From UNAC:
"What is regime change, and how has the US used it to target nations like Libya, Iraq, and Syria that resist Western dominance? This event will explore how sanctions, propaganda, and military intervention are wielded as tools of imperialism, plunging nations into chaos under the guise of "human rights" rhetoric.
Join us to analyze the devastating consequences of US-led interventions and corporate media propaganda.
Questions? Email us at thenewschoolsjp[at gmail]"
"The US’ Role in Regime Change
UNAC is a co-sponsor of this online and in-person event
Thursday, February 6, 7 PM
At the New School in New York City and online
Click here to register for the online event
Click here to register for the in-person event "
Originally posted January 31st at: blackallianceforpeace.com/bapstatements/imperialism-responsible-for-congo-turmoil Slightly edited.
See also: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_23_Movement Last week the BBC interviewed both Rwandan and Congolese officials about the fighting, while I only heard an interview with the Congolese foreign minister (?) on NPR (on Morning Edition February 1st). The BBC clearly has preferences, but they still allowed both governments to air their views on the conflict. But the BBC hardly ever admits that there are two sides in the wars in the Middle East or Ukraine. Palestinian and other civilians are often interviewed, but the BBC hardly ever interviews an acknowledged member of a Resistance group, junior or senior, or an Iranian or Ba'athist Syrian government official. Occasionally they interview an academic in Tehran who gives a strong showing against "Western" imperialism (thus they rarely have him on?). I think he is sometimes interviewed on The Electronic Intifada's livestream. The BBC frequently interviews "right" to "far right" Israeli politicians, who frequently make little effort to hide their desire to mistreat, starve, torture, and kill the Palestinian civilian population, until Israel can annex every bit of territory "from the River to the Sea" for "settlements." The BBC hardly ever interviews Russian officials on the war in Eastern Europe. I don't recall the BBC ever interviewing a Russian separatist militant or official in Ukraine or a civilian victim of western Ukraine, other than maybe Russian civilians from near Kursk, on pre-war Russian territory. The BBC lets Israelis officials and politicians openly talk, for several minutes, like we're in the 1940's and they face no risk of being arrested for war crimes, while rarely or never interviewing officials from Hamas, Ansar Allah, Hezbollah, the Russian government, Belarusian government, the Venezuelan government, etc. Surely they could find someone official to interview? The BBC does sometimes play clips of Putin or have Steve Rosenberg shout questions at him at events, etc., but they hardly ever interview an official from an "adversary" government, though they must often talk to such officials, 'off camera.' I think they did let a young Chinese influencer effusively praise China's "AI" (?) or social media recently.
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Even US officials usually try to avoid talking like a Likud official on an open mic.
Despite the BAP's view below, I've wondered in general if events in the DRC or elsewhere could be related to a loss of US international power or focused attention, in the same way that conflict followed the destruction of the USSR and Yugoslavia, or an increase in the independence of smaller regional powers in a "multi-polar" world. I'm not saying that Trump is an "isolationist." Biden was what the mainstream media calls an "internationalist," yet events seemed to be out of US control during the Biden-Harris administration, assuming that the government wasn't just lying about its intentions. Maybe Biden was too elderly to govern effectively. Netanyahu made the Biden-Harris administration look weak if not humiliated, and he might be preparing the same treatment for Trump-Vance this year. The US couldn't stop the civil war in Sudan, which also involves the UAE and other powers. The US failed to overthrow the governments of Venezuela, Iran, or Cuba, and it failed to weaken Russia and drive it out of Ukraine. Supposedly Turkey not the US was behind the "rebel" coup that achieved the elites' long-standing dream of toppling Syria. They appeared unable to control mass migration caused in part by their "kinetic" and economic warfare waged around the world and a changed climate. Maybe inflation in the USA also related to the government's wars; the EU's economy suffered because they were cut off from Russian resources. The US also wants the EU and others to be 'on side' against China, perhaps again costing the EU economically. Trump talks violently, but what if it achieves little, or other countries stand up to his threats? People aren't willing to go to war for capitalist economic reasons again so soon after the "War on Terror," or there isn't enough money for a new war? There is a limit to what the government can achieve through Bill Clinton-style aerial wars.
