

For those watching, if you like what you're listening to, please do comment and leave a comment in the comment section. It's bound to keep the conversation going and also provide areas of interest where we can further the scope of this program. And we do appreciate you. Again, if this is your first time here, do like, share, and subscribe to the channel.

And for our next story, we go to Paris, the city of love. And it comes from Mr. Macron. And the story is from the Radio France International. And it's headlined, Macron hosts Falcophony, Falcophone Summit to boost influence in French speaking world.

The lead is the annual Francophonie Summit kicks off on Friday, an opportunity for host country France to try and bolster its influence in a conflict-ridden world, particularly in Africa. Chad president, Mohammed Idris Derby, an ally of France and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, are amongst the prominent guests. Dozens of leaders

of French-speaking countries gathered on Friday and Saturday for the Francophonie Summit, the first time the event had been held in Paris for 33 years. France were in Africa had been badly eroded by successive coups in Mali in 2021, Burkina Faso 2022, and Niger in 2023, which saw Paris friendly governments replaced by hunters who turned to Russia.

Meanwhile, the crisis in France's former protectorate, Lebanon, which is targeted by daily Israeli bombardment and now a ground incursion as Israel attacks Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, has showed up France's diminished influence in the Middle East. There's one part, yeah. So, a space for mediation and dialogue. While key African leaders such as Democratic Republic of Congo President Felis Tshikedi will be present,

Adesoji Iginla (34:08.234)

those of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have not been invited. A prominent guest is Chad President Mohamed Idris Derby, an ally of France and regular visitor to Paris, whose Sahel nation still hosts French troops even after their departure from Mali, Burkina and Niger. Guinea had been invited despite its junta under General Mamadi Duboya, taking power in a 2021 coup, a delegation from Lebanon

is coming but not its prime minister. What do you read from that story?

Milton Allimadi (34:45.138)

Okay, so I'm trying to adjust my screen a little bit. I want to get closer to the power outlet. I don't want us to run out of power in the middle of discussion. But so far what I'm reading, and of course my impression is that obviously this is trying to capture an era that has already passed. You're right?

Adesoji Iginla (34:48.686)

Okay.

Adesoji Iginla (34:52.884)

OK.

Adesoji Iginla (35:10.51)

Mm.

Milton Allimadi (35:14.432)

These are the kind of meetings that you could have in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, maybe even 1990s, but not today. So in that respect, it's very similar actually to the obituary that we just read by Nosita of Mbao.

You're going to invite these people to Paris. They're going to be at the what, LSA, this grand building. There'll be some international media there. They'll be shown on TV. Then what are you going to accomplish?

Adesoji Iginla (35:43.886)

to see Palace.

Adesoji Iginla (35:53.688)

Driven around Paris.

Milton Allimadi (35:58.794)

What are they going to accomplish? What are they going to do after they go back to their respective countries as a result of meeting with you? What is the purpose of the meeting? So you're showing the leaders who are not invited, right? So I take it the leaders who are not invited are the ones in Burkina Faso, correct? Mali.

Adesoji Iginla (36:26.37)

Working out for Somali and Niger.

Milton Allimadi (36:32.616)

Was the leader of Gabon invited?

Adesoji Iginla (36:35.766)

I think by a virtue of them not mentioning him, he is invited.

Milton Allimadi (36:38.608)

Right. Okay. So he came there and accrued it as well. Correct? Was the leader of Chad invited? Yes. And he came there and accrued it as well. And yet the article implies that the ones who were not invited were because they deposed governments. Correct?

Adesoji Iginla (36:46.627)

Yes.

Yes.

Adesoji Iginla (36:53.128)

yeah? actually killed his father?

Adesoji Iginla (37:05.901)

Yeah, yeah, correct.

Milton Allimadi (37:07.648)

So what about these two then? So obviously, it's not about that the leaders who are not invited seize power militarily. It's the fact that they seize power and they're saying they don't like what France is doing in their countries. That's why they were not invited. They don't like the fact that you are stationed troops in our country. You say you are helping us to fight.

Adesoji Iginla (37:26.222)

Mmm. Mmm.

