There is Hope for Justice After All

Of all the horrors of colonialism, the Belgian's behavior in the Congo was among the worst, from its initial days as the private property of king Leopold to its post-colonial actions, when Belgian authorities orchestrated the coup against and the subsequent murder of the duly elected Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba.

This happened 65 years ago, but finally, Étienne Davignon has been charged with murder and crimes against humanity.

Unfortunately, the 93 year old former diplomat is the only person still alive who can be charged.

A former Belgian diplomat, 93, should stand trial over alleged complicity in the 1961 murder of Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister of what was then the newly independent Congolese state, a Brussels court has ruled.

Étienne Davignon, the only person still alive among 10 Belgians the Lumumba family accuses of involvement in the killing, is charged with participation in war crimes.

The decision, which follows a surprise referral by the Brussels prosecutor last June, can be appealed against. Davignon, a former vice-president of the European Commission, has denied the charges.

In a statement the Lumumba family welcomed what they called a significant step: “For our family, this is not the end of a long

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If the trial goes ahead, Davignon will be the first Belgian official to face justice over the assassination of Lumumba 65 years ago. In its decision, the court went beyond the prosecutor’s decision, extending the scope of the trial to cover Lumumba’s associates, Maurice Mpolo and Joseph Okito, who were murdered alongside him. 

Davignon is accused of participating in war crimes on three counts, according to information provided by the court of first nstance in Brussels:

• The illegal transfer of Lumumba and his associates from Léopoldville (now Kinshasa) to Katanga.
• The “humiliating and degrading treatment” of the men.
• Depriving them of a fair trial.

Maybe one day we'll see this in the United States.

The Fruits of Colonialism

We know that the junta that took over in Niger tossed out the French, and the French company mining uranium.

Now, Russia is proposing that it build a nuclear power plant in Niger.

Given that, despite sitting on top of one of the largest Uranium deposits in the world, the desperately poor country is dependent on coal powered plants and imported power, this no doubt seems like a welcome development.

I'd be surprised if they ever break ground, I think that there are some severe development and infrastructure issues to be addressed first, but it is a masterful bit of in your face diplomacy by both Niamey and Moscow.

Russia has dangled the possibility of building a nuclear power plant in uranium-rich Niger - a vast, arid state on the edge of the Sahara desert that has to import most of its electricity.

It may be deemed impractical and may never happen, but the concept is yet another move by Moscow to seek a geopolitical advantage over Western nations.

Niger has historically exported the metal for further refining in France, but that is changing as the military-led country cuts off ties with the former colonial power.

The uranium-mining operation operated by French nuclear group Orano was nationalised in June, which cleared the way for Russia to put itself forward as a new partner.

It is talking about power generation and medical applications, with a focus on training local expertise under a co-operation agreement signed between Russian-state corporation Rosatom and the Nigerien authorities.

This is a direct consequence of France's neo-colonial arrangements with its former colonies, which are best described as looting.

There is a lot of hate for France in the Sahel, and it is completely justified. 

If ever brought to fruition this would be the first nuclear power project in West Africa. 

This Couldn't Happen Soon Enough

It looks like he DeBeers diamond cartel is on its last legs.

Between the increased output of gem quality manufactured diamonds, and the increasing demands by African nations to control their own diamond output, and get the money derived from the diamond trade, it looks like its death grip on the diamond market may be coming to an end.

To the degree that their neocolonial economic reign of terror ends, everyone, except of course for DeBeers, will be the better for it:

For over a hundred years, DeBeers has dominated and controlled the global diamond trade.

But today, Chinese factories are mass-producing lab-grown diamonds, which are chemically identical to natural stones, and prices are collapsing worldwide for both man-made and natural diamonds.

DeBeers sources most of their rough diamonds from mines in Botswana, and the new government there is determined to move DeBeers' value chains to Botswana itself, thereby retaining billions of dollars in industry revenues in-country.

Anglo-American is DeBeers' parent company, and they are trying to divest their holdings. But even after writing off $4.5 billion in book value in two years, no buyers can be found.  

