WEST AFRICA, June 5-8. Two thousand Senegalese and Ivory Coast fishers working on vessels owned by European companies went on strike against racist super-exploitation. “The conditions are very tough,” said a mechanic on a French-flagged ship. “We work just to eat.”
Communism Will Liberate the Masses in West and Central Africa
SOUTH AFRICA, September 28— Nationalism and Pan Africanism are again growing in Africa.
Many are excited about the replacement of French-imperialist backed governments in West and Central Africa. Recent coups in former French colonies Niger, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, and Gabon have ended French imperialism’s stranglehold in this region.
The coup leaders say “no” to France’s long imperialist domination of African resources, finances, and security. But they are saying ‘yes” to Russian and Chinese imperialism, which have long wanted to dominate this region.
Workers have nothing to gain by siding with any imperialist or capitalist! The solution to France’s racist exploitation is not to change imperialist masters. It’s to destroy the whole capitalist system with communist revolution. To end wage slavery and racist exploitation.
Masses of workers can produce to meet our own needs, not for the profits of any capitalist or imperialist. We can collectively use and share the resources to improve our lives.
The capitalist system, our mortal enemy, is taking us to World War III to decide which set of bloodthirsty murderers will exploit us. We need to get rid of them all!
Niger’s Importance
French imperialism exploited and stole Niger’s uranium, high-purity petrol, and other minerals. The US has up to 4,000 military personnel in Niger. Its key strategic node is a drone facility in Agadez.
Niger has become an essential transit hub for sending gas from Nigeria, which has more gas than Norway. That gas is desperately needed in Europe since the US destroyed pipelines bringing Europe gas from Russia. France wants it, but not the US, which wants Europe using only US LNG. As French troops left Niger, US military drone operations ramped up from their drone facility.
Seventy percent of French power comes from nuclear energy. Niger’s uranium has been a bonanza for French imperialism. Uranium ore sells on the world market for US$50 to $100/kg. The French bought it for US $0.80/kg!
Uranium sells in the US for between US$300 and $500/kg. Significantly, Niger’s new government raised the price of uranium to US$200 per kg.
Pan Africanists emphasize how European capitalists have been exploiting these resources. It is a main thrust of resentment in Niger, which Russians have exploited in their propaganda. In the 1960s and 70s, western powers still controlled their former African colonies. Russia and China imperialists were seen as actively supporting liberation movements there.
This continues today. Most of the reserve wealth of West Africa in currency and gold is held by French banks.
The Russian and the Chinese capitalist rulers hypocritically admonish their western capitalist competitors. But they want the same thing. They all exploit workers’ labour in extractive industries for their profits. Masses of workers need to see this.
ICWP’s Communist Goal Is to End Capitalism
Western imperialists aren’t the only looters. Russia’s Wagner group steals gold from Sudan. It uses it to enrich leaders like Prigozhin and to fund Russia’s war in Ukraine. They also pillage the Central African Republic, where they own gold and other mining operations. Since Prigozhin’s death, the Russian government has consolidated and expanded Russian influence in Africa.
The Chinese government viciously exploits cobalt mine workers in the Congo.
Many international companies in South Africa engage in corruption with the ANC government.
As long as capitalism exists, the bosses will exploit and plunder, whichever imperialist is in power. We in South Africa can change the ANC to the EFF or the DA, but it would be the same. Communism is the only solution.
In South Africa, many of our class brothers and sisters are immigrants from West and Central Africa. We plan to build communist relationships with some and to win them to join ICWP. They can win friends and family members who can help develop collectives in other countries.
We are building one party worldwide to mobilize for communist revolution. Workers everywhere have the same interests and need: to get rid of capitalism and build communism. In communist society, we’ll share the resources and our work to meet the needs of the workers around the globe.
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