Milton Allimadi (37:36.996)

the so-called jihadists, and yet we are not seeing any progress. In fact, they're gaining ground. So what is the use of you having soldiers in our country, unless it's for a different purpose? They're saying, we don't like the fact that you are not paying us for our rich mineral resources. And if you're paying us, you're basically paying us pennies.

Adesoji Iginla (37:47.96)

been around.

Milton Allimadi (38:05.77)

You're extracted, we don't even know the quantities that you are taking, right? So we can't verify the quantities and we can't impact what you're paying us, which is of course, you know, peanuts. So these are issues we want to redress. That's what they don't like. So they're going about it the wrong way, inviting the ones who are willing to continue being neocolonial puppets.

Adesoji Iginla (38:33.121)

Mmm.

Milton Allimadi (38:34.1)

they're exacerbating the situation and they are making it inevitable that the ones who are being invited eventually are going to be deposed as well. Because the people who are deposing, even if they have personal agendas, have now discovered that there's a grass roots agenda which is much stronger than their personal agenda. So if the one,

Ian Gabon has a personal agenda for seizing power, and of course we know he does. The one in Chad, the same thing. The one in Guinea, I don't know if he was invited or not, but that's besides the point. If he has a personal agenda, very soon the grassroots agenda is going to become overwhelming. And they'll end up having, they'll be deposed by people who share.

more of the kind of philosophy of the leadership in Burkina Faso, Mali in Niger. But you know what happens is that for France, for United States, and for that matter, even for China, to do the right thing, it will involve diminishing a standard of living to some extent.

at least in the short run, in their countries. And that's something that they're not willing to do. So instead, they continue exploiting Africa's resources. How can you take the things you need to produce your manufacturers from Africa, and yet you don't want to pay them what you would call even a livable wage, right, for their labor and their resources, and that you produce items that you sell to them at...

Adesoji Iginla (40:20.6)

WordPress.

Milton Allimadi (40:31.518)

grossly inflated price relative to what you are extracting from their countries. That's really, you think we can build a better world like that? And then you're surprised when they're going across the Mediterranean in these rickety boats and drowning, when they're coming across the border here in the United States, having taken the long journey in the thick forest.

Adesoji Iginla (40:33.666)

rises.

Milton Allimadi (41:01.392)

in South America, you're really surprised by that? You know, it just shows that in terms of leadership in the industrialized world, there's not a will to really take the action that's needed. And I suppose there's not a will because the people, the citizens are not ready. Because if Macron says we need to,

invest in such a way or buy the raw material in such a way that enables African countries to retain a level of profit that they can use that capital to start industrializing. Who would vote for him in France? You see, who would vote for him? So now that the victims of their own demonization of Africa, because their citizens are not

conscious enough to support a politician who would preach something like that. So the Africans who are in Britain, Africans who are in France, in Spain, they need to start building that level of consciousness so then their children or their children's children may live amongst Europeans who know that you can't have one world

for Europeans and another world for Africans. But now they believe in that not even maliciously racist. There are malicious racists who are out there, of course. But those are not the real dangerous ones. The dangerous ones are the ones who think that they are progressive. They love all human beings, regardless of complexion or nationality or religion. But deep down, they're actually not.

Adesoji Iginla (42:32.554)

and what for Africans, yeah.

Adesoji Iginla (42:52.192)

White liberals.

Milton Allimadi (43:00.564)

You see, because they're not enlightened enough to know that we cannot build a better world if we are the only ones who enjoy a high standard of living. And the question, why is it that Africans don't enjoy a high standard of living in Africa? They don't, because they think Africa's always been like that. You see, and that's the problem.

Adesoji Iginla (43:00.907)

Mm. Mm.

Adesoji Iginla (43:25.078)

Like that. Yep. Yep.

Hmm. One further question is, with regards to those leaders who did not attend, I mean, you spoke to it, the fact that sooner or later, the population in the unaffected countries in inverted commas at the moment are probably looking at the population where they've made some reactionary changes. That's what some people might deem it as.

In the course of time, how long do you think it's sustainable for the likes of Cameroon, the likes of even Congo with Tisikedi carry these sort of leaders who are carrying water for France?

Milton Allimadi (44:15.552)

Adesoji Iginla (44:20.43)

because Paul Beer has been there since 1982. 1982. And at this point in time, he largely resides in Switzerland.

Milton Allimadi (44:20.777)

In terms.