The diamond industry has been a racket for over a century, with monopolists, primarily DeBeers, creating artificial scarcities to drive up the price.

For me, I'm not that concerned much about diamonds as gems, but I am interested the potential lab-grown diamonds as a heat sink material.  (Diamonds are the world's most thermally conductive substance as well as being an electrical insulator, which makes their engineering applications very interesting)

The real issue here is that DeBeers stole the wealth of (largely) African nations and kept it for themselves for many decases, and not this looks to end. 

Good Riddance

France has withdrawn from its last military base in West Africa, Camp Geille, in Senegal.

Good to see this bit of colonial occupation ending. 

Now lets see a withdrawal from the CFA Franc, which has member nations having to keep half of their foreign currency reserves in France. 

More Arrogant Than Elon

Yes, I know that concept boggles (buggers?) the mind, but Emanuel Macron just just criticized African leaders for being insufficiently grateful for the presence of French troops in their countries, and the associated looting and stolen national reserves that went along with this over the past 60 years.

Charles de Gaulle is watching from above, and saying, "Mon Dieu!  This one is more arrogant than Charles de Gaulle!"  (de Gaulle actually talked about himself that way)

Macron claimed that Sahel nations, struggling with civil unrest and extremism, owe their sovereignty to the presence of French forces.

He also dismissed assertions that French troops were expelled from the Sahel region, which encompasses several nations south of the Sahara Desert.

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“We had a security relationship. It was in two folds: One was our commitment against terrorism since 2013. I think someone forgot to say thank you. It does not matter, it will come with time,”

“Ingratitude, I am well placed to know, is a disease not transmissible to man. I say it for all African leaders who did not have the courage vis-à-vis their public opinions to carry it, none of them would be today with a sovereign country if the French army had not deployed in this region.” Macron said

I'd say that Macron is a complete tool, but a tool has a use.

Donning My Tinfoil Hat

So, it appears that after Niger kicked the French military out of their country, there has been a huge upsurge in terrorism from Islamic extremists.

I'm thinking that there are entities in France and the US that might be supporting the aforementioned Islamists because they want to put the country back under Paris' thumb.

No evidence here, just my inner paranoid whispering in my ear:

Attacks that killed dozens of civilians and soldiers in Niger this month have put a spotlight on the military’s failure to restore security in the West African nation, nearly 18 months after staging a coup.

When the military seized power in July 2023, the generals claimed they were better suited to restore order to a country racked by the world’s deadliest jihadist insurgency. But Niger has since spiraled into further violence, with frequent attacks on military forces, the recent destruction of a village and the killing of more than 20 passengers on a bus.

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack on military forces. All three attacks took place in western Niger, where affiliates of the Islamic State and Al Qaeda are active.

Militants affiliated with these groups have killed nearly twice as many civilians since the coup, compared with the 18 months that preceded it, according to data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, or A.C.L.E.D., a nonprofit that tracks global conflict.

If this is the case, it would not be unprecedented, as western intelligence has been supporting Jihadis as a way to achieve regime change in Syria.

It Was Inevitable

The government of Niger has revoked the operating license of the French government owned nuclear fuel company Orano at the Imouraren mine, likely because it has not done anything to develop its concession, and hence deliver any royalties, for nearly a decade:

Orano said it has been excluded from the Imouraren mine in northern Niger which sits on an estimated 200,000 tonnes of the metal, used for nuclear power and weapons.

Mining was meant to have started at Imouraren in 2015 but development was frozen after the collapse in world uranium prices in the wake of the 2011 Japanese nuclear disaster.

The Niger government did not immediately comment on the company's statement. But it had vowed to review mining concessions in the country and the mining ministry had warned that it would take away Orano's licence if development work had not started by June 19.

A week before the deadline, Orano told AFP that "preparatory work" had recently started at Imouraren.

Yeah, like 3 porta-potties, I guess.

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The junta vowed to review foreign mining concessions in the country after it took power in July last year.

The military rulers have also turned against France, ordering out French troops based in the country and increasing criticism of the former colonial power. Niger has increasingly turned to Russia and Iran for support.

