Friday, April 04, 2025

Lesotho Hardest Hit as New US Tariffs Rattle Africa

Other African countries hit with President Donald Trump's ‘reciprocal tariffs’ above the new baseline rate of 10% include Madagascar (47%), Mauritius (40%), Botswana (37%), Equatorial Guinea (30%) and South Africa (30%).

Picture: Pixabay.com

JOHANNESBURG - The small African kingdom of Lesotho said Thursday it would "urgently" send a government delegation to the United States to plead its case after Washington imposed 50% tariffs on its imports, the highest for a single nation.

Other African countries hit with President Donald Trump's "reciprocal tariffs" above the new baseline rate of 10% include Madagascar (47%), Mauritius (40%), Botswana (37%), Equatorial Guinea (30%) and South Africa (30%).

"We need to urgently travel to the US to engage with its executives and plead our case," Trade Minister Mokhethi Shelile told reporters in Maseru, saying he feared "the immediate closure of factories and job losses".

Lesotho's annual gross domestic product of $2 billion is highly reliant on exports of mostly textiles, including jeans.

The clothing industry is the largest employer in the tiny kingdom of around 2.3 million people, which the US administration says is among "the worst offenders" with high tariffs on US imports.

"There are 11 factories in the country, most of which export goods to the US and provide employment to 12,000 workers," Shelile said, adding he had asked factories to continue operating "while we work on solutions" including "diversifying" its trade partnerships.

Lesotho is among the about 30 sub-Saharan African countries that benefit from duty-free access for some products to the US market through the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) deal.

In its reaction to the tariffs, Madagascar's government said Thursday it had approached the US embassy to "seek clarification and explore possibilities for adjusting these new tariff barriers".

The government will "mobilise all diplomatic and commercial levers to obtain a review of these measures", it said.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the tariffs were "a barrier to trade and shared prosperity".

They underscore the urgent need for "a new bilateral and mutually beneficial trade agreement", he said. The United States is South Africa's second-largest trading partner.

The South African automotive sector, which accounts for 22% of exports to the US and also benefited under AGOA, will be among the hardest hit as separate tariffs of 25% on foreign-made cars came into effect shortly after Trump's late Wednesday proclamation.

Kenya, on which Trump only imposed a baseline rate of 10%, said the new tariffs presented "both challenges and opportunities", giving it a "competitive edge" compared to other textile-exporting nations hit with much higher rates.

END OF AGOA?

The sweeping tariffs added to fears about the future of AGOA which is meant to be up for review in September.

"This must be the end of AGOA," said South African economist Dawie Roodt. "How can you have tariffs and AGOA? It doesn't make sense."

But senior Kenyan foreign affairs official Korir Sing'Oei said that, as AGOA falls under a Congressional framework, the new tariffs should not be applicable until the deal lapses or is repealed the US Congress.

Last month, Lesotho's King Letsie III told AFP a termination of AGOA could affect up to 40,000 jobs.

South African Minister of Trade Parks Tau said Thursday the intensifying global trade war would affect poorer countries most and "literally devastate" Lesotho.

"We now have to look amongst ourselves and say, within the customs union in Southern Africa, within the Southern African Development Community, and within the region of Africa, how we're going to respond to these issues," he told journalists.

"Diversifying our trade is going to be important... enhancing our work on the African continent and collaborating," he said.

South Africa "must see what trade adjustments might be made to win concessions to ameliorate the situation", said South Africa-based economics professor Raymond Parsons, adding Pretoria should "prudently seize the moment" to find alternative trading partners.

However, "everybody is going to look for new trading partners," Roodt said. "Of course, we must try. But it's going to be tough."

RSA Faced With Wake-up Call as Officials Mull Response to Trump Tariffs

This week, Trump announced a 30% tariff on South African products exported to the US. The move was part of a broader decision against all US trade partners.

JOHANNESBURG - South Africa is now faced with a wake-up call as officials mull the country’s response to tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump.

This week, Trump announced a 30% tariff on South African products exported to the US.

The move was part of a broader decision against all US trade partners.

Some countries will be charged a 10% base tariff to do business with the US, while countries with a trade deficit with the superpower will pay higher tariffs.

"South Africa, 60% 30% and they have got some bad things going on in South Africa. You know, we are paying them billions of dollars, and we cut the funding because a lot of bad things are happening in South Africa," Trump said on Wednesday.

Altough the tariffs by US President Donald Trump were widely expected, the extent may have come as a bit of a surprise.

Granted, there were some exemptions listed on a 37-page document published by the US, the tariffs are still set to affect the South African economy.

Secretary-general of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Wamkele Mene, said that the weaponisation of trade policy and macroeconomic policy called for introspection.

"These factors combined should compel the continent of Africa to reflect very deeply on accelerating a domestic market in Africa."

While South Africa is deeply concerned by the impact, some officials have called on a diplomatic response, unlike other global leaders who have hit back with their own tariffs against the US.

Trump Envoy Says US-Congo Mining and Security Deal Moving Ahead

Bloomberg News 

| April 3, 2025 | 10:57 am

The US and Democratic Republic of Congo are preparing a minerals and security partnership, President Donald Trump’s senior adviser for Africa said after meeting with President Felix Tshisekedi Thursday.

Massad Boulos was in Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, to discuss an offer by Tshisekedi to invest in the country’s rich mining industry in exchange for security assistance in the nation’s fight against a rebel group in its east backed by neighboring Rwanda. Congo is the world’s second-largest source of copper and biggest producer of electric vehicle battery mineral cobalt.

“We have reviewed the DRC’s proposal, and I am pleased to announce that the president and I have agreed on a path forward for its development,” Boulos said after the meeting, according to audio shared by Tshisekedi’s office. The Trump administration looks forward “to fostering US private sector investment in the DRC, particularly in the mining sector.”

Tshisekedi is hoping US interest in Congo’s minerals will encourage the country to back his government, which is teetering amid the continued rebel advance in the east. Congo also holds vast reserves of critical minerals including lithium, tantalum and manganese.

Boulos gave no details of the proposed partnership, but said the US was working to end the fighting.

“We seek a lasting peace that affirms the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the DRC, and lays the foundations for a thriving regional economy,” he said.

Boulos will head to Rwanda, Kenya, and Uganda to discuss the conflict in eastern Congo and US private sector investment in the region, according to the State Department. Boulos is also Trump’s Arab and Middle Eastern Affairs and father-in-law of his daughter, Tiffany.

(By Michael J. Kavanagh)

Mineral-rich, War-torn DRC First Stop for Trump's New Africa Czar

April 3, 20252:15 PM ET

By Kate Bartlett

Massad Boulos, Tiffany Trump's father-in-law, sits for a portrait at a hotel in New York on Sep 4, 2024.

Jeenah Moon/The Washington Post via Getty Images

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — President Trump's new senior advisor for Africa kicked off his first official trip to the continent on Thursday in the mineral-rich but conflict-ridden Great Lakes region.

In his first stop Massad Boulos met Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi in Kinshasa, amid speculation surrounding a possible minerals-for-security deal.

"You've heard about a minerals agreement. We've reviewed the DRC's proposal, and I'm pleased to announce that the President and I have agreed on a path forward for its development," Bolous said, according to a statement by the Congolese government.

"I look forward to working with President Félix Tshisekedi and his team to build a deeper relationship that benefits the Congolese and American people, and to stimulate American private sector investment in the DRC, particularly in the mining sector, with the shared goal of contributing to the prosperity of both our countries," he added.

On the security situation in the country he said only: "We want a lasting peace that affirms the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the DRC."

Boulos, a Lebanese-American businessman with companies in Nigeria, was made the president's Africa czar earlier this week and is hitting the ground running — heading to Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda after the DRC.

Boulos is the father-in-law of Trump's younger daughter Tiffany, who is married to his son. He's the second extended family member to be awarded a role, after Charles Kushner, the father-in-law of Trump's other daughter Ivanka, was nominated as ambassador to France.

