EP 6 Africa's Stolen Treasures I African News Review 🌍

In this episode of African News Review, hosts Adesoji Iginla and Milton Allimadi discuss various pressing issues affecting Africa, including Ethiopia's efforts to reclaim looted artifacts, the political implications of the Western Sahara dispute, the role of new media in shaping narratives about Africa, the International Criminal Court's involvement in the DRC conflict, and the recent developments regarding the Chagos Islands deal. 

The conversation emphasizes the importance of historical context in understanding current events and the need for African nations to reclaim their narratives and artifacts.

Takeaways

*Ethiopia is pursuing legal action to reclaim artifacts looted during the Italian occupation.
*The return of looted artifacts is part of a broader movement across Africa.
*The Western Sahara dispute highlights the complexities of colonial legacies in Africa.
*New media platforms are crucial for reshaping narratives about Africa.
*The ICC's involvement in the DRC conflict underscores the need for accountability.
*Trump's support for the Chagos Islands deal reflects ongoing geopolitical interests.
*The historical context of NATO's expansion is vital to understanding the Ukraine conflict.
*The plight of the Congolese people is gaining more international attention.
*African nations must unite to reclaim their cultural heritage and narratives.
*The conversation stresses the importance of solidarity among African nations. 

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to African News Review
01:04 Ethiopia's Quest for Reclaimed Artifacts
14:35 Morocco and Western Sahara: A Sports Dispute
26:52 The Role of New Media in African Narratives
31:35 International Criminal Court's Focus on Congo
37:32 Decisive Stance on Justice
37:59 The Plight of the Congolese People
39:02 Leadership and Responsibility in Congo
39:56 Comparative Analysis of Military Resolve
41:57 International Support and Solidarity
42:31 Trump's Support for the Chagos Islands Deal
45:52 Zelensky's Diplomatic Challenges
49:34 Historical Context of NATO Expansion
58:00 The Broader Implications of the Ukraine Conflict
01:02:46 Cultural Memory and the Call for Action

Transcript

Adesoji Iginla (00:01.178)
Yeah, greetings. Welcome again to African News Review, a weekly conversation about Africa in the Western press and where we look at the stories as they unfold and put things into proper context. And my name is Adesuji Iginla and with me as usual is a comrade, broadcaster, a teacher, Khromri Dhumilty Ahloumadi.

Milton Allimadi (00:30.926)
Thank you my brother.

Adesoji Iginla (00:31.747)
Welcome,

Yes, in a very interesting week, not least what happened on Friday, which at some point we will talk about because it ties into one of our stories for today, USAID.

Milton Allimadi (00:44.878)
Sure.

Milton Allimadi (00:48.974)
And I said, sure, even though I'm going to have an interesting spin and atypical spin on that.

Adesoji Iginla (00:57.466)
So the notion is we need to, we'll go to our first story and that first story comes from the Daily Telegraph.

And it's tight-zoned.

Adesoji Iginla (01:19.89)
The to face demands to return Ethiopian treasures looted by Mussolini. Ethiopia wants to recover artifacts taken by Italians in the 1930s including 300 Christian texts. The story go is filed in by Craig Simpson, the art editor. The Vatican will face demands to return Christian treasures looted from Ethiopia. The Telegraph can reveal.

Milton Allimadi (01:34.293)
you

Adesoji Iginla (01:47.202)
Ethiopia hopes to reclaim artifacts taken during the Italian fascist occupation that began in 1936 as well as items removed by the British military decades earlier. Okay. The Eastern African nation will bring a legal case against the Italian government. Officials in Addis Ababa wants to recover 300 Ethiopian Orthodox Christian manuscripts.

held in the Vatican Library amongst other items. The Library is overseen by the Holy See, the Governing Body of the Catholic Church led by Pope Francis. Your initial thoughts?

Milton Allimadi (02:27.42)
Well, I like the story. You know, I like the story. This is something I think we've discussed in the past. I'm a big, big fan of all these looted artifacts. I think what we discussed was probably the one in Benin. I think we discussed that in one of the early episodes. So every African region that lost artifacts and they're now formed into these

Adesoji Iginla (02:33.444)
Yep.

Milton Allimadi (02:55.978)
uh, nation states whose boundaries were drawn by the Europeans, they should all are large claims. Um, I like it that they're doing individual claims. Uh, one proposal that I had made in an op-ed that I wrote a couple of years ago, I don't remember when now, was that they should do it collectively. Um, and they should build a pan-African museum.

Adesoji Iginla (03:08.602)
Mm.

Milton Allimadi (03:26.42)
preferably in a place like Addis Ababa because that's where the African Union headquarters is. And can you imagine how much money that all these famous museums in New York, in London, in Paris, I don't know which prominent German cities have major museums as well, but all of them,

Adesoji Iginla (03:26.554)
Mmm.

Adesoji Iginla (03:31.961)
Okay.

Milton Allimadi (03:53.649)
and of course Italian museums are beneficiaries of looted artifacts, very priceless items. And I think if they did it collectively and built one museum where all of this recovered, because of course, know, the ones that are going to be recovering are the best of the best, because they stole the best of the best. And then you have this museum in Addis Ababa.

Adesoji Iginla (04:17.146)
Of course, of course, of course.

Milton Allimadi (04:22.919)
That will be a major, major location for education, for recovering our history, but also very importantly, for revenue. You see?

Adesoji Iginla (04:34.714)
Mm-hmm.

Milton Allimadi (04:36.489)
So I'm a big fan of these types of stories, 100%.

Adesoji Iginla (04:40.986)
Ok, so I'll continue. It says the push to reclaim the artefacts is part of an international campaign revealed by the Telegraph. In the UK, it will target the King's Royal Collection, the British Museum and the British Army. Do you sense the paper here is saying, if you allow one, then clearly we will also be in the following line.

Milton Allimadi (05:05.319)
Absolutely, of course. And it's inevitable. It's already ongoing, actually. I know that France, I think it was last year, was it the year before, started returning some items to a couple of West African countries. And it's a process that cannot be reversed now. Absolutely. But can you imagine if they all put out like a joint statement, it would also help the collective individual campaigns, you know?

Adesoji Iginla (05:10.156)
Yeah.

Adesoji Iginla (05:13.998)
Mm-hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (05:24.128)
OK, so that's.

Adesoji Iginla (05:34.242)
Mm. Mm. Mm. Okay. So we dive a little deeper. So efforts will be led by the Ethiopian Heritage Authority, a branch of the tourism ministry. Abeba Ayela Gela, its director, told the Telegraph in Addis Ababa that experts were drawing up inventories of the plundered artifacts held in Italy and the Vatican. And I'll just read one final piece.

Italian forces invaded Ethiopia in 1935 under Benito Mussolini and subdued the Ethiopian Empire led by Haile Selassie, later considered a Masonic figure in Rastafarianism. During the occupation, ended in 1941, Ethiopian palaces, churches, and historical sites were plundered.

Milton Allimadi (06:11.119)
I don't know.

Adesoji Iginla (06:33.762)
statues, murals, thrones, and crowns were transported to Italy. Some of these may have been in Mussolini's possession when he was captured and shot in 1945. Many were deposited in the former colonial museum in Rome. So it goes into detail as in, but there was another part here where it says, while Ethiopia was under Italian occupation, Errico Cerulli, a local governor,

Milton Allimadi (06:56.198)
Hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (07:03.436)
and scholar amassed around 300 religious texts sacred to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Now, so the problem is are they pointing fingers or we're supposed to say, OK, that's 300 with Erico, but we should also focus on what Mussolini also took. Because this

Milton Allimadi (07:24.901)
I'm back to it. Go ahead.