Milton Allimadi (44:26.362)

yeah, cold beer.

Mm-hmm. Yeah, I mean, so right now they have a war in Cameroon between.

Adesoji Iginla (44:38.734)

in the south.

Milton Allimadi (44:44.32)

I don't know how much of it is really war, right? Because the French, right, the French speaking zone, of course they controlled the armed forces, they have the sophisticated weapons, they're French advisors. So I suppose part of it is resistance from people in the English speaking part of the country. By the way, we are.

Adesoji Iginla (44:48.288)

It's a control of resources.

Adesoji Iginla (44:55.682)

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Milton Allimadi (45:12.094)

the resources, the oil is concentrated. So I hesitate to use the term, maybe conflict is a better term, because war almost implies exactly when in fact one side might be being brutalized and fighting resistance, right? And I fear this is going to get much worse when this guy dies, Paul Beer.

Adesoji Iginla (45:22.776)

There are two equal sides.

Milton Allimadi (45:42.836)

You know, how old is he? Is he almost 90 or something? Yeah, think about that. He's not in good health. There's no transition mechanism. So he dies, you know, probably the commander of the armed forces or the chief of staff is going to, you know, he's going to emerge as a leader, right? And if he's a military guy, he's going to...

Adesoji Iginla (45:46.894)

I think it's 91 if I'm not mistaken, 91 or so.

Milton Allimadi (46:13.172)

Continue pressing the military solution.

But this is not an issue for France because they support the military ruler in Chad, who is the son of Idris Debi, who died. His son, Mahamat Debi, who is also a military guy, has succeeded him.

Adesoji Iginla (46:34.422)

Hmm.

Milton Allimadi (46:45.096)

and they're working with them. So they're hoping that they'll probably work. Probably the military guy is already running Cameroon anyway, you see? So they'll just continue working with them. And because to them, so long as the status quo is maintained, that is all they can pop. So long as we get resources on favorable terms to France. And...

Adesoji Iginla (46:53.257)

the country. Yeah, yeah.

Hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (47:13.356)

That is all that matters.

Milton Allimadi (47:15.378)

It goes back to the crude base human tendency. If I can cheat and exploit somebody, why should I stop cheating and exploiting somebody? Unless there's something to compel me to stop cheating and exploiting somebody, you see? And that's what it boils down to. And the interventions in Mali, in Afasso, in Niger, as I said,

Adesoji Iginla (47:31.512)

to do so.

Adesoji Iginla (47:43.694)

Mm-hmm.

Milton Allimadi (47:44.052)

Whether initially with self-serving, it is no longer self-serving. The grassroots are demanding that these issues be addressed. Addressing them is not in the interest of a former imperial power like France, who still hopes somehow to maintain relevance as an imperial power, a false imperial power.

Adesoji Iginla (48:04.302)

continuous status as business as usual. Yeah.

You

But he was still, still scream Viva la France or whatever. Yes. Go on.

Milton Allimadi (48:18.672)

The only thing I like is that I think it was yesterday or the day before that Macron said they should stop providing weapons to Israel. And of course Netanyahu just went ballistic yesterday, know, lambasting him, will win, final victory with or without France and all that nonsense, you know. So that's the most relevant thing that Macron.

Adesoji Iginla (48:33.752)

Hahaha!

Milton Allimadi (48:46.496)

I was done in the last couple of days.

Adesoji Iginla (48:49.324)

Hmm. Okay, we wait and see. And coming back to... we come back to... for our last two stories, we come back to the United Kingdom. And...

Milton Allimadi (49:01.248)

Okay, so I may have to block my image for a minute while I try to secure an energy source so that we don't run out of power. But I can continue listening to you. I can continue listening, yeah.

Adesoji Iginla (49:11.808)

Okay, okay, would, yeah, I would read out the excerpt. And so the next story comes from the British, from the Guardian, the UK Guardian, and it's titled The British Army to Investigate Conducts of Troops in Kenya Amid Rape and Mother Claims. Defense Secretary to Meet Family of Women Allegedly Killed by Soldier.

as ITV is a local news station in the United Kingdom, airs documentary alleging French fresh abusers. The story is written by Hannah Al-Otman. The army is to launch an inquiry into the behavior of British troops posted to a military base in Kenya.