The State Department said Boulos, who also serves as senior advisor to the president on Arab and Middle Eastern Affairs, would meet with heads of state and business leaders to try and advance peace efforts in DRC and "promote U.S. private sector investment in the region."

The Congolese army is battling M23 rebels in the country's east. This year the rebels have made significant gains, including seizing the provincial capitals of Goma and Bukavu.

Kinshasa, the U.S. and U.N. experts amongst others, believe the M23 are backed by neighboring Rwanda and are using the conflict to loot DRC's mineral wealth. Rwanda denies this.

DRC is rich in the critical minerals essential for the global supply chain like uranium, cobalt and lithium. U.S. rival in Africa, China, has lots of investments in the country.

President Tshisekedi, who has compared the situation in his country to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, recently mentioned being open to a mining deal with the U.S., but has not said if reciprocal issues, like security assurances, are part of that.

Ahead of Boulos' visit, the Congolese government overturned the death sentences of three Americans who were convicted last year for their involvement in a failed coup attempt. The Americans — Marcel Malanga Malu, Tylor Thomson and Zalman Polun Benjamin — were among 37 people handed the death sentence in September, but have now been given a presidential pardon.

Malanga Malu's father, Christian Malanga, a U.S. national of Congolese origin, was believed to have been the mastermind behind the May attacks on the presidential palace and a Tshisekedi ally's home. He was killed when the attempted putsch was foiled.

Thursday, April 03, 2025

The US is Negotiating a Minerals Deal with Conflict-hit DR Congo, a Trump Official Says

Massad Boulos visits The Great Commoner, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, in Dearborn, Mich. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

By JEAN-YVES KAMALE and MARK BANCHEREAU

8:29 PM EDT, April 3, 2025

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — A Trump administration official said Thursday the United States is in talks with conflict-plagued Congo on developing its mineral resources under a deal the Congolese president has said could help make his country safer.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s senior adviser for Africa, Massad Boulos, did not provide details of the potential deal following talks with Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi in Kinshasa, but he said it could involve “multibillion-dollar investments.”

“You have heard about a minerals agreement. We have reviewed” the Congo’s proposal, Boulos said. “I am pleased to announce that the president and I have agreed on a path forward for its development.”

American companies would be “operating transparently” and would “stimulate local economies,” Boulos said.

Congo is the world’s largest producer of cobalt, a mineral used to make lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and smartphones. It also has substantial gold, diamond and copper reserves.

Tshisekedi said last month that he was open to a deal on developing critical minerals with the United States if the American involvement could help quell insurgencies and boost security in the African country.

“I think that the U.S. is able to use either pressure or sanctions to make sure that armed groups ... can be kept at bay,” he said on U.S. TV broadcaster Fox.

The Trump administration also is negotiating with Ukraine over a minerals deal in that country, which originally was proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last fall in hopes of strengthening his country’s hand in its conflict with Russia by tying U.S. interests to Ukraine’s future.

Eastern Congo has been in conflict for decades with more than 100 armed groups, most of which are vying for territory in the mineral-rich region near the border with Rwanda. The conflict has created one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises with more than 7 million people displaced, including 100,000 who fled homes this year.

The M23 is the most potent armed group and is backed by Congo’s neighbor Rwanda. In a major escalation since January, the M23 rebels have captured the cities of Goma and Bukavu and several towns in eastern Congo, prompting fears of regional war.

On Thursday, M23 withdrew from Walikale, a key mining town in eastern Congo it captured last month, after weeks of fighting with Congolese forces and its allied Wazalendo militia.

M23 spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka said the group decided to “reposition its forces” from Walikale and its surrounding areas in line with a unilateral ceasefire it declared in February.

Willy Mishiki, a national deputy representing Walikale, said the rebels left under pressure from the Wazalendo. Walikale resident Faustin Kamala said it’s not clear where the rebels went.

The Walikale area is home to the largest tin deposits in Congo and to several significant gold mines. The Bisie tin mine, around 60 kilometers (35 miles) northwest of the town, accounts for the majority of tin exports from North Kivu province.

___

Banchereau reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writer Justin Kabumba in Goma, Congo, contributed to this report.

A Leaked Draft Letter From Somalia to Trump Offers US Exclusive Access to Bases and Ports

By OMAR FARUK

1:09 PM EDT, April 2, 2025

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — The draft of a letter from Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to U.S. President Donald Trump offering exclusive access to air bases and seaports has reignited tensions between Somalia’s government and the breakaway region of Somaliland.

In the letter, Somalia offers “exclusive operational control” over the Berbera and Baledogle air bases and the ports of Berbera and Bosaso to “bolster American engagement in the region.” The U.S. for years has helped Somali forces with airstrikes and other support against the al-Shabab extremist group and an affiliate of the Islamic State.

The letter, dated March 16 and leaked on social media last week, speaks of “ensuring uninterrupted military and logistical access while preventing external competitors from establishing a presence in this critical corridor.”

The letter was confirmed as “an authentic draft” by a senior official in Somalia’s foreign ministry, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give press interviews.

The official was not sure if the final letter, which made the same offer, was sent. A spokesperson with the U.S Embassy declined to comment.

One of the ports, Berbera, is in a key city located in Somaliland, whose long assertion as an independent state has not received international recognition.

Somaliland’s President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, speaking during an Eid al-Fitr address on Saturday in Hargeisa, called the Somali president’s move “dangerous.”

Abdullahi warned the international community not to be misled and reiterated that any nation wishing to engage with Berbera must do so through Somaliland’s elected leadership.

“Somaliland governs itself, controls its own land, sea and airspace, and makes its own decisions,” he said.

Somaliland, a former British protectorate, declared independence from Somalia in 1991 following the collapse of the central government. It maintains its own government, security forces and currency and has held elections.

The incident underscores the complex geopolitics of the region.

Somaliland last year signed an agreement with neighboring Ethiopia, a landlocked country, granting it access to the sea to build a port. Somalia condemned the agreement and criticized Ethiopia for what it called interference.

Somalia’s federal government also faces uncertainty over its relations with Puntland, a semi-autonomous region whose port city of Bosaso was mentioned in the leaked draft. Puntland has not commented.

Senegal Revises Amnesty Law That Covered Deadly Protests

Demonstrators run after police officers fired tear gas during a protest in support of the main opposition leader Ousmane Sonko in Dakar, Senegal, Monday, May 29, 2023. (AP Photo/Leo Correa, File)

By MARK BANCHEREAU and BABACAR DIONE

7:26 AM EDT, April 3, 2025

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Senegal’s parliament approved revisions to a law passed under the former president that granted amnesty for offences committed during deadly opposition protests in the West African country.

The law was passed in March 2024, shortly before the presidential election, and granted amnesty for offences by both security forces and protesters during violent demonstrations between 2021 and 2024. Rights group Amnesty International said at least 65 people were killed during the clashes.

Rights groups and lawyers criticized the law because it prevented any prosecution of the sponsors and perpetrators of the violence.

The protests were triggered by concerns that the president at the time, Macky Sall, was attempting to muzzle his opponents and seek a third term in office despite being prevented by the constitution. Sall denied seeking a third term.

The protests were exacerbated by the arrests in 2023 of the top opposition figures Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Ousmane Sonko on charges that were largely seen as politically motivated.

Faye and Sonko were released in March 2024 after the amnesty law took effect less than two weeks before the presidential election. Faye was catapulted into the presidency when Sonko — who was barred from running due to a previous conviction — backed the political novice and Faye easily beat the candidate backed by Sall.

On Wednesday, Senegalese lawmakers adopted a revision of the law removing amnesty for specific crimes including murder, torture and forced disappearance. The measure passed by a vote of 126-20.

Aissata Tall Sall, the leader of the opposition coalition Takku Wallu Senegal, criticized the measure as a “law of settling scores that risks further dividing the Senegalese, instead of reconciling them.”