Adesoji Iginla (07:28.148)
this article seems to be all over the place, which is one of the reasons why I brought it up for review. for one, it's acknowledging the fact that this stuff exists within the Italian state. But on one hand, it's a Mussolini has some, Erico has some, the Vatican has some. it pointing fingers everywhere else but at England because this newspaper is a UK-based

publication. What are you talking

Milton Allimadi (07:59.415)
Well, I mean, which is fine. I mean, you know, you can point anywhere that at end of the day, we're going to come to your home as well. You know, and it's good that you're actually in this article is pointing out all these prominent individuals and institutions is very good because now it makes the case much more solid for the Ethiopians. And but I would like to see even a bigger story that goes beyond that because

Adesoji Iginla (08:16.922)
Mmm.

Adesoji Iginla (08:23.406)
Okay.

Adesoji Iginla (08:27.898)
Mm.

Milton Allimadi (08:29.411)
You can't just return the items, you see? There has to be damages assessed. So I want to see a much more sophisticated article that takes the narrative further. You can't come and steal my collections, right? Anything I own. And then at some point, whether it's you or your children or your grandchildren, return it to my descendants.

And then that's it, just like that? Wait a minute. You know, it doesn't work that way. So we need to discuss the issue of reparations. Number one. Number two, it cannot be, you know, divorced from the other crime that the Italians committed against the Ethiopians. When they invaded, they used mustard gas. You know, that was the...

Adesoji Iginla (09:15.258)
Mmm.

Adesoji Iginla (09:26.777)
No.

Milton Allimadi (09:27.428)
Absolutely. And that's rarely discussed. and of course, tens of thousands of people were killed in the most painful way with mustard gas, which had been banned, by the way. But of course, Mussolini didn't care. So, because of how devastating it had been during World War I. So, that also needs to be part of the destruction of Ethiopia. And of course, as you know,

Adesoji Iginla (09:40.439)
Mm.

Milton Allimadi (09:55.778)
The reason why they invaded Ethiopia in particular was because Mussolini wanted to avenge the 1896 defeat at the Battle of Adwa when Emperor Menelik II and Empress Taitu annihilated an invading Italian army led by General Oreste Baratieri. And yesterday, by the way, March 1 was the anniversary, 129th anniversary of the Battle of Adwa.

Adesoji Iginla (10:18.51)
Milton Allimadi (10:24.992)
As a result of that victory, Ethiopia was the only African country not colonized during the scramble for Africa by the European powers. It's a shame that this history is not widely sufficiently known in Africa and in the Pan-African global community. The Battle of Adwa. If anybody listening right now, you know, go look it up. In fact, I wrote a dramatized version

Adesoji Iginla (10:35.482)
Mmm.

Milton Allimadi (10:55.328)
in a graphic book of the Battle of Adwa. And it's called Adwa, Empress Taito and Emperor Menelik in Love and War. And it's available on Amazon. Unfortunately, I don't have a copy with me. I have a draft of a play. I'm doing a version of a play of the Battle of Adwa. Because I think we need to know

Adesoji Iginla (11:00.481)
Yeah

Adesoji Iginla (11:16.441)
the play.

Adesoji Iginla (11:20.858)
Have you finished it?

Milton Allimadi (11:23.388)
Every young African needs to know the fact that we had a major victory against and invading the European and Italian army at a time when they said the propaganda that was spreading was that Europeans are superior and can never lose to an African army. So I'm shocked that every African country does not teach this history in the way it should be taught.

Adesoji Iginla (11:47.674)
There's one final part I want to get your thoughts on. And I don't know why the place got that centipede. It says, legal case within 18 months. Despite being named a war criminal, referring to Erico Cerulli, he donated his collection to the Vatican in 1954, where it remains. It is understood that once an inventory of the collection is complete,

Milton Allimadi (12:06.984)
Mm-hmm.

Milton Allimadi (12:12.061)
Right.

Adesoji Iginla (12:16.076)
Ethiopia will approach the Holy See with a request to return any looted artifacts. Italy will face a legal case based on the 1947 Treaty of Paris, which insisted a former fascist nation hands back cultural and religious treasures looted from Ethiopia within 18 months. So if that is already on the books, why do we now have to go to the Vatican? Surely the Vatican can take it upon itself.

to do that.

Milton Allimadi (12:47.097)
No, I don't mind the fact that, you know, they will prepare an inventory and then once these things are surrendered, they're going to compare it with the list that they draw up. Because if you don't do that, if they've been holding it illegally all this time, you know they're going to hide some, you see? So that's why it's important to do inventory. But you see, missing here is, so you're in defiance of a treaty and you're telling me there should be no penalties for that?

Adesoji Iginla (12:56.474)
Mm-hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (13:04.91)
Yeah.

Adesoji Iginla (13:14.414)
that you

Milton Allimadi (13:16.946)
You just hand it over now? No, no, that's not enough. Part of drawing this inventory, they need to talk to legal experts as well and assess their operations and damages. Yes.

Adesoji Iginla (13:21.85)
Hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (13:31.594)
Okay, okay. So, for those who want a copy of the book, can you tell us what the title of the book is again?

Milton Allimadi (13:41.5)
Yes, go to Amazon. It's Adua, which of course is the name of the location where the battle was. A-D-W-A and then it's Adua. Empress Taito, T-A-Y-T-U and Empress and Emperor, sorry, Menelik, M-E-N-E-L-I-K, in love and war. That is the title.

Adesoji Iginla (14:05.346)
When did the battle take place itself? The battle.

Milton Allimadi (14:07.63)
Watch 1, 1896.

Adesoji Iginla (14:10.318)
So we've just recently passed the anniversary.

Milton Allimadi (14:12.157)
Just yesterday, 129th anniversary. Absolutely. And what I like the most was that here you have an Empress, right? Clearly this was not like, you know, Antoinette, right? Not Marie Antoinette. She is on the front line, you know, risking her life to preserve the independence of her nation. She was put in charge of the canons, you know, in those days they had cannons.

Adesoji Iginla (14:15.898)
129 years. Okay.

Adesoji Iginla (14:28.57)
You

Milton Allimadi (14:41.84)
Today they would call it artillery, right? In charge of that battalion. So this was a no-nonsense Empress woman. In fact, it's widely believed it was upon her insistence that the Ethiopians decided to resolve this issue militarily. Because she was notorious for saying no, no, no during negotiations. And her husband was more accommodating and liable to say yes, yes.

Adesoji Iginla (14:43.768)
Agilary,

Adesoji Iginla (15:12.386)
So yeah, that's another leader that we probably have to look into much more. So speaking of illegal matters, for our next story, we go to the Associated Press. And this is a story we've run before, but it's come to a legal conclusion. For now, obviously, it won't be appealed.

Milton Allimadi (15:17.666)
Absolutely.

Adesoji Iginla (15:41.888)
said for now. Let's just say it's come to a legal conclusion, but I want to get your thoughts on it. The news again comes from the APs titled Sports Highest Court says Moroccan soccer shirts depicting the map of disputed area was a breach of the rules. And the story is filed in by Sam Metz. A court

Milton Allimadi (15:50.469)
Mm-hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (16:04.806)
A court governing international soccer disputes has ruled that depicting the disputed Western Sahara as part of Morocco on club jerseys violates the rule against sports messaging. The Suites Bayes Court of Appreciation for Sports, or CAS for short, on Wednesday upheld an appeal from Algeria Soccer Federation contesting the Confederation of African Football's April 2024 decision, allowing a Northern Moroccan club to wear jerseys.

featuring the disputed map. And he goes further. The map of the image of a map of Morocco, including Western Sahara on the sheds of RS Beccan, depicts a message, a demonstration of propaganda or political nature, as it represents the assertion of a territorial dispute that is contested and still unresolved as of today. The court panel ruled.