After multiple allegations of serious abuses committed by soldiers, trigger warning, rape and murder, the inquiry is to examine the conduct of military personnel posted to the British Army Training Unit, BATUK for short. It is where the soldier is alleged to have murdered a Kenyan woman, Agnes Wajiru.

was posted at the time of her death in 2012. An ITV exposure documentary airing on Sunday returned to Nauki, close to the base, and found that the allegations of abuse were still emerging. British soldiers are alleged to have regularly paid for sex with local women and to have raped multiple women as well as girls as young as 13.

An MOD, Ministry of Defence spokesperson said, the defence secretary has discussed with the chief of general staff these alarming allegations of unacceptable behaviour by service personnel deployed to Kenya.

Adesoji Iginla (51:21.984)

I continue here, the previous government prohibited British troops from paying for sex overseas and warned they could face dismissals if they contravened the ban. However, the allegations from ITV suggest it is consistently flouted. The ban followed a Sunday Times investigation into the death of Wajiro, a young woman who lived in poverty. my God.

and sometimes sold sex to help provide for her daughter. She lived in Nayuki where soldiers would socialize in their downtime, drinking heavily and paying local women for as little as one pound for sex. Wajiru who was stabbed multiple times was last seen drinking with British troops. A Kenyan inquest found that one or more

British soldiers were responsible for our march.

Your tixur.

There's a very secondary part there, which for a social... Go on.

Milton Allimadi (52:32.148)

Alright, so obviously...

This, first of all, why are you having British soldiers train your military, given the history that you had, that you fought against the British army to win your independence, right? You know, would you see the United States inviting British soldiers to train the US military, having defeated

know, Britain in the War of Independence. The answer is absolutely zero, no. The second thing which is so disturbing is that this murder happened years ago. Is it almost like 12 years ago?

Adesoji Iginla (53:26.158)

So obvious, yes, it goes,

Milton Allimadi (53:28.692)

that it is now becoming on the forefront today, 12 years later. Right? It shows you that, you know, the life of an African, number one, African woman, number two, African woman, sex worker, number three, has absolutely no value. So she's valuable enough.

to have sex with, but not to preserve her life, you know.

You know, just think about it carefully. Her life is not worth living.

But so long as she's still alive, I'm going to have sex with her. But she's so dispensable, get rid of her because there'll be another one anyway.

and I'm paying her like what, one pound or whatever, right? Which is less, how much is a pint of beer in a pub in London?

Adesoji Iginla (54:33.038)

Yeah exactly, that story even chipped her life.

Adesoji Iginla (54:40.398)

That'll be about £2.50 pre-COVID. It'll be higher than that now.

Milton Allimadi (54:43.932)

Okay, so you can almost get three, you can get almost three victims for the price of a big glass of beer. And that's the mindset that is operating on the perpetrators of this crime. Right? It's so sad. So right now you have Ukraine.

at war with Russia, let's say the British sent a training detachment to train soldiers in the Ukrainian military. And because of social conditions, social status, there are sex workers all over the world, right, including there in Britain, here in the United States. Do you really think,

Adesoji Iginla (55:34.894)

True,

Milton Allimadi (55:42.27)

members of the British training team in Ukraine who didn't have sex with a Ukrainian sex worker and then just kill them and then nothing happens? Just think about that. That is a disturbing dichotomy here, the contradiction. Tells you how much they devalue the humanity. And here's the other disturbing thing.

Milton Allimadi (56:14.538)

They've done it for such a long time that even some of our African sisters and brothers devalue African lives and humanity as well. Because it's not such a big, big thing as it should be in Kenya itself.

Adesoji Iginla (56:25.336)

to the being cultureized.

Milton Allimadi (56:34.452)

Because we are being told that even though this happened 12 years ago, Kenya is still allowing.

Britain to continue training its army. And now we are learning the sex abuse is still continuing. You really, can't, Hollywood cannot even script this up, my friend. We have serious issues, very serious. It goes beyond just you and I critiquing the news, sadly. Because as we critique it, we reveal.

the level of some sort of almost like a psychosis that our people need to overcome, you see? The historical demonization has had tremendous impact on our people, devastating at the highest level. Why would the Kenyan leadership still allow Britain to be training its army? Think about it, because to them,

Adesoji Iginla (57:32.076)

Allow us to even. Yeah.