“The new law does not seek revenge but justice,” Ismaïla Diallo, a lawmaker for the ruling PASTEF party, said.

Study Says More Women Than Men in Africa Will Likely Lose Outsourcing Tasks to AI

By IGNATIUS SSUUNA

2:42 PM EDT, April 3, 2025

KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) — More women than men working in Africa’s outsourcing sector will likely see their tasks in the workplace replaced by automation and artificial intelligence by 2030, a report said Thursday.

The report, released at a conference on AI in the Rwandan capital, also said that the now-surging growth of the outsourcing industry on the African continent may slow, and it urged workers to boost their skills so that they can trade up to better jobs.

More than 1,000 policymakers, business leaders, and interest groups were gathered in Kigali for the first-ever Global AI Summit for Africa.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who addressed the conference on its opening day, called for more investments, innovation and creativity.

African countries should “go back to the drawing board and build a strong foundation for connectivity,” Kagame said. “Let’s continue working together, and driving AI to reduce inequality, and allow more and more of our citizens to benefit from the good AI can deliver to all of us,” he said.

The new report by Caribou and Genesis Analytics in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation says that tasks performed by women are on average 10% more vulnerable to automation than those by men in the same sector. This disparity will exacerbate gender-based inequalities in the sector’s workforce if not proactively addressed, it said.

The study finds that lower-paying jobs, which make up 68% of the workforce, are particularly at risk. It found that up to 40% of human tasks in Africa’s outsourcing sector could be automated.

But AI experts at the summit said that with the right investments and training, women and youth could access better-paid, higher-skilled work than what the currently do.

Jeremy Jurgen, managing director of the World Economic Forum, which is co-hosting the conference, said there was a shortage of AI workers and a need to invest in developing talent to address that.

African leaders present called for more collaboration.

“African countries need to have clarity on what they want to do with AI and what they’re bringing to the table, then we can start talking about collaborating on AI without compromising our sovereignty,” Nigerian Communication Minister Bosun Tijani said during the conference.

Leaked Files Raise Fears Over Safety of Shell Oil Production Fleet, Years After Devastating Spill

(AP Illustration / Peter Hamlin)

By ED DAVEY

3:38 AM EDT, April 3, 2025

Off the coast of Nigeria, one of the world’s largest oil production ships, called the Bonga, was taking oil from a field on the ocean floor and transferring it to a tanker ship. Such transfers are routine in the offshore oil industry, but something went wrong on the Bonga, owned by energy giant Shell.

A major leak began in one of the lines that connected the two vessels. Over the next three hours, the crew detected that more oil was being pumped from the ship than the tanker was receiving. Another hour passed before an oily sheen was spotted on the water. An hour after that, the crew member in charge of the fueling shut off the flow.

By then, about 40,000 barrels of oil had escaped into the Atlantic Ocean, according to an English High Court evaluation, making the December 2011 incident one of Nigeria’s worst spills in a decade. At the height of the spill, an oil slick spread over 685 square miles (1,776 square kilometers), twice the size of New York City. Nigerian regulators later fined the subsidiary Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) $3.6 billion, an amount being appealed today.

Now a confidential review of Shell’s fleet of production ships, obtained by The Associated Press, plus internal company safety surveys and interviews with two whistleblowers, show that as recently as three years ago — almost 11 years after the Bonga spill — there were safety issues with the fleet, including the Bonga. The 2022 review found fault with the same systems involved in the Bonga spill. The whistleblowers said the problems risk another Bonga-type disaster.

Problems flagged with the Bonga

Oil production ships like the Bonga are a critical part of the offshore oil industry. Often permanently moored in one location, they take oil from wells on the ocean floor and transfer it to tankers.

The 2022 review of the Bonga was an attempt to address maintenance and safety problems in Shell’s oil production ship flotilla. It was authored by Shell senior maritime auditor Zubair Ali Khan. It found issues on several ships, ranging from corrosion to bad upkeep and poor firefighting systems, and cited a “lack of clear and established standards and processes.”

For example, the report noted “continuously deficient” systems for oil transfer and firefighting and lifesaving equipment. Oil transfer systems are what had failed in the massive 2011 spill, and in 2022, the problems on the Bonga with oil transfer systems were deemed “high risk.” Replying to a LinkedIn message, Khan declined to comment.

Tony Cox, an accident investigator with decades of experience in the offshore oil industry, said it was concerning that transfer problems persisted on the Bonga 11 years after the giant spill given that transfers are a “recognized hazard” and “well known to be a potential point of spillage.”

A Shell spokesman said by email that the company’s safety record was continuously improving. Serious accidents aboard this ship have gone down from one per year on average to zero since 2018, Shell said, with less serious incidents reduced by 70% and spills by 90% since 2020. A total of 369 pieces of critical safety equipment were not in satisfactory condition in 2014, the spokesman said, dropping to two last year.

Shell did not respond when asked if all the recommendations in the report were adopted.

The review cited problems with other ships

Beyond the Bonga ship, the 2022 internal safety report said there were other “recurring incidents.”

The report described “severe corrosion” in pipes and protective barriers around oil tanks in the vessel Fluminense, off Brazil.

Two workers were left “with moderate to severe burns” after an incident on a vessel off the U.S. coast in 2016.

There were “degraded facilities” on the gas-producing ship Prelude anchored off Australia, where fire broke out in 2021. In 2023, more than a year after the safety report, problems on the Prelude persisted, according to Australian regulators who found health and safety violations related to “exposure to chemicals and risk of an explosion.” They ordered improvements.

In the case of the Prelude, Shell said a dedicated local team of safety engineers and experts looked after the vessel but didn’t provide more details.

Other incidents have been reported by regulators or in the press. For example, another Shell ship off Nigeria, the Sea Eagle, began to take on seawater in 2022 and needed urgent repairs, something Cox said was highly unusual for floating production vessels.

The company is currently in the midst of a wrongful dismissal lawsuit with a former employee, a safety engineer from London, whom Shell said was fired for poor performance. An interim court ruling leaned toward Shell’s argument and a Shell spokesman said the company is “clear about the merits of our case.”

The former employee, Irina Woodhead, advised on safety standards aboard the Prelude. She said that in the 2021 fire incident off Australia, safety systems didn’t activate. Seven people had to seek medical treatment for heat exhaustion, Shell said. Woodhead said she blew the whistle on safety failings and was fired for doing so.

“One mistake can cost a lot of lives,” Woodhead said, and a future disaster is “absolutely” possible. “If you don’t maintain that equipment, that’s when the fires happen, that’s when the explosions happen.”

Regarding the Fluminense, off Brazil, a Shell spokesman said it identified problems, shut down production and took the vessel out of service. In the case of the Sea Eagle, off Nigeria, the spokesman said Nigerian regulators were promptly informed of the leak and it was swiftly repaired. The incident that left two workers with burns off the coast of the U.S. in 2016 isn’t reflective of the company’s overall safety culture, he said.

Internal surveys show concern about safety at Shell

Similar issues were raised in safety surveys carried out by statistician Caroline Dennett, a former Shell consultant. Beginning in 2012, she surveyed thousands of Shell workers on the company’s safety culture. She quit in 2022 over Shell’s climate policies and became an activist.

The surveys measured employees’ perception of performance in 10 areas, including maintenance, communication and safety awareness. Surveys obtained by AP of 97, 159 and 128 workers on the Bonga, done in 2012, 2014 and 2021 respectively, show that employees’ views of company performance overall dropped in nine categories.

The Bonga was problematic “from day one,” said Dennett, citing a lack of manpower, difficulty getting spare parts and falling standards.

“The fear was getting more severe over time as skilled personnel were not replaced,” she added.

The surveys also invited workers aboard the vessel to make their own comments. Based on these, in 2014, Dennett was concerned enough to write to a Shell manager, flagging worker fears that Bonga was a “keg of gunpowder” and in “impending peril,” with everyone on it “at risk.” The manager promised to act.