And it goes further. Western Sahara, a phosphate-rich former Spanish colony the size of the United Kingdom, is a territory claimed by both Morocco and the Polisario Front, a pro-independence movement that operates out of refugee camps in southern Algeria. A 1991 UN brokered ceasefire established a mission to organize a referendum on the region's future.

Milton Allimadi (17:06.368)
Ahem.

Adesoji Iginla (17:33.816)
But the disagreement over voter eligibility has long stalled the process. Your initial thoughts.

Milton Allimadi (17:41.74)
Well, I mean, we are familiar with the whole issue of the, yeah, well, the inhabitants themselves call it the Sahrawi Democratic Republic. And we're familiar with that issue. And the saddest thing is that Morocco itself, which had to fight for its independence from France, is now basically colonizing another African region.

Adesoji Iginla (17:46.019)
Western Sahara.

Adesoji Iginla (17:54.627)
Republic.

Adesoji Iginla (18:08.622)
claim someone else. Yes.

Milton Allimadi (18:12.039)
And of course, this is part of the propaganda because had the Algerians accepted and not made a deal about that, it means you are now endorsing Morocco's illegal occupation of the Sahrawati people. So even though people might say, this is just a sports story, it's beyond sports. So it's very important. And I'm glad they the article. And obviously, the Confederation of

Adesoji Iginla (18:27.364)
Yeah.

Milton Allimadi (18:41.382)
African football, the fact that they had no problem with the issue, it suggests to me that there's a much bigger story that has not been reported yet in terms of why would they do something like that, you know.

Adesoji Iginla (18:53.978)
Mmm. Mmm.

I think we'll find out as we go into the story. I'll continue. So it says the territorial dispute drives foreign policy for both Morocco and Algeria, which supports Polisari's claim. The two countries caught diplomatic ties in 2021 and have since fought over soccer jerseys, caftan, tiles, and airspace. The soccer dispute originated last year when players for Morocco's RS Beccan had uniformed, seized

Milton Allimadi (19:01.045)
Okay.

Adesoji Iginla (19:27.16)
by Algeria authorities at the airport before the first leg of a semi-final against US Algeria. The Confederation of African Football, which organizes the continent's international football soccer competitions, denies Algeria's request to ban the shirts. And RSBK refused to wear replacement and the game did not go ahead. Later, US refused to play the second leg of the game in Algeria. The host was the Jesse

CAF awarded wins to RSBK by default. So here's the ruling, which will lend reason as to why that is the case. The ruling came as Morocco emerges as a political force in African soccer, preparing to host this year's African Cup of Nations and the 2020-2030 World Cup along with Spain and Portugal.

Morocco soccer federation president Fawzi Leka is a key influence at CAF. As a member of its executive committee and within FIFA, where he is also among the elected African members of the world soccer ruling body, Leka is also a past president of IRS Beccan.

Milton Allimadi (20:43.537)
Okay, so what is missing from this story is whether there had been any attempt or whether in fact this Beka recused himself from any of the issues related to this dispute. So by not addressing it, whether he, whether there was an attempt to have him recuse himself and then whether that was successful or whether he refused, that's a very important part of the story, you know.

Adesoji Iginla (20:47.46)
Mm-hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (20:53.21)
Mm-hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (21:00.1)
Clearly not.

Adesoji Iginla (21:12.601)
Hmm.

Milton Allimadi (21:13.062)
is almost like a lead for the story. Because to me, the other unaddressed and unanswered issue, which of course is much more difficult to find out, but it can be proven, was whether some money was paid to the Confederation of African Football to ignore this blatant violation. It's like, so let's say Nigeria and one of its neighboring countries.

Adesoji Iginla (21:36.324)
Mmm.

Milton Allimadi (21:42.548)
I'll say Nigeria and Cameroon, And you have a dispute over some territory and it's unresolved. In fact, I think there is some dispute that Nigeria has.

Adesoji Iginla (21:54.17)
Yeah, the Bacchusy pen is a laugh. Yes.

Milton Allimadi (21:56.635)
Okay, very good. So let's say now the Nigerian of, you know, club soccer team or national team draws a map that includes that region as the Nigerian. Would that not be a major issue? It's preposterous. So there's a bigger story as to why the Confederation of African Football did that. It could be beyond the fact that this guy's

Adesoji Iginla (22:10.296)
Of course it do be.

Adesoji Iginla (22:20.815)
Hmm.

Milton Allimadi (22:25.497)
is a member of the executive. To me, what would make much more sense and much more credible to me is that some advantages were secured. Some consideration was made. Was it outright payment? Was it a bribe? it, know, we'll give you this in return for that? Only that way would it make sense. Just the guy's presence alone is not sufficient.

Adesoji Iginla (22:48.21)
goody also.

Adesoji Iginla (22:54.454)
Exactly. And could it also be because they're going to host the African Cup of Nations, the next edition of it?

Milton Allimadi (22:55.172)
Yeah.

Milton Allimadi (23:00.624)
Absolutely. So why were so much more money is available? So the other members of the executive, I find it difficult to believe that they just did that for no reason without any incentive. Okay, that's what I'm It's just my journalistic instincts, you know.

Adesoji Iginla (23:15.802)
You

Adesoji Iginla (23:20.548)
So you think they were financially motivated.

Milton Allimadi (23:23.694)
I think there was sufficient reason for them to go along with that agenda. Since I have no proof, can safely say it was worthwhile for them to go with that agenda.

Adesoji Iginla (23:27.002)
Hahaha

Adesoji Iginla (23:33.978)
You

Milton Allimadi (23:43.465)
Thank you.

Adesoji Iginla (23:44.67)
yeah. Yeah. I mean, it's been a long running saga since.

Milton Allimadi (23:50.799)
It's serious. I think I wouldn't be shocked if there's a military, you know, clash between these two countries eventually. Morocco is determined to steal that territory and Algeria, because of its, you know, history, the Pan-African leaning, anti-colonial, anti-imperialism, you know, they're not going to back off as well.

Adesoji Iginla (24:05.434)
Yeah.

Adesoji Iginla (24:13.122)
Yeah, anti-colonial.

Milton Allimadi (24:20.866)
You see? And now, as you know, they mentioned it in 1991, they were supposed to have that referendum, right? They never did, because of Morocco's intransigence, you see? And now, we are talking, well, that's 34 years now, right? Which means now, because Morocco has been packing people down, giving money,

Adesoji Iginla (24:21.272)
Yeah.

Adesoji Iginla (24:28.954)
Correct.

Adesoji Iginla (24:35.706)
Yeah

Adesoji Iginla (24:45.912)
Yep.

Milton Allimadi (24:47.287)
to people in Morocco to relocate, giving them money relocation, building them homes. So now they've completely polluted the electoral row, you see? Yeah, because if you now have a referendum, of course you brought in all these new people, they're going to vote. One of the issues was that only those who were resident by that time, and of course their descendants would be allowed to vote.

Adesoji Iginla (24:50.02)
Mm-hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (24:59.226)
Role. Yeah. Yeah.

Adesoji Iginla (25:05.407)
We should not

Milton Allimadi (25:16.597)
And that's why Morocco does not want to accept that clause. They want everybody who is there now to be eligible to vote.

Adesoji Iginla (25:19.326)
Exactly.

Adesoji Iginla (25:23.834)
Hmm.