Milton Allimadi (57:38.75)

This Kenyan woman, number one, is just a black woman, is just an African.

is just a sex worker. Are we going to jeopardize our relationship with Britain over a person with these attributes? And the answer, they've already answered it. The answer is no, of course not. So unless we as Africans show that we value the lives of fellow Africans, why should

Adesoji Iginla (58:00.664)

A sex worker?

Hmm.

of years in.

Milton Allimadi (58:19.74)

non-Africans value the lives of Africans. That's a question that the Kenyans leadership needs to address. I'm not saying all Kenyans are like that, of course. I'm addressing the people in power who are concerned with these issues, particularly in a case like this.

Adesoji Iginla (58:43.444)

stumped for words I don't even know what to say I'm stumped I'm stumped and

Milton Allimadi (58:44.788)

Yeah, it's crazy, man.

Milton Allimadi (58:51.316)

We just hope that the family does get justice. We hope that there's serious reparations. Normally, they only take things seriously when it impacts their wallets. So now that they're acknowledging the crime, I hope the family gets compensation. They will not bring the life of their beloved one back. But at least if she had children or a...

In I think she does. I think that's why she was engaged in sex work at the same place, in the first place. So I hope that they got the just compensation to take care of her family.

Adesoji Iginla (59:21.25)

Yeah, she a child.

Adesoji Iginla (59:33.538)

And we go by the words of Kwame Nkrumah who once said, the moment you have a foreign base, foreign military base on your soil, you're not independent. That's one of the highest form of neocolonialism, if not, you're not independent. You can't claim independence. know. Thank you for that. And for the final story, we go to...

Milton Allimadi (59:45.553)

Absolutely.

Adesoji Iginla (01:00:03.53)

the story of the week. It's and it comes from the Financial Times and it reads, Dio comes after 50 years of wrangling over the remote but strategically important archipelago.

Milton Allimadi (01:00:23.006)

Okay, but look at the headline first of all of the Financial Times.

Adesoji Iginla (01:00:23.14)

and it's good yeah

Milton Allimadi (01:00:30.08)

It's amazing. How can you give something that doesn't belong to you?

just the audacity, you know, not even returns.

Adesoji Iginla (01:00:48.032)

No, because to say...

Milton Allimadi (01:00:48.692)

but gives.

Adesoji Iginla (01:00:55.995)

To say you return means you've taken something arbitrarily. You cannot admit to you doing so. Exactly. Okay, I continue. So it says, the deal comes after 50 years of wrangling over the remote but strategically important archipelago. And the story is written by Lucy Fisher.

Milton Allimadi (01:00:59.631)

Exactly right.

Milton Allimadi (01:01:04.563)

Yep, so they're wiping away the theft, right?

Adesoji Iginla (01:01:24.332)

and Joseph Cottrell in London. The UK has agreed to give up sovereignty of a group of islands in the Indian Ocean to Mauritius in return for securing the future of a UK-US military base based situated in Diogu Garcia. The deal over the British Indian Ocean territory, I highlighted that for a reason, is

Also known as Chago Islands will give the UK an initial 99-year lease over Diego Garcia in return for accepting Mauritian sovereignty. Diego Garcia will also be kept out of a deal for Mauritius to resettle the island, which was depopulated when the UK forcibly relocated islanders decades ago.

The UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the agreement secured a vital military base for the future and guaranteed Britain's long-term relationships with Mauritius, a close Commonwealth partner. The deal came after 50 years of wrangling over the remote but strategically important archipelago, which lies approximately halfway between East Africa and Indonesia. The UK carved the island out as an separate territory before Mauritius won

independence from Britain in 1968. As part of a package of financial support, the UK will make indexed annual payments to Mauritius over the Diego Garcia base, which the UK originally leased to the US in 1966 for 50 years, a deal that was extended until 2036.

Let me say something first, which regards to the UK carved out the island as a separate territory before Mauritius won independence from Britain in 1968. That is a tall lie.

Adesoji Iginla (01:03:29.754)

one of the conditions for granting Mauritius independence was you can have independence as long as you do not claim ownership of the Chaguan Islands. That was one of the conditions. And I'll allow you to speak then. will add to what I wanted to say. You go on.