The next year, a leaked memo by the operational safety team for Nigeria said the need for “drastic improvements” was shown by the 2012 survey. They were also “worried” by the “thought provoking” 2014 survey, which had worse results.

In an email, Shell said safety has improved on the Bonga since the 2012 and 2014 surveys, when a worker described it as a powder keg.

Still, as recently as 2021, some 59% of workers on the Bonga thought maintenance needed either a lot of or some improvement. Another 3% said it was failing outright. Only 28% of team leaders felt positively about the levels of maintenance the company performed on its equipment. A majority, 57%, were concerned about the level of resources and expertise on the vessel.

In response, the company noted that more than 90% of those surveyed in 2021 felt positive about another category measured, the Bonga’s safety processes, and the overwhelming majority felt comfortable speaking out about problems.

Internal emails seen by AP show Shell safety experts and lawyers had agreed that if 10% of workers thought a safety category was failing or needed considerable improvement, it would be considered “legally critical.” The issue would then need to be resolved within 18 months. If that figure hit 20%, it would be urgent with a one-year deadline. The negative responses about the Bonga more than passed these thresholds.

But the company later eliminated these commitments, according to an email seen by AP. “This steer comes from legal,” Shell health and safety advisor Bradd McCaslin wrote to another Shell safety manager in 2018. After that date, the thresholds disappeared from surveys reviewed by AP.

Safety reviews don’t work if people don’t make the suggested improvements, said safety expert Cox.

McCaslin did not respond to LinkedIn messages from AP seeking comment.

In internal correspondence from 2012, also seen by AP, Shell’s U.S. operations chose not to use the surveys at all after a lawyer raised “legal liability concerns.” The company said its common practice for legal teams to advise on processes, and it doesn’t fall to just one team to direct how risk is managed.

Rich Howe, Shell’s vice president for deep water operations, said a “relentless focus on safety” was “deeply ingrained in the Shell culture,” and its standards are “widely recognized across the sector.”

“These documents are evidence of that culture,” said Howe, speaking of the surveys and safety report. “A company which is continually looking to strengthen safety performance by proactively seeking out problems or concerns that can then be addressed.”

UK Watchdog to Probe Charity Co-founded by Prince Harry After Boardroom Dispute

By DANICA KIRKA

12:10 PM EDT, April 3, 2025

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s charity regulator has opened an investigation into an African charity co-founded by Prince Harry, a week after the prince and the organization’s board of trustees resigned amid a dispute with the charity’s chairwoman.

Sentebale, which provides support for young people in Botswana and Lesotho, has been wracked by turmoil since Harry and his co-founder abruptly resigned March 26, saying the relationship between the board and its chair was beyond repair. Chair Sophie Chandauka later accused the prince of orchestrating a campaign of bullying and harassment to try to force her out.

The Charity Commission said Thursday that it was in “direct contact” with parties on both sides to gather evidence in its compliance case.

“The regulator’s focus, in line with its statutory remit, will be to determine whether the charity’s current and former trustees, including its chair, have fulfilled their duties and responsibilities under charity law,” the commission said in a statement.

Chandauka criticized Harry in an interview with Sky News on Sunday, saying that filming for the prince’s latest Netflix program interfered with a scheduled fundraiser for Sentebale and an incident with his wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, became a source of friction.

Harry co-founded Sentebale, which means “forget me not” in the language of Lesotho, nearly 20 years ago in memory of his late mother, Princess Diana.

He said he hoped the Charity Commission would uncover “the truth” about what caused him to resign as patron of Sentebale.

“What has transpired over the last week has been heartbreaking to witness, especially when such blatant lies hurt those who have invested decades in this shared goal,” he said in a statement. “No one suffers more than the beneficiaries of Sentebale itself.”

Harry’s resignation came as Chandauka made allegations of bullying, harassment, sexism and racism against unnamed board members.

Harry and co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho were patrons of Sentebale but weren’t on the board of trustees. They said they decided to relinquish their roles as ambassadors for the charity to support the former trustees in their dispute with Chandauka.

Chandauka, a corporate lawyer and businesswoman from Zimbabwe, welcomed the commission’s actions and said she had reported various governance and administration issues to the agency in February. She also said Sentebale initiated its own internal review last year.

“We hope that, together, these actions will give the general public, our colleagues, partners, supporters, donors and the communities we serve comfort that Sentebale and its new Board of Trustees are acting appropriately to demonstrate and ensure good governance and a healthy culture for Sentebale to thrive,” she said in a statement.

Wednesday, April 02, 2025

Nigerian President Sacks Board of State Oil Company

By Al Mayadeen English

2 Apr 2025 15:13

President Bola Tinubu dismissed Nigeria's state-run oil company's leadership and appointed a former Shell executive to lead a major overhaul.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu removed the entire leadership of Nigeria's state-owned oil company on Wednesday, appointing a former Shell executive to lead the organization as part of a major restructuring.

Among those dismissed were Mele Kyari, the group chief executive of the National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, and Pius Akinyelure, the company's chairman and a close ally of Tinubu.

Kyari was swiftly replaced by Bayo Ojulari, a former managing director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCO), a subsidiary of Shell.

"The board's restructuring is crucial for enhancing operational efficiency, restoring investor confidence, boosting local content, driving economic growth and advancing gas commercialisation and diversification," Tinubu's media advisor, Bayo Onanuga, said in a statement.

The NNPC has faced ongoing allegations of corruption, political interference, and poor management of Nigeria’s oil resources.

The new leadership will focus on reviewing strategic partnerships, boosting daily oil output to address a revenue gap, meeting rising local demand, and tackling widespread oil theft.

Nigeria's oil production fell below a million barrels per day in 2023, but the government aims to increase output to two million barrels per day by 2027 and three million by 2030.

With a mix of state and private sector involvement, the NNPC is expected to contribute at least 10 percent of the country's daily oil output by 2027.

A source in the presidency informed AFP that President Tinubu was worried about the "crisis of confidence" in the oil sector, which is crucial to the country’s ongoing economic reforms. However, another insider emphasized that the dismissals were not a criticism of the previous board.

"There are certain positive reforms that the president wants to achieve in the industry," the source told AFP, while also offering praise for Kyari's role in reviving the company's refineries.

Zimtrade Courts China for Agricultural Exports

2 April 2025

The Herald (Harare)

By Business Reporter

China represents a pontentially lucrative market for Zimbabwe's agricultural exports, national trade promotion and development body ZimTrade said, ahead of a visit by a team of Chinese buyers, as the trade body explores a new market for the country's avocado and macadamia nuts produce in the world's second largest economy.

ZimTrade will facilitate a Zimbabwe-China Avocado and Macadamia Inward Buyer Mission from April 8-10, 2025, in Chipinge.

China is an important trade partner in many facets globally, as the world's second-largest economy by nominal gross domestic product, and since 2016 has been the world's largest economy when measured by purchasing power parity (PPP).

Zimbabwe and China already enjoy excellent trade relations, rooted in their long-standing cordial political relations dating back to the African country's struggle for independence from Britain. Trade between Harare and Beijing remains robust and growing, with a focus on agriculture, minerals, and machinery, reaching US$3 billion in the first nine months of 2024, a 25,6 percent increase year-on-year.

As such, the ZimTrade inward trade mission is expected to deepen the bilateral trade relations between the two friendly nations, open the doors for Zimbabwean producers to tap into the rapidly growing Chinese market, and strong demand for high-quality agricultural products, including avocados and macadamias.

The mission is expected to connect local producers directly to potential Chinese buyers while providing them an invaluable opportunity to showcase their products and establish meaningful business links.

ZimTrade's inward buyer mission will commence with a seminar, followed by a business-to-business networking session, and conclude with farm and company visits to allow the prospective Chinese buyers to appreciate Zimbabwe's farming practices and production capacity.