I mean, there's also two other factors. One is Morocco in 1975, Christmas Day 1975, moved about 200,000 people across the border into, yeah. So there is that one. And we also must not forget the war, the 2,700 mile long war that splits the country diagonally.

Milton Allimadi (25:41.355)
Yeah, think about it.

Milton Allimadi (25:55.873)
Mm-hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (25:56.558)
from North to South. again, have what, need I mention that that world was actually financed by the United States, but that's another issue. So at least we know the United States knows how to build walls now or finance walls anywhere they want to. So being that that is May and now they've embedded themselves into football and they know how important football is to the African continent.

Milton Allimadi (26:12.108)
Thank

Milton Allimadi (26:25.056)
Yep. Propaganda.

Adesoji Iginla (26:25.504)
using that as a bargaining chip. How do you see this playing out in the long run in terms of we know that there is this

unfettered infness, as it were.

Milton Allimadi (26:40.957)
Right. Right. I don't see, you know, I hate to put it this way, but it might come down to military. Something has to change the playing field. Right now, the playing field is stacked in Morocco's favor. The only thing that Polisario has is they have the recognition of the African Union. But it's very different. It's not like, remember when Africa was fighting against apartheid,

Adesoji Iginla (26:53.562)
Mm.

Milton Allimadi (27:10.152)
in South Africa.

Adesoji Iginla (27:10.426)
Yeah, the focus was there.

Milton Allimadi (27:13.255)
The focus was there, not only the focus, the resources, you see? They were attacking diplomatic as well as military until the white minority regimes, all of them eventually came down. Right now, the Polisario and the people of the Sahrawi, they only have diplomatic support from the African continent and many African countries. But there's no serious...

Adesoji Iginla (27:16.162)
Mm-hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (27:21.529)
Hmm.

Milton Allimadi (27:41.83)
Apart from Nigeria, course, Algeria gives them support, the military training. And without Algeria, this issue would have died a long time ago.

Adesoji Iginla (27:52.089)
Yeah, yeah. True, true, true. Yeah, so kudos to Algeria for standing against imperialism while others are faulted. And so we've come to the halfway mark and it's important that please do like, share, subscribe to the channel. We are growing. We hope to, you know, extend the numbers.

now that legacy media has sort of filtered away its responsibility as it were. The owners is on... gone.

Milton Allimadi (28:23.237)
No, you know, I'm glad you said that, you know, this is a very serious issue because this new platform is the new

Adesoji Iginla (28:28.506)
Mm.

Milton Allimadi (28:36.054)
a new legacy media, right? We have to guide the conversations that we need, serious conversation. And it's clear that the old school media, aka legacy, don't have the influence and the impact that they used to in the past, right? In the past,

Adesoji Iginla (29:00.879)
Mmm. Mmm.

Milton Allimadi (29:04.92)
And that, of course, is good and bad, right? In the past, legacy media could prevent a person like Donald Trump from being elected president of the United States, correct? But now, the other media spaces allow a candidate like that to be successful, a candidacy like that to be successful and to be elected.

Adesoji Iginla (29:09.54)
Okay.

Adesoji Iginla (29:20.89)
Good idea.

Milton Allimadi (29:34.328)
because he can no longer be blocked. You see? So he goes to social media. He goes to Axe, right? So where the legacy media denounces him in editorials, whether they promote another candidate, obviously it was not successful, right? So what I'm gonna say on this, it shows you the importance of the new platform and the kind of impact that it can have. So,

Adesoji Iginla (29:53.369)
Yeah.

Milton Allimadi (30:04.099)
And that is why we need to build our presence and actions and activities on this new platform. We can actually make sure that they stop false

distortion of the reality in Africa. So for example, and let me just wrap up very quickly, the ongoing war of aggression in Eastern Congo, and we discussed this a few weeks ago, where the BBC keeps talking about M23 and neglects the fact that M23 is actually a proxy for Rwanda's very powerful, well-armed military, you know, well-

Adesoji Iginla (30:25.774)
Mmm.

Milton Allimadi (30:52.328)
armed by Israel has the most sophisticated arms probably in the entire East African region, you see? So that is what Congo is facing. It's not facing M23. So for the BBC to leave that out of its headlines consistently, that shows an agenda, you know, aiding and abetting a war of aggression against the Congo. We discussed this issue a few weeks ago, and I mentioned how I've also discussed it on my radio show, WBR.

Adesoji Iginla (30:58.938)
Mm.

Milton Allimadi (31:22.754)
But more importantly, I tweet, you when I go on an accident, I tweet and I question the BBC, why are you not including the fact that this is a Rwandan invasion or Rwandan-backed invasion in your headlines when other media have started doing that? You are aware that they're doing that and yet by you making the choice not to do so, you're aiding and abetting aggression. And I would make sure that I would tag Secretary General of the UN.

Adesoji Iginla (31:33.88)
Okay.

Adesoji Iginla (31:46.554)
Mm.

Milton Allimadi (31:51.606)
Guterres on it because he had already explicitly said publicly that Rwanda needs to withdraw. So if the UN Secretary General and the US administration, which by the way, had been supporting Kagame, are saying that, who are you at the BBC to leave that reference out unless you have a hidden agenda? You want this invasion to succeed? You want that part of Congo to be annexed? You see? So we can question that.

Adesoji Iginla (32:03.288)
Already acknowledged.

Adesoji Iginla (32:20.154)
Hmm.

Milton Allimadi (32:21.215)
We don't have to be a big media outlet like the New York Times or like CNN to have impact because I'm telling you, I did it consistently for four or five days. I noticed they started changing and put Rwanda back in the headline. And then sometimes they would not, the minute they don't do it, I go back and I say, the Ministry of Propaganda, the Ministry of Propaganda is back at it again. So you don't have to be, what I'm saying is you don't have to be humongous.

Adesoji Iginla (32:42.54)
You've left our ruin.

Milton Allimadi (32:50.945)
to have impact. So let's take advantage of this space, such as the one we're trying to create here. And that is why the SOGI is saying, support this space.

Adesoji Iginla (33:00.922)
Thank you. you. And speaking of Rwanda and Congo, we go to our next story, which comes from Radio France International. it's titled, ICC prosecutor Karim Khan Arrives in DRC Amid Escalating Eastern Conflict. The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, has arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo. His office announced on Tuesday.

as the nation contends with a surge in the conflict in the East. The Rwanda backed M23. I think that's how you wanted it.

Milton Allimadi (33:42.493)
Yep, they're very explicit, not mincing words, you see? And if you had read that to me without telling me where you're reading it from, I would have said, I don't know where it's from, but it's not from the BBC. I would have told you that.

Adesoji Iginla (33:44.89)
As in recent... Yeah.

Adesoji Iginla (33:55.258)
You

Milton Allimadi (33:59.039)
That's it.

Adesoji Iginla (33:59.706)
Okay, so it says the Rwandan-backed M23 has in recent weeks captured two major cities in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, securing a significant stronghold in the region since resuming its insurgency in late 2021. We are extremely concerned about the recent developments in Congo. We recognize that the situation, particularly in the east, is critical, Khan told reporters, upon his arrival in the capital, Kinshasa.

The message must be conveyed unequivocally. No armed group, no armed forces, nor any ally of such groups or forces have a blank check," he stated. The most adhered to international humanitarian law, added. According to... Go on.

Milton Allimadi (34:42.97)
Okay, you know what? Read all that part again. That is some powerful stuff,

Adesoji Iginla (34:48.026)
We are extremely concerned about recent developments in the Congo. We recognize that the situation particularly in the East is critical, Kanto reporters, upon his arrival in the capital Kinshasa. The message must be conveyed unequivocally. No armed group, no armed forces, nor any ally of any of such groups or forces have a blank check, he stated.