Chinese, Australian, US, British, Italian, Canadian, Russian and Indian firms have secured uranium mining licenses in recent years. In 2022 there were 31 prospecting permits and 11 mining licences.

The Azelik mining company, majority held by Chinese interests, is increasingly taking over uranium mining in the north of the country that have been suspended for the past decade because of poor profitability.

Considering the terms of the concessions that prior regimes in Niger gave to French interests, the term larceny comes to mind, I am surprised that they could not make the numbers work.

There have been a string of coups in the Sahel over the past few years, and anger over the continued French economic and political dominance over their former colonies has been a driving force behind the military overthrow of these government.

To the Juntas now ruling these countries, hating on the French is both good policy and good politics.

Shorter Version, the French Are Bastards

Emmanuel Macron's recent statements regarding the deployment of regular French military forces to the Ukraine have a context, and this context is a neocolonialist plan for to continue looting their former colonies in Africa.

Specifically, the CFA Franc currency allowed the existing colonial economics to continue, where this allowed France to extract raw materials and import them at below market cost, and allowed them to sell finished goods at above market prices.

This was compounded by the installation of puppet governments post colonial independence, sabotage and destruction of infrastructure of uncooperative governments, and configuring corporate deals which would mean that all the profits (beyond what bribes went to corrupt leaders) ended up in France.

This looting has been central, arguably essential, to France's post colonial economic success, and the economic failures of these former colonies.

As a result of this, the coups in in the former French possessions in the Sahel have been aggressively anti-French, and have eagerly accepted Russian offers of security assistance.

Needless to say, the French, particularly Emmanuel Macron, who has waxed rhapsodic over Frances one-sided economic hegemony in Africa, consider this to be a severe threat to France and the French economy.

This conflict is what is driven Macron's bellicose pronouncements.

The video below is rather long, 48 minutes, but explains this context in exquisite detail, and is well worth the watch.

The Sh%$ is Getting Real

Algeria has just closed its airspace to French military aircraft in response to threats of France intervening militarily in Niger.

The Algerians have a long and fraught history with French colonial rule, and there is no love lost between them as a result.

Additionally, French policies in the Sahel have basically been an extension of its colonial rule.

It is no surprise that Algeria has been aggressively opposing a potential French military intervention in Niger:

Algeria has reportedly refused to grant access to its airspace to French military aircraft for potential operations into Central Africa, at a time when Paris is considering supporting a military intervention against its former colony of Niger. Military options to restore a French-aligned government in Niamey began to be discussed shortly after its was deposed in July. Algeria, which gained independence from French colonial rule after a long liberation war in 1962, has consistently opposed Western military operations against other African states, and previously closed its airspace to French military aircraft flying to and from its southern neighbour Mali. As by far the largest country in Africa, and located directly between France and both Mali and Niger, an inability to use Algerian airspace will seriously complicate possible operations. In Mali’s case, Algiers also reportedly helped pay for the deployment of Russian military contractors to support the Malian Armed Forces, allowing them to more easily expel French and other European forces from 2021.

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Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune voiced concerns regarding a possible attack on Niger, stating: “a military intervention could ignite the whole Sahel region and Algeria will not use force with its neighbours.” Following the overthrows of French-aligned governments in Mali and Burkina Faso in popular military coups, Niger was long seen as vulnerable to possible similar unrest particularly as anti-French sentiments continued to rise. Incidents such as the French massacre of ‘Down with France’ protestors in December 2021 only further increased tensions. French, American and other Western forces in Niger have notably refused to leave since the change in government in the final week of July, although it has been widely speculated that should the new administration remain in power Western military bases will face growing pressure to close. This would potentially pave the way to closer security ties between Niger and Russia through the latter’s military contractor groups. Algeria itself remains a leading Russian security partner, and has invested very heavily in modernising its armed forces and in particular its aerial warfare capabilities since the unexpected NATO assault on Libya in 2011, leading it to be considered the most capable military power in Africa or the Arab world by a significant margin.

The French air force is heavily dependent on tanking for their foreign deployments, so this would make military action in Niger much more difficult.

That's basic geography.