This would help the farmers better understand the nuances of the Chinese market and how to effectively navigate the complexities of exporting agricultural products to such a large and diverse economy.

The mission aims to bridge the gap between Zimbabwean avocado and macadamia producers and Chinese buyers, providing a platform for the farmers to tap into China's vast market and establish new trade partnerships.

The inward buyer mission follows the signing of the "Protocol for Phytosanitary Requirements for Export of Zimbabwean Fresh Avocado to China" at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit in Beijing in September 2024.

This protocol removes barriers for Zimbabwe to access China's expansive and lucrative market, creating significant opportunities for local farmers to compete with top avocado-exporting countries.

ZimTrade chief executive officer Mr Allan Majuru said the mission would facilitate market access for Zimbabwean producers and connect them with Chinese buyers seeking high-quality produce.

"China represents a massive opportunity for Zimbabwean agriculture.

"This mission will deepen our trade relations with China, open doors for Zimbabwean producers to tap into a rapidly growing market in demand for high-quality agricultural products, including avocados and macadamias.

"We are confident that the business connections forged during this Mission will result in significant business deals that benefit both Zimbabwean producers and the broader economy.

"This Mission will allow us to directly engage with Chinese buyers who are looking for fresh, high-quality produce, and that's exactly what Zimbabwe can offer," said Mr Majuru.

With China's demand for avocados steadily rising due to the fruit's nutritional benefits and increasing popularity in health-conscious diets, Zimbabwean farmers are well-positioned to capitalise on this lucrative market.

According to Trade Map, China's avocado imports increased from US$112,1 million in 2022 to US$151,2 million in 2023.

The mission also seeks to promote business-to-business engagements, drive sustainable export growth, and enhance the competitiveness of Zimbabwean producers in the global market.

Additionally, it will facilitate knowledge exchange, enabling local producers to gain valuable insights into Chinese market trends, logistics requirements, and quality standards.

Read the original article on The Herald.

Zimbabweans Demonstrate Full Support for President

2 April 2025

The Herald (Harare)

Zimbabweans demonstrated their full support for President Mnangagwa and their appreciation of the peace prevailing in the country by ignoring calls to demonstrate by some shadowy terror groups on Monday, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Jenfan Muswere, has said.

Speaking at a post-Cabinet media briefing in Harare yesterday, Dr Muswere said the failure of the protests was testament to the citizens' confidence in the constitutionally-elected Zanu PF Government, led by President Mnangagwa.

"In terms of what cyber terrorists had planned which did not materialise yesterday (Monday), this is a clear demonstration that Zimbabweans fully support the Government that they elected, that is the Zanu PF Government which is headed by His Excellency President Mnangagwa. This also shows that we still fully appreciate peace and tranquillity in our country," said Dr Muswere.

He described those who incited the protests as misguided and delusional figures with unrealistic ambitions.

"Yes, these cyber-terrorists were led by one (Blessed) Geza, a liberation war mistake with a lot of delusional hallucinations in that he actually believed he could create an uprising in our country which is a clear misdirection of ambition. We are here and we can witness that peace and tranquillity continues to exist in our country," Dr Muswere said.

He emphasised the importance of collective responsibility in achieving national development goals and assured the nation that the security sector remained vigilant in addressing such activities.

"Zimbabweans have got a shared responsibility in order to achieve Vision 2030 which seeks to achieve an upper middle society by the year 2030," said Dr Muswere.

A planned demonstration that had been called for Monday by former Zanu-PF Central Committee member, Geza, was a monumental flop as Zimbabweans chose to uphold the peace and tranquillity prevailing in the country.

Peace prevailed nationwide, with no meaningful demonstrations recorded as it was business as usual.

Schools were open and learners attended classes as usual.

National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said the situation was generally calm countrywide.

Read the original article on The Herald.

Trump Aid Cut - Zim to Unveil HIV Funding Plan

2 April 2025

The Herald (Harare)

By Africa Moyo

Chinhoyi — ZIMBABWE will unveil an HIV sustainability plan expected to address funding issues following the suspension of development partner support through United States President Donald Trump's Executive Order, Permanent Secretary for Health and Child Care Dr Aspect Maunganidze said yesterday.

Speaking at a two-day editors workshop organised by the National AIDS Council (NAC), which ends here today, Dr Maunganidze said Zimbabwe has taken active steps to fill the gap left by the withdrawal of US funding.

"This workshop comes at a time when our health delivery system is at crossroads given the abrupt cessation of funding from some of our foreign partners," he said.

"As a Ministry, we have already taken steps to ensure that our people are not severely affected especially those taking antiretroviral therapy. Part of these steps include budget allocation, budget reprioritisation, national health insurance and others to ensure that our health programmes continue to function and to serve our people as before.

"I am glad that the move by the United States government came when we were already engaged in processes to develop an HIV sustainability plan, which will be ready soon."

Dr Maunganidze said the media, especially editors, should inform the nation about the funding gaps, the discussions and decisions needed to be taken to ensure the Government's response is sustainable and meets the expectations of "our people without leaving anyone behind".

"Your power is not just in informing and educating but in setting the national policy agenda, reframing narratives and advocating for the health and social transformation envisioned by the Second Republic.

"As a Ministry and working together with the National AIDS Council in this regard, we are aware that the health and well-being of our nation will strongly benefit from this engagement today.

"I therefore want to challenge you continue educating the public with accurate, science-backed information, eliminate stigma through responsible, inclusive reporting and to amplify the voices of those living with HIV, ensuring their stories are told with dignity," he said.

Dr Maunganidze added that as the nation moves towards the goal of ending AIDS by 2030, his ministry will continue to strengthen partnerships with the media.

Accurate and timely information has always been a vital resource in public health, which policy makers, media practitioners and the public prioritise, he explained.

The workshop has been convened, rooted in the need to ensure the media continue to prioritise HIV and related morbidities within their coverage and reportage.

Government says without correct and timely information, the public is left to the perils of inaccurate information often peddled by social media.

"Your role is profound in facilitating accurate, objective, and sensitive reporting, debunking myths, and promoting awareness through responsible media coverage, ultimately contributing to public health and well-being," said Dr Maunganidze.

Read the original article on The Herald.

Zimbabwe: ZANU-PF Commends Citizens for Upholding Peace

2 April 2025

The Herald (Harare)

By Joseph Madzimure

ZANU PF has applauded Zimbabweans for heeding President Mnangagwa's call for peace.

Zimbabweans on Monday rejected an attempt by ex-Zanu PF Central Committee member Blessed Geza and his handlers to incite disorder after they snubbed his call for street protests.

The so-called M31 planned demonstration turned out be a monumental flop as Zimbabweans chose to uphold the peace and tranquillity prevailing in the country by staying at home and maintaining peace.

The day served as a testament to the resilience and commitment of Zimbabweans to maintain harmony in their communities, despite the call for unrest.

Speaking at a press conference in Harare yesterday, Zanu PF spokesperson Cde Christopher Mutsvangwa said Zimbabweans showed restraint and discipline as they refused to take part in mayhem and despondency by staying at their homes.

He said those who planned the demonstration failed to execute their plans.

"Their leaders Tendai Biti and Saviour Kasukuwere should understand the geo politics of the world. The USA will never support the shenanigans of planning to topple the Zanu PF Government.

"People want confidence in a leader before they follow him. Then Geza expected people to follow him, maybe it was those behind him who gave him courage.

"You cannot just wake up thinking you can change a Government in Africa; things and systems have changed.

"President Mnangagwa has addressed the majority of challenges in Zimbabwe, (for example) the marginalisation of the War veterans is being addressed," said Cde Mutsvangwa.

"Someone (Geza) was wearing a military uniform at the age of 70 trying to be a saviour, Zimbabweans are not interested in the farce which happened yesterday. The revolution is very much alive".

Zanu PF, he said, reaffirms its commitment to the security, stability, and economic progress of Zimbabwe.

