MintCast
Sudan's War, UAE Gold Networks, and the Rise of Anti-Imperialist Alliances
Even as the U.S. empire's gaze is turned towards Venezuela, it continues to meddle in Africa. Foreign intervention is fueling a bitter civil war in Sudan, the Trump administration is pushing a line about a genocide against Christians in Nigeria, with an eye on military intervention, and across the Sahel region, anti-imperialist forces continue to rise and organize, dreaming of a united, pan-African continent that will resist American imperialism and reject Israeli colonization.
Joining MintCast host Mnar Adley today to talk about the continent is Ahmed Kaballo. Ahmed is a British-Sudanese journalist and the CEO and co-founder of African Stream, a media outlet shut down by the U.S. government for publishing inconvenient truths.
Sudan is a nation gripped by a civil war. Since 2023, the country has been in the midst of a bitter conflict between rival military factions. The country's internationally-recognized government is losing ground to the breakaway Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The RSF is widely accused of carrying out a genocidal massacre at El Fasher in the west of the country. Since October, satellite images have hinted at the scale of the slaughter, with some estimates suggesting up to 68,000 people have already been killed.
The RSF would not be such a potent force without significant financial, military, and logistical support from the United Arab Emirates. In turn, huge quantities of freshly mined Sudanese gold finds its way into the Middle Eastern nation; the jewelry stores of Dubai are awash with African gold.
Under huge pressure from the United States, the government of Sudan signed a normalization deal with Israel, paving the way for more regional acceptance of Israel's colonization of its neighbors.
Meanwhile, in Nigeria, the Trump administration has been promoting the idea that there is a genocide against the country's Christian community taking place, and even floating the idea of U.S. involvement in the west African nation's internal affairs.
In this endeavor, he has found an unlikely ally in Nicki Minaj. The rapper (who has no ties to Nigeria) recently spoke at the United Nations, praising Trump for his commitment to protecting the Christian community there. Others have stated that while radical armed Islamist forces are indeed operating all over the Sahel region, their guns are pointed at everyone, and there is no specific purge against Christians.
These threats against Nigeria likely come as a shock to the country's president, Bola Tinubu, who has been among America's most servile allies on the continent. Nigeria has played a key role as the U.S.' enforcer in the region, is a key member of the NATO-approved ECOWAS regional bloc, and has taken steps against anti-imperialist movements developing in Western Africa. Nigeria has also maintained extremely close ties with Israel, unusual for an African nation.
Tinubu spent his earlier years laundering money for heroin traffickers in Chicago, making a fortune in the process, and is widely suspected of being a U.S. national security state asset.
On the opposite side of the spectrum to Tinubu is Ibrahim Traoré of Burkina Faso. Since coming to power in 2022, the young military leader has expelled French troops, ejected Western corporations, and aligned his country with Russia, Cuba, and Venezuela. Promoting pan-African unity and national self-reliance while surviving coup attempts, Traoré is positioning himself as a radical anti-imperialist and has drawn fire from Washington and Paris.
Africa, then, stands at a crossroads between resistance and assistance, between struggle and servitude. What happens in the next few years could decide the fate of the continent in the 21st century.
Don't miss this exclusive interview, only at MintPress News.
Mnar Adley is an award-winning journalist and editor and is the founder and director of MintPress News. She is also president and director of the non-profit media organization Behind the Headlines. Adley also co-hosts the MintCast podcast and is a producer and host of the video series Behind The Headlines. Contact Mnar at email protected or follow her on Twitter at @mnarmuh.