Milton Allimadi (35:11.708)
Wow, that is serious business. That is serious business. Obviously, we know who he's referring to. Ally of an armed group and saying no blank check. That's a very serious statement coming from the prosecutor of the ICC. And it's very serious coming from a prosecutor of the ICC who indicted the prime minister of Israel.

Adesoji Iginla (35:17.786)
You

Adesoji Iginla (35:21.663)
Of course. Of course. Of-

Adesoji Iginla (35:29.198)
You too. Yep.

Milton Allimadi (35:42.52)
the Minister of Defense of Israel. And as a result, the Prime Minister Israel now cannot travel to some countries because there's been a warrant issue. If he is willing to do that to the Prime Minister of Israel, I mean, I don't know what to say to General Kagame, is what I'm saying. You see? No, no, think about it. I would be shocked if we don't see

Adesoji Iginla (35:44.09)
You have gallant.

Adesoji Iginla (35:53.452)
It weren't. Yep.

Adesoji Iginla (36:00.026)
You

Adesoji Iginla (36:09.454)
Yep, yep.

Milton Allimadi (36:12.637)
eventually some serious indictments, you

Adesoji Iginla (36:16.186)
And it's necessary as we should come to find out in the course of reading this article that, you know, it's just

Milton Allimadi (36:26.173)
I mean, what they're doing to the civilian population in Congo, it's just... Yeah, that's the best word for it. I agree with you.

Adesoji Iginla (36:30.234)
No, no, it's abhorrent. It's abhorrent. It's abhorrent. It's abhorrent. It's abhorrent. And we're not talking starting in 1960s. This thing has been going on since 1831, at least. 1830, the assault, it's just, it's just morally repugnant. And there are people just

Milton Allimadi (36:44.837)
Absolutely.

Milton Allimadi (36:54.619)
Yes, absolutely. And you know what, I'm glad though, I'm glad that I see some of the tide beginning to change even on social media. Because you know what, you know, and that's part of the problem. you know, our young people are so desperate for something that looks different, you see. So because of the destruction in Africa, the many corrupt

Adesoji Iginla (37:05.016)
Hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (37:14.746)
Mm.

Milton Allimadi (37:22.48)
military regimes or civilian regimes who have not delivered the level of desperation. So when people see Rwanda and they see Kagame and they see Kigali is clean and everything looks efficiently operated and all that. So I hope people need heroes, you see? So compared to all the other misrulers,

Adesoji Iginla (37:22.667)
leaders.

Adesoji Iginla (37:39.066)
pristine.

Adesoji Iginla (37:43.716)
Mm-hmm.

Mm.

Milton Allimadi (37:51.278)
A lot of young people had embraced him as a hero and I can understand exactly why. But now I see even these young people in the social media exchanges now, that is now, they're shifting away from that. They're now beginning to side with the victims of this war of aggression. I find people now posting stuff like, I never knew this about Kagame. You know, I'm shocked. I saw this.

Adesoji Iginla (37:55.768)
Yep.

Adesoji Iginla (38:05.498)
Mm.

Milton Allimadi (38:20.09)
But now I'm seeing this. So people are now drawing their own conclusions based on the information I saw there. So that's a very encouraging sign as well.

Adesoji Iginla (38:25.166)
Yeah.

Yeah, yeah. So I'll continue. He says, according to UN experts, the M23 is supported by approximately 4,000 Rwandan soldiers. So effectively, that's saying that's the Rwanda army. Khan is set to meet with Congolese authorities, beginning with the head of state, Felix Tishikedi, and members of the government. He's also held meetings with Bintu Keita, the special representative of the UN.

Milton Allimadi (38:44.377)
Okay.

Adesoji Iginla (38:57.53)
United Nations Secretary General Antony Guterres. He, Khan, has urged both sides to end the violence, particularly those responsible for crimes in North Kivu, where the M23 militia, backed by Rwanda, continues to fight the Congolese army and has seized a significant proportion of the province. He has also said his mission aims to bring justice to bear in the ongoing crisis.

How many generations of your children are going to be sacrificed? Khan said upon his arrival, enough is enough. Too many people have interfered in the affairs of this country. And this has been the case for years.

Milton Allimadi (39:36.505)
okay, you know what, I don't even need to listen to any more from this article. That article for me came to a conclusion when that quote enough is enough. That could be an entire article right there, enough is enough. So I'm glad it seems very clear that the prosecutor has taken a decisive stance now. So I hope that his official

Adesoji Iginla (39:45.53)
You

Adesoji Iginla (39:53.018)
Mm.

Milton Allimadi (40:04.981)
Decision and action is going to match the statements that that we are hearing from him right now Yeah, I find it very very encouraging. So let's wait and see what happens, you know

Adesoji Iginla (40:10.651)
Mmm. Mmm. Mmm.

Adesoji Iginla (40:17.53)
I just finished the last part. said, he added, the people of DRC are as precious as the people of Ukraine, the people of Israel or Palestine, and the girls and women of Afghanistan. Yeah, that's...

Milton Allimadi (40:29.342)
I'm a man.

Milton Allimadi (40:35.018)
bro, it's almost as if I wrote this in an editorial myself. No, really, that's a type of editorial that I would write. So I have to say, this is the rare instances where I'm completely satisfied with an article, speaking truth to power. I think finally, the plight of the Congolese people has touched

Adesoji Iginla (40:42.682)
Mm.

Mm.

Adesoji Iginla (40:53.144)
Wow.

Wow.

Milton Allimadi (41:02.846)
the heart and the conscience of people that can make a difference, you know, for them.

Adesoji Iginla (41:07.428)
Hmm. Hmm. So.

Milton Allimadi (41:10.224)
And if, she said, Katie survives this, if Congo does not make it a priority really to build an efficient professional armed force, it does not deserve to be president or even to finish his term. The number one priority of a natural leader should be able to secure the safety of your citizens. What is Congo doing with the money

Adesoji Iginla (41:27.618)
Yeah but the thing...

Adesoji Iginla (41:33.972)
border.

Milton Allimadi (41:38.719)
Yes, we know a lot of money is being stolen, but still you are still in control of substantial parts of your country where revenue is being generated. So where is the money going? Are you even paying your soldiers on a timely basis? Are you giving them the weapons they need? Because to me, when I read articles that soldiers abandoned their weapons and just fled.

Adesoji Iginla (41:48.26)
Hmm?

Adesoji Iginla (41:57.912)
Mm. Mm.

Adesoji Iginla (42:05.359)
Mm.

Milton Allimadi (42:06.774)
soldiers not willing to defend their country? I mean, look, you know, we can discuss the reasons behind the war between Ukraine and Russia, right? It's not as simplistic as the Western propaganda media would want us to believe that Russia just woke up one day and put in, said, ah, I feel like going to war today. No, there's some background in it, but that's not the, you know,

Adesoji Iginla (42:17.946)
Sure.

Adesoji Iginla (42:25.932)
And the meat is, yeah.

Milton Allimadi (42:35.679)
what we're discussing now, but I wanted to draw the analogy. Ukraine stood up against a much more powerful army.

Adesoji Iginla (42:38.874)
Mm.

Milton Allimadi (42:47.242)
true, since then they've gotten, you know, all the support, money that's dwarfed, you know, whatever even Russia can spend from NATO and from the United States. But had they abandoned immediately the way Congolese soldiers have been doing, they would not have even survived long enough to get that type of assistance. You see what I'm saying? So look at the difference. You see? So obviously those soldiers

Adesoji Iginla (42:51.2)
billions.

Adesoji Iginla (43:08.748)
Hmm. Joe?