"As a Government that serves the interests of the people, we take security issues seriously and remain steadfast in ensuring that Zimbabweans continue to uplift their lives and livelihoods without disruption," Cde Mutsvangwa said.

Zimbabweans, he said, are fully aware of the severe damage inflicted on the economy by so-called demonstrations, which served only to cripple progress and undermine national development in previous years.

Cde Mutsvangwa added that the Government remains focused on implementing policies that empower its citizens, strengthen the economy and uphold peace and security.

Read the original article on The Herald.

98 Arrested Over Failed Zimbabwe Protests

2 April 2025

The Herald (Harare)

A total of 98 individuals who took part in the failed demonstrations on Monday appeared before the Magistrates Court yesterday, charged with participating in a public gathering with the intention of promoting violence.

Protesters reportedly chanted slogans, threw stones at police officers, and attempted to barricade roads with bricks and tyres.

Harare Provincial Magistrate, Mr Isheunesu Matova presided over the cases of 95 suspects, while three others - Moreblessing Nkomo, Jenifer Chimange, and Stabile Maduve -appeared separately before Magistrate Ms Ruth Moyo.

The trio was arrested at Copacabana Bus Terminus, while the other 95 were apprehended at Robert Mugabe Square.

Prosecutor Mr Anesu Chirenje told the court that the group gathered at Robert Mugabe Square around 9:20 am on March 31 as part of a broader plan to cause disruption.

Some individuals reportedly recorded videos and took photographs of the protest, which were later shared on social media to incite further unrest.

Of the 98 suspects, 94 were arrested at the scene, while another was apprehended at his residence after being identified in online footage.

Written submissions from both the State and defence teams are expected to be heard starting Tuesday, with the bail ruling scheduled for April 10.

Meanwhile, Information, Publicity, and Broadcasting Services Minister, Dr Jenfan Muswere said the failure of the protests demonstrated Zimbabweans' full support for President Mnangagwa and the Zanu PF Government.

Speaking at a post-Cabinet briefing, Dr Muswere dismissed the organisers as "misguided cyber terrorists" and reaffirmed the nation's commitment to peace and stability.

He emphasised that Zimbabweans share a collective responsibility in achieving Vision 2030, which aims to establish an upper-middle-income society by 2030.

Read the original article on The Herald.

South African National Assembly Speaker Didiza Dismisses Objections Report on Budget 2025 Procedurally Flawed

The DA, EFF, MK Party and ATM are among those who raised issues of procedural irregularities including in letters to the speaker on Wednesday.

National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza (right) gave an update on SONA preparations on 5 February 2025. Picture: @ParliamentofRSA/X

CAPE TOWN - National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza has dismissed objections from a number of political parties that a report on the 2025 budget fiscal framework before the house this afternoon is procedurally flawed. 

The Democratic Alliance (DA), Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party and African Transformation Movement (ATM) are among those who raised issues of procedural irregularities including in letters to the speaker on Wednesday. 

But Didiza said she was satisfied the committee had not flouted any house rules on Tuesday night when it made amendments to the report without putting them to the vote. 

The most contentious amendment is that the report be adopted provided that the value-added tax (VAT) increase is removed within 30 days. 

Off the back of a flurry of letters to the speaker’s office on Wednesday, political parties were quick on their feet on Wednesday afternoon to once again register their objection to the committee processes. 

The DA's chief whip, George Michalakis, said, “If the house considers that report, despite the procedural defects, that this house would be complicit in what we believe to be an illegal report at this stage.”

The EFF’s Omphile Maotwe said, “We are putting it to you that you’ve been misled, to believe that happened in the committee, because it did not.”

Didiza said she responded to all the letters she’d received and found nothing untoward about the committee’s marathon proceedings.

“I’m not convinced that the committee contravened the law or the rules when finalising its report. There’s no legal impediment preventing this house today [Wednesday] to proceed with its business.”

The business of the house continues. 

ANC Insists Ramaphosa's Leaked Audio Was Not Offensive

President Cyril Ramaphosa and his Deputy Paul Mashatile were giving feedback to ANC members of Parliament (MPs) on negotiations ahead of Wednesday’s budget vote.

President Cyril Ramaphosa promulgated the full implementation of the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act on 20 December 2024. Picture: Supplied

JOHANNESBURG - While President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office admits that his address to the African National Congress (ANC) caucus was leaked on Wednesday, it insists he said nothing offensive.

Ramaphosa and his Deputy Paul Mashatile were giving feedback to ANC members of Parliament (MPs) on negotiations ahead of Wednesday’s budget vote.

In the leaked audio, the president can be heard telling his party members that the Democratic Alliance (DA) placed itself in an unpleasant position and that it was now up to the party to find its way out.

The parties have been at odds over the budget and the DA’s demands for more powers in the Government of National Unity (GNU).

Both Ramaphosa and Mashatile have said opposing the budget would mean the DA has defined itself outside the coalition government.

In the leaked audio, Ramaphosa gives off the impression of a quintessential congressman who is cool under fire.

This comes as he takes his party members into his confidence on discussions with the DA’s John Steenhuisen.

"And he asked if the ANC says we should leave the GNU? I said the ball is in your court. You have put yourself in this position, so you need to work your way out."

Ramaphosa also hit out at the DA for countless insults he says it leveled against the former liberation movement.

"And I said, what seems to please you is that you want to be in government, and you also want to be the opposition, and I said you can't have your cake and eat it."

The president’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya says the leaking of the meeting will not alter the president’s attitude nor commitment to keeping the gnu – even with the DA alive.

Of course, this will depend on Wednesday’s parliamentary sitting, where MPs are due to vote on the budget.

ANC Calls on Parties to be Patriotic and Support the Budget

The chairperson of the standing committee on finance, Joe Maswanganyi, told the sitting that the report should be adopted because they followed the rules of Parliament.

FILE: An African National Congress (ANC) flag flies outside a polling station in Langa, near Cape Town, on 1 November 2021. Picture: AFP

CAPE TOWN - The African National Congress (ANC) has finally tabled the highly contentious report on the fiscal framework and revenue proposals, calling on parties to be patriotic and support the budget.

Earlier, political parties objected to the report’s tabling in the National Assembly, saying it was not procedurally adopted by the standing committee on Tuesday night.

But the sitting continues as parties prepare to vote on the report’s adoption and the 0.5% value-added tax (VAT) increase.

The chairperson of the standing committee on finance, Joe Maswanganyi, told the sitting that the report should be adopted because they followed the rules of Parliament.

After outlining the process followed, Maswanganyi called on parties to vote in support of the fiscal framework for the benefit of South Africans.

"I want to move that the report of the standing committee be adopted today, and as patriots, let’s make sure that we vote for this report, not for party politics"

The Democratic Alliance (DA)'s Dr Mark Burke called the report farcical, saying it sounded like an April fool’s joke.

"It’s significant that this report was considered yesterday [Tuesday] in committee, on the 1st of April. A farcical day for a farcical process leading to a farcical report. Yet it’s a report that sadly isn’t an April fools joke – a report where our people are the victims."

While the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and MK Party rejected the report, the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) supported it, saying any tax proposal must be well considered.

The debate continues.

Martin Sostre’s Life Teaches Us Revolutionary Moments Are Always Upon Us

Sostre laid a foundation for contemporary Black anarchism and prison abolition. A new biography finally tells his story.

By Josh Davidson, Truthout

March 30, 2025

Protestors rally in support of the Connecticut Black Panthers and activist Martin Ramirez Sostre in New Haven, Connecticut , on May 1970. A banner reads "Free The Connecticut Panther 14."

“All struggles of liberation are linked and interconnected. Whatever serves the cause of liberation in one area of this planet affects us.” —Martin Sostre

Outside of prisons and the movements that work to abolish them, the life and legacy of Martin Sostre is little known. A Black Puerto Rican anarchist born in East Harlem, Sostre became a politicized prisoner in the early 1960s who, as a renowned jailhouse lawyer, used the criminal legal system to benefit himself and those incarcerated alongside him. He gained international recognition in his ultimately successful freedom campaign and continued to fight government repression and the violence of structural racism for the rest of his life. Yet he died in relative obscurity at the age of 92.