Milton Allimadi (01:03:59.434)

Okay, sure, absolutely. Yeah, I mean, obviously they're very careful by the choice of words because I don't think the deal has been finalized, right? And they don't want to open other legal avenues. And that's why they're not acknowledging that it was stolen in the first place. Although they are actually. How are you saying, you know, here's independence, but.

Adesoji Iginla (01:04:05.771)

You

Adesoji Iginla (01:04:11.864)

Mm.

Adesoji Iginla (01:04:16.118)

Yep, yep.

Milton Allimadi (01:04:28.192)

part of your territory. Yeah, absolutely. That itself is a confirmation and affirmation of the theft. So they use terms such as, in the headline, give, and then I think in the first or second paragraph, agreed, quote, to give up, right? Yeah. And then another thing they use, accepting, Mauritius sovereignty, right? Think about that.

Adesoji Iginla (01:04:30.312)

We'll have to go.

Adesoji Iginla (01:04:48.479)

Hahaha

Adesoji Iginla (01:04:56.748)

Yeah, so which means they didn't accept it in the first place.

Milton Allimadi (01:04:59.898)

Absolutely. And then of course I'm bothered by the terms, 99 year lease, you know.

You know, things will change a lot. I don't think you need 99 years to be able to take a much more firm position against Britain. You know, the world is going to change dramatically in the next 20 years. Britain will not be in a position to impose the kind of imperialism that it can still wield today. You know, so why are you giving them a 99-year lease?

At the most, maybe, I know they can't say it's zero because Mauritius does not have, what is helping Mauritius, the power it has is publicity and building allies and that is the power they have. Right? So maybe this is what they could get now. But I think in 30 years they could get something much better. So I think it should not have been 99 years. Should have been 30 years.

Adesoji Iginla (01:05:50.648)

Yeah, more opal.

Milton Allimadi (01:06:10.008)

of many parts of the world that are not able to stand up to Britain today will be able to do so in 30 years. And for that matter, to stand up against the United States as well, because the United States is involved. The United States has the base in Diego Garcia as a result of the deal that it did with Britain in 1966, as the article informs us. So that is my main area of concern. And also,

Adesoji Iginla (01:06:37.026)

Mm.

Milton Allimadi (01:06:39.164)

And I bet you the answer is no. Now Britain is going to be paying like a rent to the government of Mauritius, correct?

Adesoji Iginla (01:06:49.314)

more issues.

Milton Allimadi (01:06:53.354)

So Britain?

by now acknowledging that it wrongfully ceased since 68. Britain owes money since 68, part one. But Britain also owes another stream of money, which is the money it was getting from the US. If you at the surgery come and you kick me out of my home, 10 years later I'm able to fight you, say okay.

Adesoji Iginla (01:07:15.213)

Yep.

Milton Allimadi (01:07:24.928)

I'm going to continue here at the home, but now let's sign a lease. Going forward, I'll pay you." I say, okay, fine. But I want you to pay me for having kicked me out of my home for 10 years. And then I understand you've been renting it to your cousin. So I want the rents you are collecting from your cousin as well. I bet you that's not in the deal. And of course, it should be in the deal. But if they think that's the best they can get for now...

Who am I sitting from the comfort of being an observer to say this? But that is why it's even, go back to the first point of the 99 year lease. In 20 to 25 years, maybe you'll be in a stronger position. listen.

Adesoji Iginla (01:07:59.258)

Hmm

Milton Allimadi (01:08:12.018)

You know, this is a good time to talk about back rent too.

Adesoji Iginla (01:08:16.174)

Yep, yep. And also, I'd like to add that that's Diego Ocasio, the Chaguas Island story is one of the use of imperialist power to the ninth degree. The kind of atrocities

they committed against 2,000 families, gassing their dogs, ensuring that food supplies does not come to the island in order to get them off. People who went to Mauritius to seek medical help were not allowed to return.

Milton Allimadi (01:08:49.6)

Think about that.

Milton Allimadi (01:09:04.852)

Right. And that is the part that is not well fleshed out in this article. The article mentions that the displacement was considered a crime against humanity. But then the article does not elaborate what you just said right now. And that should have been there as well. Because the people who are supporting this cause need to know that. And once again, I go back to what I said. The 99 year lease is too long.