Milton Allimadi (43:15.999)
had something they thought was worthwhile, sacrificing for. And that's what is completely missing in the Congo. Not denying that that army is facing an army which is much superiorly equipped because Rwanda works very closely with Israel, correct? But you're not showing me anything hopeful at the same time. If you're holding the line,

Adesoji Iginla (43:20.09)
Hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (43:35.182)
Yeah, correct.

Milton Allimadi (43:43.834)
Okay, you are being defeated, you are holding the line. Then even other African countries have more incentive to come and support you because they see the sacrifice and commitment you are making. But very few African countries would want to send their force to bear the 100 % brunt of the fighting. No. I think that's why many African countries have not been willing to come out very quickly to support them either. see? Show me that you want to resist.

Adesoji Iginla (43:56.122)
Mm.

Adesoji Iginla (44:09.582)
Mm, mm, mm.

Milton Allimadi (44:14.329)
now I can come and help you. But you want me to come and do 100 % of the resistance on your behalf? Come on now.

Adesoji Iginla (44:15.93)
can support, yeah.

Adesoji Iginla (44:27.706)
Okay, so we go for a story. It's your man. And this one comes from the Money Paper, the Financial Times. it leads, Donald Trump indicates he is ready to accept UK proposal for Chagua's island deal. Remarks are a significant win for Sir Keir Starmer as he visits the White House for talks over Ukraine.

Milton Allimadi (44:28.211)
W H

Milton Allimadi (44:37.564)
Mm. Mm. Yes.

Milton Allimadi (44:49.94)
Mm.

Milton Allimadi (44:56.052)
Right.

Adesoji Iginla (44:57.21)
So it's filed in by Lucy Fisher in London and George Parker in Washington, DC. Donald Trump has signaled he will throw his support behind the Chagas Island deal between the UK and the Mauritius in a significant win for Keir Starmer. Trump's comment came as he hosted the British prime minister at the White House on Thursday for bilateral talks over the future of Ukraine.

Milton Allimadi (45:22.417)
you

Adesoji Iginla (45:24.322)
I have seen the details of the Chaguan Island deal and it doesn't seem bad. How can you see details and you say it doesn't seem bad? But I think we'll be inclined to go along with your country, Trump said as he sat beside Kestama, as a side star in the Oval Office. London had been braced for Trump's administration's verdict on the proposed agreement, which would involve the UK handing sovereignty of the Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius in exchange for leasing back the

Milton Allimadi (45:40.465)
you

Adesoji Iginla (45:53.782)
archipelago's largest island, the island houses a crucial U.S. UK joint military base. Under the deal agreed by Mauritius, Britain will list the atoll of Diego Garcia for an initial 99-year period, with an option to extend it for another 40 years. What do think of the initial idea that your man has—oh, sorry.

President Donald Trump, the President of the United States has...

Milton Allimadi (46:24.475)
Mm-hmm.

That's fine, you can say my man, I'm sure listeners understand what you're saying.

Adesoji Iginla (46:30.234)
has a mm-hmm yeah

Milton Allimadi (46:39.032)
And it's going to be hard for you to figure this out.

Adesoji Iginla (46:42.124)
Go on, try me.

Milton Allimadi (46:43.471)
with trump sitting with star mar at some point you know something was shown and the media that was broadcasting it to the world and at that moment i knew that star mar was going to get anything he had come to ask for i didn't know that this was a part you know this chapel's thing was being discussed you know

Adesoji Iginla (46:48.099)
Mm-hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (47:08.281)
Okay?

Okay?

Milton Allimadi (47:12.163)
but now I'm not surprised. You know, something happened that told me that aha, this is a winning visit. Do you remember what that was?

Adesoji Iginla (47:15.843)
Okay?

Adesoji Iginla (47:24.203)
Himomi.

Milton Allimadi (47:26.617)
Hmm?

Adesoji Iginla (47:28.068)
Tell me.

Milton Allimadi (47:28.941)
Sorry.

Adesoji Iginla (47:30.798)
Sure, sure, sure, I don't know.

Milton Allimadi (47:31.801)
you don't remember. Okay, so let me give you a hint. Wow. Look at that signature. What a beautiful signature.

Adesoji Iginla (47:35.63)
Okay.

Adesoji Iginla (47:40.89)
God. gosh.

Milton Allimadi (47:44.056)
Remember?

We'll back.

Adesoji Iginla (47:46.866)
yeah, the, the, sorry, the invitation to visit the, God, no, the woman you said, the woman you said the signature.

Milton Allimadi (47:51.395)
The invitation for the royal banquet.

and he held it up like this. Look at that beautiful signature. Do you think that Stammer was not going to get whatever else he wanted? I'm sure Stammer came with a list of 10. And he asked for the five and he said it was going good. But after that signature, Stammer said, I'm going to ask for the other fives as well on the list. You see? No, I'm not kidding. But now let me get to another serious point. And this is why I told you that.

Adesoji Iginla (48:01.082)
You

Adesoji Iginla (48:10.202)
You

Adesoji Iginla (48:24.73)
Hmm

Milton Allimadi (48:28.661)
It's going to be very difficult for me to see how Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, survives. Right? Because he has not only disappointed the United States, but he's disappointed two other key allies, which is the United Kingdom and France. And why do I say this?

Adesoji Iginla (48:33.305)
Mmm.

Adesoji Iginla (48:37.002)
Mm. Yeah.

Adesoji Iginla (48:47.45)
Mm.

Adesoji Iginla (48:51.322)
Yeah

Milton Allimadi (48:55.735)
The UK and France, know.

how they know the deficiencies of the American president, correct?

Adesoji Iginla (49:07.45)
Mm. Mm-hmm.

Milton Allimadi (49:10.167)
They come there for their photo-aunt. What did they say? Macron corrected Trump once.

when Trump said, the Europeans are getting all their money back. And, know, Macron tapped gently, he said, in a very good, a very good tone though, you see.

Adesoji Iginla (49:30.958)
Mr. President.

Yep. No strident.

Milton Allimadi (49:35.923)
Right, and he broke it down in components how this assistant is being sent, correct?

Adesoji Iginla (49:39.834)
Mm.

Yeah, correct,

Milton Allimadi (49:43.957)
and left it at that. And when Trump said, well, you know, if you want to believe that, you know, fine. He did not get it back and forth. He said, no, no, no, no, Mr. President, they should believe it because let me give you the breakdown, blah, blah, blah. He left it like that. They had a good meeting and probably resolved some things that they agreed upon, correct?

Adesoji Iginla (49:47.628)
If you believe that, if you want to believe that...

Adesoji Iginla (49:57.626)
Mm.

Adesoji Iginla (50:05.038)
Yeah correct, yeah.

Milton Allimadi (50:06.475)
Stammer knows the deficiencies of the American president. Did he air it out there in public? No. You have to be willing, if you're coming and asking for help, to take a little beating. Because we know the nature of this person you're dealing with.

Adesoji Iginla (50:13.596)
No. No, there was no need to.

Milton Allimadi (50:30.837)
We expect you who's coming for assistance to be able to control your environment and be disciplined because even before the meeting we know the person you're meeting with is not disciplined and here's why I'm saying I'm disappointed. I am willing to guarantee I can't say guarantee I'm willing to bet I can't even say bet but I would not be shocked

Adesoji Iginla (50:30.97)
Mm.

Adesoji Iginla (50:46.202)
Okay.

Adesoji Iginla (51:00.154)
Mm-hmm.

Milton Allimadi (51:00.459)
Comrade, if French intelligence briefed Zelensky, if British intelligence briefed Zelensky, and if Macron himself had a conversation with him before he went to meet Trump, and Stammer had a conversation with him before he went to meet Trump to prep him that this is the nature of this person.