A new book by historian Garrett Felber, A Continuous Struggle: The Revolutionary Life of Martin Sostre, aims to make Sostre’s fascinating life and abolitionist legacy accessible and relevant to today’s liberation struggles. The book will be released by AK Press on May 6, 2025. For each copy pre-ordered from AK Press or Burning Books, a free copy of the paperback prison edition will be sent to an incarcerated reader.


“Alongside defense campaigns for Angela Davis and Huey Newton, the movement to free Martin Sostre represented one of the most improbable, if since forgotten, victories of the Black Power era,” Felber writes in the book.


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Abolitionist Josh Davidson spoke with Felber about Martin Sostre, his life of “continuous struggle,” and why this book is so important and needed today.

The following interview has been lightly edited for clarity and length.

Josh Davidson: What initially led to your correspondence with Martin Sostre before his passing in 2015? How did you first hear about him, and why is the story of Sostre and his “original Black political ideology” important today?

Garrett Felber: I initially came across Sostre’s name in a letter written to Malcolm X in the early 1960s by a Muslim incarcerated at the Attica prison in New York. He was a comrade of Sostre, and they were being held in solitary confinement along with dozens of others punished for their identification with the Nation of Islam and lawsuits against the state over the right to practice Islam inside. They were asking Malcolm X to testify as a key witness in their upcoming trial. I read the letter in the early 2010s, and had just begun a dissertation on the politics of the Nation of Islam during the civil rights era (which eventually became my first book, Those Who Know Don’t Say). At the time, there was a barebones Wikipedia page for Sostre, which I later learned was maintained by his son Vinny. I found Sostre’s address and wrote him a letter. To my surprise, he wrote back!

Despite being 90 years old at the time, he politely told me he was too busy for an interview. We corresponded briefly, and in his last letter to me, he mailed a packet of primary documents which included a revolutionary newsletter he published from solitary confinement and an article about a daycare center he cofounded with activist Sandy Shevack in Paterson, New Jersey. “The enclosed documents contain more information than I could possibly convey to you via email or phone,” he wrote to me. I later came to understand this as a key principle of Sostre’s political practice: He believed actions spoke louder than words.

Sostre recognized that the struggle is not only continuous, but also contiguous. Borders and prison walls physically disconnect us from one another, and in doing so, they obstruct our abilities to organize collectively against a common oppressor.

Ultimately, Malcolm X did testify in the case in Buffalo, New York, alongside Sostre, who had helped write the lawsuit. The case resulted in an important legal precedent in what would soon emerge as the prisoners’ rights movement. As historian and academic Robin D. G. Kelley points out in his beautiful foreword to the biography, the politics of this period are too often delimited to debates about Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. Besides the obvious sexism of that paradigm, it also forecloses other types of revolutionary politics.

Sostre offers a crucial window into another strain of Black revolutionary politics which came from the streets and bookstores of Harlem during the Great Depression: the armed struggle of the Puerto Rican nationalist movement and the movement for religious rights led by imprisoned Muslims in the Nation of Islam. Sostre moved from Black nationalism, to revolutionary Black nationalism, to Maoism and Marxism-Leninism before eventually identifying as an anarchist. What made Sostre such an original political thinker was how he learned from his life experiences and continued to develop his ideas through the contradictions that emerged with each phase of struggle. Through this, he helped lay the foundation for contemporary Black anarchism and prison-industrial complex abolition.

Sostre oftentimes referred to life outside of prison as “minimum security” and life behind the bars as “maximum security.” He recognized the presence and violence of government repression both inside and outside of prison walls, and he consistently combated this using a variety of strategies. From his establishment of numerous radical bookstores to his prolific prison litigation, his creation of autonomous defense committees that outlived his own incarceration to his work on housing justice in New Jersey, Sostre never stopped working in whatever way was needed “building tangible counter-institutions that served the community.” What can Sostre’s commitment to a life of continuous struggle teach us today as we face fascism at home, genocide in Gaza and impending climate catastrophe?

Sostre recognized that the struggle is not only continuous, but also contiguous. Borders and prison walls physically disconnect us from one another, and in doing so, they obstruct our abilities to organize collectively and horizontally against a common oppressor. By using the phrase “minimum-” and “maximum security” to delineate both sides of the prison walls, Sostre importantly interrogated the commonsense notion that the other side of coerced captivity is freedom. Instead, he emphasized the continuum of “repressive forces [that] exist outside as well as in.” The prison is not an institution apart from society; it is a concentrated expression of its most oppressive forms.

Sostre importantly interrogated the commonsense notion that the other side of coerced captivity is freedom.

This simple point is so important to the way we organize, so we do not delude ourselves into thinking we are waging “single-issue” struggles. I tell a story in the book about Sostre’s contemporaries, the revolutionary organizers James and Grace Lee Boggs, who took exception to Sostre’s resistance to forced rectal searches and requirements to shave. “Does he really think it is possible to build a revolutionary movement from inside the prisons?” the Boggses asked. I owe a good deal of my political development to the Boggses and share mentors who do as well, so I was stunned and upset when I first came across their critique. But through conversations with Stephen Ward, who wrote a wonderful dual biography of them, I learned that their criticism was based on what I believe is a fundamental misunderstanding about the meaning of the Attica rebellion and the capacity of incarcerated people to wage revolutionary struggle from inside. They saw the revolt narrowly through what Sostre termed the “Attica reform demands.” Instead, as anthropology professor Orisanmi Burton makes so clear in his groundbreaking book, Tip of the Spear, Attica was an act of revolutionary counter-warfare and what he calls “abolitionist worldmaking.”

So instead of reproducing that mistake and creating a hierarchy of separate struggles, we must embrace their interconnectedness and search for points of solidarity. As Sostre reminded one of his defense committees: “revolutionary struggle is a multi-dimensional struggle; we must eventually broaden our struggle horizontally as well as deepen it vertically.” The prison was a site of struggle — like the courtroom or the streets — and Sostre waged that struggle through a variety of tactics, including letter-writing, self-defense and assertions of bodily autonomy, prison litigation, print publications, art and cultural production, labor organizing, sit-ins and other occupations, and much more.

Until now, with A Continuous Struggle, the legacy of Sostre has been overlooked and understudied. Why are books by and about Sostre not on our shelves alongside those by and about Angela Davis, Malcolm X, George Jackson or Eldridge Cleaver?

This is a great question that I’ve asked myself many times. I don’t think there’s a single answer. But certainly one reason is that Sostre never authored a book, unlike the others you mentioned. The one book about him — The Crime of Martin Sostre — was written by Vincent Copeland of the Workers World Party (WWP) with very little input from Sostre, who was being held in complete isolation during the year it was composed. He briefly glanced over the manuscript at trial, then, just before its publication, Sostre broke with the WWP and thousands of copies languished in a warehouse for years. Sostre talked at various points in his life about writing a memoir. He even met with film producers in Los Angeles at one point about a possible biopic where he would be played by James Earl Jones, but he was skeptical of its political integrity and it never materialized.

Sometimes we memorialize the dead but fall short of honoring the living. Who are the elders that we should be supporting, learning from and lifting up today?

Instead, much of Sostre’s political thought lives on through his organizing and deeds — in courtroom transcripts, legal filings, letters from prison, articles in underground newspapers, and through his relationships with people. I am grateful to all of Sostre’s comrades and their families who shared their materials and memories with me. The archive of struggle resides with those who wage it, and so much of Sostre’s legacy is now better documented and preserved thanks to their generosity.