Adesoji Iginla (01:09:16.001)

I need to, yeah?

Adesoji Iginla (01:09:23.544)

Hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (01:09:35.02)

Hmm. Hmm. And for those who want to know more with regards to Diego Garcia, I'm going to put a documentary on the screen. It's titled Stealing a Nation by John Pilger. That's a documentary released in 2004. I enjoy people to actually watch it. It's a tear-jerker. So get your tissues. Get your tissues ready because the

Milton Allimadi (01:09:58.856)

I'm going to watch it myself too.

Adesoji Iginla (01:10:03.66)

You will see the callous nature which people were speaking in there. I mean, John Pioja does a masterpiece, a masterpiece. Again, the title of the documentary is Stealing a Nation by John Pioja. You could actually see it on YouTube. There's a couple of, not versions anyway.

People have read the documentary and put it on YouTube. So you could you could watch it on YouTube. By the time I watched it on TV and I actually watched it in the course of the week while preparing for this program. And yes, so again, or if you do need a book, if you're a book person, you could read Evictions from the Chaguan Islands.

It's a series of essays written by people who are Chagosians and people who were well-inversed in the issue. And so it's a brilliant read. I can't lay my hands on my copy at the moment. Sorry.

Milton Allimadi (01:11:13.396)

More power to them. More power to them. I said more power to them.

Adesoji Iginla (01:11:18.08)

Yeah, yeah, yeah. mean, it's like you said, sometimes you don't have the power, but you find allies that are willing to go the extra mile and

Milton Allimadi (01:11:27.21)

Right. And the most important thing is to keep fighting because they surrendered a long time ago and said, this is a battle that we cannot win. It's not worth wasting our time. We would not be having this conversation today. You see? So if you have a legitimate just cause, no matter how daunting it may appear at some times, no matter how lonely it may appear, it goes back to a conversation we had some time back.

Adesoji Iginla (01:11:36.11)

Mm. Mm.

Yep, yep, yep, yep, yep.

Milton Allimadi (01:11:56.276)

when we discussed the Cameroonian, how did we know that Paul Beer was living most of the time of the year in our penthouse in our Swiss hotel? How did we know? It was because I read about it in the Wall Street Journal. And why did the Wall Street Journal write about it? One person was having a daily protest.

Adesoji Iginla (01:12:09.823)

in Switzerland.

Adesoji Iginla (01:12:15.488)

Yeah.

Milton Allimadi (01:12:27.968)

in front of the hotel where he lives every day. And then eventually a reporter approached him and said, why are here protesting every day? He said, because the guy who's supposed to be the president of my country, Kamerun, lives here. And the reporter said, how can he govern the country and live here at the same time? He said, that's the point. He's not running the country. He's stealing money and he's living here. Wild Back Home is leaving us with this conflict.

Adesoji Iginla (01:12:28.056)

Hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (01:12:33.978)

Why?

Milton Allimadi (01:12:56.584)

It became a big story that focused on the issues of Cameroon. But it started with one person. If you have a legitimate cause, if you have one person fighting already, that is already one person too many. And then get others to join you, of course. So I think that's the lesson of the people of Chagos as well.

Adesoji Iginla (01:13:03.752)

One man, one voice.

Adesoji Iginla (01:13:15.829)

Yep.

Adesoji Iginla (01:13:19.79)

Yeah, And kudos to them and kudos to them. And hopefully we see a positive end because like the one of the stories I read, I think it was in Algeria where they said some of the people that were evicted from that, the older generation are now dying. In fact, some of their dying wish is to go back there and die there and die at home, know, so.

Milton Allimadi (01:13:43.964)

at home, right?

Adesoji Iginla (01:13:47.458)

Hopefully they get their wish. yes, again, we've come to the end of another episode of African News Review. Our guests, Comrade Milton and Madi, bring in his expertise and well-versed knowledge in the African affairs to play. And appreciation, appreciation, appreciation. Last words?

Milton Allimadi (01:14:07.786)

Thank you, comrade.

Milton Allimadi (01:14:13.416)

Asante sana, alo to continua and see you next week, everybody.

Adesoji Iginla (01:14:18.05)

And from me, as we say in Yoruba, Odigbakono, which is see you later. Bye for now.