Adesoji Iginla (51:20.302)
Okay.

Adesoji Iginla (51:27.289)
Okay?

Milton Allimadi (51:29.779)
Keep your eyes on the prize, which is the bigger picture, right? So should this happen? Let it go, let it go. But he could not let it go. And I'm not saying, you know, I'm shocked that he could not. War is very stressful. You know, you could see it's physically agitated, correct? It's very stressful because, you know, people are dying. You're not getting enough sleep.

Adesoji Iginla (51:33.434)
Don't get sucked into

Adesoji Iginla (51:41.774)
Yeah, yeah. You don't stand your ground.

Adesoji Iginla (51:52.012)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Milton Allimadi (51:58.14)
you're worried about how you're going to defend your territory, you know, your cities. So I can understand why it may have been impossible for him to hold back the fire. But at the end of the day, it's like a mouse biting the toe of an elephant, you know? And this one is an erratic elephant. Yes. Yeah. So that's what I wanted to say. I had a different kind of take. Remember in the beginning of the show?

Adesoji Iginla (52:07.258)
Mmm.

Adesoji Iginla (52:16.154)
Mmm.

very erratic it could just start stumping.

Milton Allimadi (52:27.75)
I said, when we discuss this issue, my take is going to be a bit different, right? Because you know the nature of the person you're dealing with.

Adesoji Iginla (52:27.908)
Mm.

Adesoji Iginla (52:33.731)
Okay.

Milton Allimadi (52:38.236)
I mean, once you started challenging them openly like that, how did you think it was going to end? Think about it.

Milton Allimadi (52:47.418)
when the Ukrainian ambassador to Washington covered her head with a handbrake.

Adesoji Iginla (52:53.102)
That was our face. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You knew what was done.

Milton Allimadi (52:55.932)
She was not saying, look at what Trump and JD Vance are saying. She was saying, my president fell for the trap.

He allowed himself to be lured. That's what she was saying, I'm sure.

Adesoji Iginla (53:12.474)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Milton Allimadi (53:15.821)
You see So what trump did? Okay Beyond what he has done in the past In the sense that the setting was the overall office, but he has behaved like that Even listen, this is a guy Who during The I don't I think it was the 2016, you know campaign When he said

Adesoji Iginla (53:30.154)
in the Oval Office.

Milton Allimadi (53:46.34)
I forget which candidate when he mentioned how ugly the guy's wife was. Think about that.

Adesoji Iginla (53:53.498)
I think it's even my cron

Milton Allimadi (53:56.662)
No, no, no, no, When they were contesting the Republican primaries, and he was one of his contestants in the Republican primaries. Yeah.

Adesoji Iginla (54:06.266)
it was a cruise, Ted Cruz, Ted Cruz, Ted Cruz Wives. Yeah, that's ID, leave ID alone. was Ted

Milton Allimadi (54:14.624)
Imagine and then he also said, you know one and I think it's probably maybe Cruz again. yeah, he said, you know, the guy's father was a terrorist or something, you know Yeah, think about that

Adesoji Iginla (54:25.634)
Yeah, yeah, Ted Cruz.

Milton Allimadi (54:32.142)
Think about that.

And these are guys who now have to humble themselves.

come back and you know Rubio is now his his secretary of state the same Rubio who called Putin a terrorist and said we and said we can't trust him we can't do business with him right so how can you think that you Zelensky is exceptional and they're going to be special rules for you you see i'm just being realist everybody's saying the obvious

Adesoji Iginla (54:45.078)
lapped session.

Adesoji Iginla (54:51.869)
Yep.

Adesoji Iginla (54:55.576)
Yeah, yeah.

Milton Allimadi (55:10.845)
Every commentator they send the obvious. This is abysmal behavior by Trump and Vance. Shocking. know, lambasting another president in like that. Nobody's seeing it the wrong way. It is not like an Obama with the characteristics and character Obama suddenly flipping out and doing something like that. That would be shocking, correct? Trump has behaved that way throughout.

Adesoji Iginla (55:16.471)
Of course.

Adesoji Iginla (55:24.43)
Maybe.

Adesoji Iginla (55:33.082)
Yeah, yeah, correct.

Milton Allimadi (55:39.127)
It would have been shocking had he not responded the way he responded. After Zelensky broke it down to JD and said, what kind of diplomacy are you talking about JD?

Adesoji Iginla (55:55.596)
You

Milton Allimadi (55:56.661)
You know, from then on, you know, this was, you know, artillery. And then JD just came back very personal. Isn't it true that you can't even recruit people into the army now? Are you denying that?

Adesoji Iginla (56:08.922)
Can you imagine? Can you imagine? I mean, you know, I'm when I was

Milton Allimadi (56:13.995)
they say, as they say, it went ghetto. And I'm just glad that this is not happening under a black president, right? Because they will say, this is their ghetto tendencies. So now you have Europeans acting ghetto.

Adesoji Iginla (56:23.361)
It's...

Adesoji Iginla (56:30.456)
I for me, watching it, was just... I was like, whoa, okay, interesting.

Milton Allimadi (56:34.656)
It was shocking but at same time not shocking because this is Donald Trump. What? In fact at one point I would not have been shocked if he had pushed him hard off his chair because at one time he actually tapped him a little bit like that. I didn't escalate it any further. I wouldn't have been shocked. He pushed me very hard to the ground.

Adesoji Iginla (56:44.602)
Hmm

Adesoji Iginla (56:54.114)
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Adesoji Iginla (56:59.802)
gonna be in 50 cups.

Milton Allimadi (57:04.479)
my God.

Adesoji Iginla (57:06.68)
mean, it's interesting times in the United States. It's really interesting.

Milton Allimadi (57:10.142)
Hmm?

Okay, that's best word. Interesting. Very interesting times. Very peculiar.

Adesoji Iginla (57:18.806)
It's interesting times. It's interesting times. Because it's, you know, I mean, still talking about the issue of narratives and what have you. It's under an executive order on, I think was, was it March the first year, March the first, making English language the official language of the United States.

Milton Allimadi (57:27.273)
Mm-hmm.

Milton Allimadi (57:34.975)
Mm.

Milton Allimadi (57:40.127)
Yeah, let him do that while the population keeps changing demographically. There's some things you can't stop. It's like trying to plug a leak in a dam with your finger. Absolutely, that's what he's doing.

Adesoji Iginla (57:47.482)
Mm.

Adesoji Iginla (57:53.72)
with your finger. Sparta.

Okay, I'll continue the story. okay, so it goes on. They're talking about a very long-term powerful lease. This is Trump talking. When you hear powerful and very strong in the same. Yeah, beautiful. Nice signature. About 140 years, actually, that's a long time. I think we're inclined to go along with your country, Yadid. It's a little bit early.

Milton Allimadi (58:09.922)
He likes those words, you powerful, know, elegant, beautiful, nice, nice, know. You know I'm saying? Yep.

Adesoji Iginla (58:27.682)
We have to be given the details, but it doesn't sound bad. goes on. However, UK Secretary, Foreign Secretary said this week that Britain was extending an effective vector on the deal to Trump, owing to its implication for US security. The Diego Garcia base had been a launch pad for long range US bomber aircraft in recent decades and considered a crucial listening post in the region. So.

Opposition to it has come from the Republicans as usual. Senior Republican allies of Trump had been critical of the deal, hammered out between the UK and Mauritius, citing concerns that it can bolster Chinese interest in the Indian Ocean. Opposition MPs, including reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who is a friend of Trump and Conservative party leader, came in bad enough.

had also heaped scorn on the deal, including its price tag of 9 billion for the initial 99-year lease.