For those wanting to learn more beyond the biography, I suggest starting with the Martin Sostre Institute, which was conceived by Lorenzo Kom’boa Ervin. Sostre’s personal papers are also now archived in the Labadie Collection at the University of Michigan, and I am in the process of donating many of the oral history interviews and other materials I compiled to the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College, where they will be available to the public. There are other efforts to carry on Sostre’s legacy such as the Martin Sostre Solidarity House in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; the work of R.E.A.L. Youth Initiative in Chicago; and the Justice for Geraldine and Martin campaign in Buffalo. I hope this is all just the beginning of a renewed interest in Sostre’s legacy as well as the broader histories of Black anarchism and prison radicalism.

Sometimes we memorialize the dead but fall short of honoring the living. So much of what is happening with Sostre’s legacy now, I wish would’ve happened decades earlier. Who are the elders that we should be supporting, learning from and lifting up today? The campaign to exonerate Sostre’s co-defendant Geraldine Pointer is a great example of this.

You raise the idea of prefiguration numerous times throughout the book — the idea of constructing today the lives and societies we want in the future. “He saw what could be, rather than what was,” as you write, and he acted to make it a reality. What is the significance of prefiguration in the story of Sostre — to ourselves, our movements and the material world?

Yes, there are two anarchist ideas centered around deeds that appealed in particular to Sostre. One was propaganda of the deed, and the other was prefiguration. Prefiguration can take many forms, but I love how simply Sostre conveyed it: “If we do it right, it’ll end up right.” What he meant was that if we spend our energy destroying the state or other oppressive systems while failing to address the ways they shape our lives and how we relate to each other and ourselves, we’ll just wind up running in place, replacing one oppressive system with another. One of his critiques of Marxism-Leninism was the idea that there are particular revolutionary conditions and how this notion left people inactive and waiting. Sostre believed the moment was always upon us. This revolutionary optimism is palpable in his writings and actions, and today it serves as an urgent call to action.

The best example of prefiguration in Sostre’s life was the decentralization of his defense committees, which he considered his first experiment in anarchist organizing. After relying on a centralized committee in Buffalo for more than five years, Sostre began developing autonomous collectives across the country, and especially upstate New York. These committees came together around the struggle to emancipate Sostre from prison but were conceived more broadly as “revolutionary bases” for future-oriented struggle. I give the example of the Potsdam-Canton committee in the book, which went on to organize around environmental justice and Indigenous sovereignty after Sostre’s release. Within this committee, there were debates about horizontalism — how the meetings should be run, who should shape the agenda, etc. Sostre even envisioned buying land and developing a cooperative grocery, dry cleaners and apartments. Many of these ideas were actualized in a different form with the work he did for 20 years in New Jersey with Shevack, converting abandoned buildings into a community center, daycare and affordable housing.

His basic belief was that only through tangible counter-structures could people begin to imagine the world differently and see themselves as part of that process. So much of the power of prefiguration is in demonstrating step-by-step that a new world is not only possible but exists within and around us every day. It is always in the process of becoming, just as we are.

As you write in the book, Sostre believed “individual resistance could move people toward revolutionary action.” You also highlight Sostre’s advocacy of the anarchist concept of “propaganda of the deed.” What can we learn from this and how does this apply today?

I think he really broadened its meaning by showing how it could be creatively applied to his own conditions experiencing the hidden violence of the prison. His refusal to shave his quarter-inch beard and submit to rectal assaults in prison were examples of “propaganda of the deed.” He used this resistance not only to defend what he considered the “final citadels of [his] personality, human dignity and self-respect,” but also to alert those outside the prison to these dehumanizing practices and encourage those inside to resist alongside him.

In a world that needs to be reimagined and rebuilt on every level, we can’t afford to struggle narrowly.

Similar to prefiguration, propaganda of the deed has the potential to build solidarity and show people their own power. It also raises the important question of political violence and spotlights the true purveyors of violence: the military, landlords, corporations, police and so on.

Much like Sostre’s lifetime commitment to a “continuous struggle,” you always impress me with your ability to fight oppression using various tactics and strategies. Since leaving the life of academia, you have started the Free Society Mobile Library, which offers accessible revolutionary literature in Portland, Oregon; you co-founded Study and Struggle, an inside-outside prison abolition study group; and you work diligently to raise the voices of and bring awareness to the Mississippi Five, women who “have collectively been imprisoned for over 175 years and denied parole 47 times.” Can you talk about these different campaigns you work on and why a diversity of tactics is necessary in our movements and organizing spaces?

A lot of my work centers around political education, and one thing I’ve learned from Sostre and others is that we need to create as many on-ramps as possible. Being “politicized” is not the same as having concrete opportunities to contribute to radical organizing. I love that line from professor, author and activist Toni Cade Bambara: “The role of the artist is to make the revolution irresistible.” I think the role of the educator is to make revolutionary ideas accessible. Some people will be drawn to art and cultural production, others to books and the written word, and still others to care work and developing relationships. In a world that needs to be reimagined and rebuilt on every level, we can’t afford to struggle narrowly.

As Sostre pointed out: “Since oppression is multidimensional does not common-sense dictate that resistance to it be multidimensional; with each level of oppression challenged by a commensurate level of revolutionary resistance?”

South African National Assembly Adopts 2025 Budget Framework

This is despite its biggest Government of National Unity (GNU) partner – the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Freedom Front Plus voting against it.

CAPE TOWN - After some intense number crunching by the African National Congress (ANC), the party has managed to get the fiscal framework and revenue proposals underpinning the national budget across the line in the National Assembly. 

This is despite its biggest Government of National Unity (GNU) partner – the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Freedom Front Plus voting against it.

All other GNU partners backed the fiscal framework - which proposes a 0,5% value added tax (VAT) increase.

The National Treasury will have to return to the standing committee on finance within 30 days to present an alternative to raising the money it needs to fund the R12.59 trillion budget.

There was much jubilation in the house as the ANC breathed a sigh of relief to achieve this feat – with only a few members absent.

House chairperson Cedric Frolick read the final tally: “Honourable members, the outcome of the division is as follows: there were no abstentions, 182 voted against, and 194 voted in favour.”

DR Congo, M23 Rebels to Hold Direct Dialogue in Qatar

The Conglese government and M23 rebels are expected to hold direct talks on April 9 in the Qatari capital.

The meeting in Doha would be the first between the two sides since the rebels backed by Rwanda captured two provincial capitals in eastern Congo.

An earlier meeting planned in Angola on March 18 was aborted after M23 pulled out at the last minute protesting European Union sanctions on its leaders.

Until March, Kinshasa had dismissed the suggestion of holding direct dialogue with the rebels it considers a proxy force of Rwanda.

In mid March, Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame held a surprise meeting in Doha.

Qatar has since hosted Congolese government and rebel delegations separately, Reuters reported on Monday.

Sahel Ministers Visit Moscow to Strengthen Ties With Russia

In a significant shift in the region's diplomatic and security landscape, the foreign ministers of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger will visit Moscow this week to deepen their strategic ties with Russia.

Scheduled for April 3-4, this marks the first AES-Russia consultations since the formation of the Confederation of Sahel States (AES) in 2024.

The visit underscores a growing pivot away from former colonial power France and the regional organization ECOWAS, with these West African nations, governed by military juntas following a series of coups between 2020 and 2023, seeking political and military support from Moscow.

This realignment comes as the Sahel region grapples with ongoing jihadist insurgencies that have devastated local populations, claiming thousands of lives.

As part of the AES's Year 1 Roadmap, chaired by Mali, the ministers will engage with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to discuss enhanced cooperation in defense, security, and economic development.

The AES sees the visit as a "crucial step" toward advancing its shared goals.

Russia has already contributed military support via its Wagner Group, and the three nations have signed defense agreements with Moscow. Collaboration is also underway in the energy and mining sectors.

The visit follows the AES’s decision to withdraw from multiple international organizations and establish a joint 5,000-strong military force aimed at tackling regional terrorism.

By strengthening ties with Russia, the Sahel states aim to bolster their security efforts and assert greater autonomy from Western influence.