Africa

Workers’ news round up

IRAN On 9 April 2007, Iranian security forces detained Mahmoud Salehi, under the pretext that he must liaise with prosecutors over arrangements for a May Day demonstration. Salehi, the former President of the Bakery Workers’ Association of the City of Saqez and a well-known labour activist in Iran, was told that he had been sentenced to one year imprisonment and a three year suspended prison sentence for organising for May Day 2004. After objecting to the illegal manner of his detention, Salehi was taken immediately to the Sanandaj Central Prison, not even allowed to contact his family, lawyer...

Somalia: Islamic courts or democratic unity?

by robin sivapalan THE North London Workers’ Liberty forum “What next in Somalia after military intervention?” on 22 February was attended by about 70 people, including many Somalis living locally in Wembley. Abdi Hassan from the Somali Civil Liberties and Human Rights Right organisation outlined the picture on the ground in Somalia, with nightly raids by the government and Ethiopian forces resulting in a growing death toll, disappearances and mass displacement. He characterised the actions of the Transitional Federal Government as amounting to war crimes, a barely disguised act of genocide...

Ethiopian teachers union fights to survive

By Sacha Ismail based on a longer article by Wondimu Mekonnen, former lecturer at Addis Abba University and Ethiopian Teachers’ Association On 14 December, Ethiopian Teachers’ Association (ETA) activist Ayalew was detained without a warrant by the Ethiopian government. Ayalew has reportedly been tortured and denied medical treatment while in police custody. His relatives and fellow ETA members are now extremely worried, as they have not known either his health condition nor his whereabouts since 18 December. Another activist, Mengistu, disappeared on 15 December. For fifteen years the...

Confict in Somalia escalates

By Cathy Nugent At the end of last year the Islamist group which had been in control of much of Somalia since June 2006 — the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) — was driven out of the capital Mogadishu by Ethiopian troops, acting on behalf of the Somalia’s “official” government. The US probably gave the Ethiopian troops technical support. On Sunday 7 January US forces made air raids in the south of the country, ostensibly to attack an al-Qaeda cell which they hold responsible for lethal 1998 attacks on US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Further air raids have been made by Ethiopian forces. The US...

Western Sahara: Galloway on the wrong side again

I really wish I wasn't doing so many posts about George Galloway. But he keeps on saying/doing outrageous stuff - eg. on the veil, and on abortion - and until his footsoldiers notice that the Emperor has no clothes, I'll have to keep pointing out his nakedness.

Morocco occupies the Western Sahara...

Emergency demo in solidarity with LGBT people in Uganda!

The National Union of Students' Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual campaign has organised a demonstration to protest against the continued persecution of LGBT people in Uganda - assemble 4pm, Friday 22 September 2006 Ugandan High Commission, 58-59 Trafalgar Square, London WC2. The following is a statement from NUS LGBT Officers Scott Cuthbertson and Claire Anderson: A few weeks ago Red Pepper, a newspaper in Uganda, printed a list of prominent Ugandan figures who are gay, including students from the Makerere University, as well as a list of underground gay venues. In its article the...

No deportations!

No deportations to Iraq! The Coalition to Stop Deportations to Iraq held a successful and well-attended conference in London on Saturday 24 June, opened by John McDonnell MP. Dashty Jamal of the International Federation of Iraqi Refugees gave an overview of the current situation in Iraq— “turned from a modern country into a jungle”. Sawsan Salim from the Kurdistan Refugee Women’s organisation spoke of the circumstances of women fleeing from Iraqi Kurdistan. Sarah Cutler (Bail for immigration Detainees) gave a practical speech to the conference about the first steps to be taken by asylum...

How Europe underdeveloped Africa

By Chris Reynolds In the Middle Ages, Ethiopia was not underdeveloped. Walter Rodney — a black Marxist historian assassinated in 1980 as he tried to build a working-class party in his native Guyana — wrote: “The kings distinguished themselves by building several churches cut out of solid rock. The architectural achievements attest to the level of skill reached by Ethiopians as well as the capacity of the state to mobilise labour on a huge scale. “Fine illuminated books and manuscripts became a prominent element of Amharic culture. Equally fine garments and jewellery were produced for the...

African youth fight capitalism and dictatorship

By samm farai monro At the Southern African Social Forum (SASF) held in Harare Gardens between 13-15 October, 3000 radical souls came together to discuss their struggles. Since 2003 the Zimbabwean Social Forum has brought together social movements, progressive NGOs and freedom fighters for people’s forums, action plans and networks to fight poverty and oppression. So it was a natural choice that the ZSF should host the SASF especially since the Zimbabwean democratic struggle against nationalism, capitalism and the love of power is key to the rest of the region. The forum was a space for many...

Starving to save capitalism

By Ben Davies Just one month after the leaders of the G8 countries, the world’s richest, gifted the world’s poorest nations a few more crumbs from their table, we see a gut-wrenching example of the true scale of world poverty and inequality — the famine in Niger. This famine has left 874,000 people in imminent danger of starving to death and has particularly affected children. It has been exacerbated by the slowness of western governments to respond with aid. Médecins Sans Frontières has rightly attacked the way in which many government figures both in Niger and internationally have sought...

This website uses cookies, you can find out more and set your preferences here.
By continuing to use this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.