Milton Allimadi (59:33.498)
Yeah, nine billion over a hundred years, know, that's chicken feet. That's not a lot of money. To have a platform for neo colonialism and imperialism. Come on now. Yeah, I think the deal will be sealed after the state banquet.

Adesoji Iginla (59:33.975)
Any...

Adesoji Iginla (59:41.09)
I mean,

It's more pricey.

Milton Allimadi (59:56.813)
you know, and he has this spectacular meal and he has the photos with King Charles, you know.

Adesoji Iginla (59:57.332)
Mm. Okay.

Milton Allimadi (01:00:06.744)
Yeah, and the statement by your foreign secretary, you know.

Adesoji Iginla (01:00:11.15)
Yeah.

Milton Allimadi (01:00:12.536)
You we are giving him the veto. You know, they know how to work with this individual. You placate him, you know. If that's what you want to get, if that's what you want to get, course, you know.

Adesoji Iginla (01:00:19.14)
So did you? It's like a child.

Adesoji Iginla (01:00:26.552)
hmm hmm so i mean one gone

Milton Allimadi (01:00:27.832)
Yeah.

Milton Allimadi (01:00:32.782)
But actually, ironically, ironically, I'm also not a supporter of this, you know, endless supply of weapons and money to Ukraine. You know, this is a war that needs to come to an end. And it's a war that even though Russia did launch the invasion, I agree with Noam Chomsky.

Adesoji Iginla (01:00:43.194)
Yeah.

Milton Allimadi (01:01:00.282)
who analyzed this very carefully, NATO kept extending and wanted to extend the boundaries all the way to Ukraine. And obviously that would be unacceptable to Russia, just like it would be unacceptable back in the day when they still had the Warsaw Pact, you know, to extend that to Cuba. And of course it nearly happened and it nearly led to war. But the Cuban, yeah.

Adesoji Iginla (01:01:05.666)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

boundaries.

I mean, what, yeah.

Adesoji Iginla (01:01:21.399)
Yes.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, the Kiber missile crisis. Yeah. I mean...

Milton Allimadi (01:01:29.562)
crisis, absolutely. So for corporate media to leave that out of the story is very disingenuous, you know.

Adesoji Iginla (01:01:36.562)
Exactly, which is some of the reasons why platforms like this are also very important because they give you the context for whatever it is you're looking at. The news did not start when the news was written. There was something that led to the issue escalating and

Milton Allimadi (01:01:41.242)
100%.

Milton Allimadi (01:01:45.33)
So good, man.

Absolutely.

Milton Allimadi (01:01:53.322)
Right, but they battle in, comrade, on that fact which supports the agenda. Russia launched an invasion and they say an unprovoked invasion, you see? And that unprovoked part is where we need to analyze, you see?

Adesoji Iginla (01:01:56.73)
Mm-hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (01:02:00.246)
Yes.

Adesoji Iginla (01:02:04.452)
First of Crimea, 20.

Adesoji Iginla (01:02:14.508)
Okay. Let's do a bit of analysis here. I'll give you take. One, when Reagan famously told Mikhail Gorbachev, Mikhail Gorbachev is the last guy that led the entire USSR, as it's known, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. So when he said to him, pull down that wall,

Milton Allimadi (01:02:26.2)
Mm-hmm.

Milton Allimadi (01:02:36.482)
Soviet Socialist Republics,

Adesoji Iginla (01:02:43.77)
And the guarantee is if you allow the reunification of Germany, NATO would not pass the former Berlin Wall line. So that line across the East. Fast forward, that happened. Berlin Wall came down in 1989. And subsequently in 1994, you had the first motorings of an Eastern Bloc country.

Milton Allimadi (01:02:48.728)
Correct.

Milton Allimadi (01:02:55.544)
There you go.

Adesoji Iginla (01:03:14.228)
seeking to join NATO and it was Poland. Poland is essentially, looking at Russia. And before you know it, you know, the Baltic states, the three Baltic states in the north of Russia, your Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia, were also seeking to join NATO. And then, Lord and Behold,

Milton Allimadi (01:03:24.169)
Yeah.

Milton Allimadi (01:03:38.333)
Yep.

Adesoji Iginla (01:03:42.776)
The revolution happened in Ukraine. And before you know it, they're on the doorstep. Of course. Haven't reneged on that deal. And the first person that actually reneged on it was Clinton. And every other president since then has just increased the, quote unquote, the level of, you know, yes.

Milton Allimadi (01:03:50.419)
Yep.

Milton Allimadi (01:04:08.445)
They kept shifting the line, right? It's important. It's a big part of the story. By leaving that out, it is completely disingenuous, you know?

Adesoji Iginla (01:04:20.58)
Fast forward the 2014, the invasion of Crimea. Why the invasion of Crimea? Because NATO wanting to pull in Ukraine was effectively going to lock, turn Russia into a landlocked country. Because the Crimea used to hold the Black Sea Fleet, one of the most powerful navies in the world. You know, pre-

pre the break up of the Soviet Republic. And so that meant Russia would have to go round to come out to the sea. And there is nowhere anyone want to do that. And so they invaded Crimea and the next in the same year, 20 August, they invaded Dombass. And again, you know, so all of this, if you put it into context is pretty straightforward, but.

Milton Allimadi (01:05:14.004)
Absolutely, and it doesn't mean that you end up supporting the invasion, but now you understand the broader components of this conflict You see? Story it has to come to an end They should stop giving you know, Ukraine is billions of billions of dollars because then it has no incentive to reach an accommodation just like Israel has no incentive to reach an accommodation with the Palestinians because it's so one-sided

Adesoji Iginla (01:05:18.279)
You're not.

Adesoji Iginla (01:05:24.48)
Yes. Yes.

Milton Allimadi (01:05:42.622)
getting billions and billions from the United States, regardless of the consequences of their actions, including the massacre of Palestinian people.

Adesoji Iginla (01:05:46.093)
Yeah.

Adesoji Iginla (01:05:52.698)
And again, you know, it ties up all the stories we've run. If you, the first one was basically stolen treasures, know, artifacts that depict who you are as a people have been taken away. And once your cultural memory has been stolen from you, you're effectively being roamed off a narrative. And then we ended up with Mr. Khan's assertion that, listen, enough is enough.

people cannot continue to die like this you know

Milton Allimadi (01:06:21.832)
Very powerful. Very powerful. I'm glad you brought up the story. In fact, I'm going to write a commentary editorial building up on that and saying, now we are waiting to see if your action will match the words, you know.

Adesoji Iginla (01:06:38.658)
Yeah, yeah. And so yes, again, we've come to the end of another African news review. And today's episode has been as usual, informative, thanks to the good comrade and his analytical skills. And

Milton Allimadi (01:06:55.594)
Thank you. Thank you for your contribution in this election, man. You've been picking some very excellent pieces to critique.

Adesoji Iginla (01:07:04.942)
Thank you very much. you. And so, again, we've come to the end of this week's episode and I'll leave the final thoughts to Comrade.

Milton Allimadi (01:07:17.186)
As always, I'll do to continue our, let's love ourselves, let's love Africa, let's African diaspora, whatever African people exist. We are the cradle of civilization and human life. And that is where at the end of the day, everything shall return. We are going to provide the solutions because we started life. So it's incumbent upon us. So see you all next week.

Adesoji Iginla (01:07:38.948)
Yeah. Yeah. Yes. See you all next week. And once again, thank you all for joining us. Do remember to like, share and subscribe. Each one bring one. Until next week, it's goodbye for now.