African Liberation Day Must Advance the Struggle Against Neo-Colonialism, Zionism and Imperialist Militarism 

ALD is more important today than ever in the history of oppressed and working class peoples around the globe

By Abayomi Azikiwe, Editor, Pan-African News Wire

Saturday May 23, 2026

Political Statement of Solidarity

Note: This statement was presented by the author at the annual African Liberation Day webinar organized by the All-African People’s Revolutionary Party (GC). The event was held under the theme “68 Years Fighting Neo-Colonialism: Forward to Pan-Africanism – One Unified Socialist Africa! Defend, Sustain and Advance the Pan-Africanist Character of African Liberation Day/Palestine (Nakba) Day Worldwide!” In addition to the host organization, numerous groups delivered statements from various geo-political regions throughout the globe including the Black Alliance for Peace Africa Team; Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM); Pan-African Society Community Forum (PASCF) of the UK; among others. Tributes were paid to various ancestors in the Pan-African and international people’s struggles such as President Dr. Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana and Guinea-Conakry; President Ahmed Sekou Toure of Guinea-Conakry; Kwame Ture of Africa; Om Kalthoum of Egypt; Miriam Makeba of South Africa and Andree Blouin of the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

This year’s African Liberation Day takes on an added significance as a direct result of the global crisis of imperialism and its impact on peoples across the globe.

The situation on the African continent is marked by the enhanced aggressive policies of neo-colonialism. 

Just recently in the East African state of Kenya, the French imperialists partnering with the regime of President William Ruto held a conference claiming to represent the forward progress of the continent. Paris, which has been under fire in the Sahel region of West Africa through the revolutionary processes taking place in Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali, is attempting to reconfigure its neo-colonial strategy against African people.

A counter-summit organized by the Communist Party Marxist Kenya (CPMK) was attacked by the police and courts for its condemnation of French imperialism in Africa. During the following week, the transport workers in Kenya went on strike to protest the rising fuel costs precipitated by the United States imperialists unprovoked war against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Four people died during the strike which prompted panic among the Kenyan government which is closely allied with United States imperialism.

These developments illustrate the desperate situation of Washington, Wall Street, Paris and other imperialist centers in Western Europe and North America. The administration of President Donald Trump was met with firm resistance by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) since February 28. The leading imperialist state in the world and its zionist surrogates in Occupied Palestine failed in their attempts to overthrow the Iranian Revolution.

The Iranian Revolution has been a staunch ally of the African and Palestinian peoples since its inception. When the reactionary regime of the Shah was overthrown by the Iranian masses in early 1979, one of the first revolutionary governmental directives was to place an immediate ban on the export of oil to the racist apartheid regime in operation at the time in South Africa. In addition, the principal foreign policy objective of the Islamic Republic became the assistance to all resistance forces in Palestine and other revolutionaries throughout the West Asia region.

This is the reason behind the hostile imperialist military attacks by Tel Aviv and Washington against Iran. The Axis of Resistance extends from Palestine, Lebanon to Yemen and Iran. The IRGC revealed the vulnerability of imperialism and zionism through the destruction of Pentagon military bases in the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. The purported “iron dome” of Tel Aviv was ruptured severely by the IRGC drones and hypersonic missiles which struck at the heart of the settler-colonial regime in Palestine. 

Trump was compelled to halt the bombing of Iran after threatening to destroy their thousand-years civilization. After two months, the Islamic Republic maintains control of the Strait of Hormuz. The Palestinian and Lebanese people are continuing their resistance to the encroachments by the occupation forces. As a result of the events in Iran, the capitalist states are facing inflationary spirals which are hampering the ability of people to afford quality housing, food, education and affordable energy resources.

These events highlight the declining imperialist system. People around the world from Latin America to Africa and Asia are seriously discussing the necessity of de-dollarization. The Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa plus summit (BRICS+) is expanding, now encompassing more than half of the world’s population.

Africa is destined to play its part in the transformation of the world system from capitalism to socialism. There is no viable future under neo-colonialism, which Dr. Kwame Nkrumah described as the last stage of imperialism. Nkrumah also correctly noted that the U.S. capitalist structures are the main impediment to the genuine liberation of Africa and the transition to socialism on a continental scale.

Our Task in the Current Period

It is essential that the Revolutionary Pan-Africanist movement defends the people of Cuba, Venezuela and other states in South America and the Caribbean. The President of the Bolivarian Republic Nicholas Maduro and First Lady Cicilia Flores were kidnapped by the Pentagon and remain in detention in New York. 

The Republic of Cuba is under intense threats of a military intervention and potential targeted assassinations of its leadership. Cuba is an African nation in the Caribbean. The socialist government has been a staunch defender of the people of the continent. Between 1975 and 1989, former leader President Fidel Castro deployed 350,000 volunteers to assist in the struggle to liberate Angola. The defeat of the racist apartheid military forces in southern Angola created the conditions for the liberation of the Republic of Namibia by 1990.

In the same year that Namibia gained its independence, the apartheid regime was forced to release the long-held political prisoners such as Nelson Mandela and other leaders of the national liberation movement leading to collapse of the settler-colonial system. 

During 2014, thousands of Cuban healthcare workers were sent to West Africa where they played a monumental role in the arresting of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak which killed thousands of Africans in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea-Conakry. Cuba has trained physicians to serve people across the developing world including the nationally oppressed peoples of the U.S. 

In addition to the Caribbean and South America, we have no alternative other than defending and assisting the people of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger who are facing destabilization campaigns funded and coordinated by France, the U.S. and its surrogates in Ukraine. The resources and labor of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) belong to the African people themselves. Imperialism is attempting to reclaim this geo-political region for their own benefit.

It is significant that this ALD commemoration is recognizing the pivotal role of women in the historical and contemporary movements for liberation and socialism. The U.S. imperialists have been further exposed through the Epstein files controversy where the ruling class interests and its “rape culture” of teenage women is prompting fissures even within its own political tendencies.

The image of Um Kalthoum of Egypt, who made a monumental contribution to African culture for decades through her voice which spoke to the aspirations of the people in her country and throughout the entire North Africa and West Asia region, is an important recognition.

Miriam Makeba, the legendary South African singer and activist did much to introduce the people of the U.S. and around the world to the struggle against apartheid and settler-colonialism. As a result of her outspoken condemnation of racism, she was banned for decades from returning to her place of birth until 1990.

Andree Blouin through her work in the Central African Republic (CAR), Guinea-Conakry, Algeria and France helped advance the struggle for national liberation, feminism and socialism. Her work further uncovers the role of women in the 20th century efforts of African people to end colonialism and neo-colonialism.

Moving forward we have no other choice than to continue the movement towards Pan-Africanism and Socialism. There is no alternative to the objectives of total liberation and unification of Africa and the adoption of socialism on a global scale.

Free Palestine!

Defend Revolutionary Cuba and Venezuela!

Unite Africa and Its People Worldwide!

Workers and the Oppressed of the World Unite! 

There is Victory for Us!