U.S.-led Imperialism Is Directly Responsible for Turmoil in the Democratic Republic of Congo
The Black Alliance for Peace Africa Team (BAP) and U.S. Out of Africa Network (USOAN) stands in unwavering solidarity with the Congolese People as they endure yet another chapter of violence, exploitation, and masked imperialist aggression in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The ongoing conflict, fueled by Rwanda’s role as an imperialist foot soldier, is not merely a regional dispute but a manifestation of global capitalism’s insatiable desire for Africa’s resources. As the transnational capitalist class fight for dominance in the global clean energy, artificial intelligence, and technology markets, the Congo has been and stands to remain the battleground as a cornerstone of systemic plunder for over a century.
Rwanda, backed by Western powers such as the United States, the European Union (EU), Canada, Israel, etc, has consistently acted as a destabilizing force in the region, providing material support to proxy militias like the M23 to undermine Congolese sovereignty and facilitate the extraction of resources. Much like the sub-imperialist relationship between the United Arab Emirates and Sudan, Rwanda has no significant mineral reserves of its own yet has become one of the world’s leading exporters of critical minerals like coltan. The recent escalation in Goma, where Rwanda Defense Forces (RDF) and M23 have seized strategic areas, is a direct result of this imperialist agenda.
The Congolese People, however, continue to resist valiantly, with the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC) and Wazalendo self-defense groups reclaiming critical infrastructure like the Congolese National Radio and Television station (RTNC). The responsibility of those outside of the DRC is to heed the acts of the People reflecting the unheard, to unconditionally support their path toward self-determination and right to defend their land and sovereignty. This is the only way to sustainable peace in the Congo.
The conflict in the DRC is not an isolated event but a direct consequence of the global capitalist system in crisis. The so-called “Green Corridor” initiative, promoted by President Felix Tshisekedi at the World Economic Forum in Davos, is a stark example of how imperialist powers and their local compradors, seek to legitimize their pillaging under the guise of development. This initiative, funded primarily by the United States and EU, aims to secure access to the Congo’s cobalt, copper, and lithium — resources essential for the global transition to renewable energy and digital technologies. Yet, this so-called “development” comes at the direct expense of the Congolese People, who continue to suffer from violence, displacement, and poverty.
The recent attacks on the embassies of Belgium, France, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and the United States, chanting “down with imperialism” and widespread protests across the DRC, from Goma to Kinshasa, make clear the frustration of the Congolese with a government that has failed to protect them, and a global system that exploits them. The uprising reflects a growing consciousness among the Congolese masses, who are demanding accountability, liberation, and an end to decades of suffering. The Black Alliance for Peace recognizes these protests as part of a broader struggle across the African continent. As Che Guevara said, “all free people of the world be prepared to avenge the crime of the Congo.”
We understand that the liberation of the Congo is inseparable from the liberation of Africa as a whole. The Congo’s land, energy, and resources have fueled the wealth of imperialist powers for generations, while its people have been subjected to unimaginable violence and exploitation. The current crisis is a stark reminder that the struggle for African sovereignty is a struggle against the global capitalist system. We must reject the false narratives that frame this conflict as a regional or ethnic issue and instead recognize it as a fight against imperialism and for self-determination.
The Black Alliance for Peace calls on all progressive forces, both within the African continent and around the world, to stand in solidarity with the Congolese People. Demand an immediate end to Rwanda’s aggression and the withdrawal of all foreign forces from the DRC. We call for Congo’s resources to be under the democratic control of its People. We call on all anti-imperialist forces across the world to expose the puppeteer role of the U.S.-EU-NATO Axis of Domination in fueling this crisis and to support the Congolese People’s right to life.
The struggle of the Congolese People is our struggle. Their victory is our victory . Let us unite in solidarity to end the centuries-long suffering in the Congo and to build a world free from imperialism, capitalism, and exploitation. The Congo is not for sale—it belongs to its People.
Free the Congo!
Patrice Lumumba Lives!
Unite Africa under Socialism!
No Compromise!
No Retreat!
Originally posted January 28th at: blackallianceforpeace.com/bapstatements/welcome-home-leonard-peltier See also: durhamspark.blogspot.com/2025/01/samidoun-free-ahmad-saadat-and-all.html
The Black Alliance for Peace Welcomes the Release of Leonard Peltier and Demands Unrestricted Release of all U.S. Political Prisoners
The immoral life sentence of American Indian Movement freedom fighter, political prisoner and prisoner of war, Leonard Peltier was commuted by the U.S. President Joe Biden, only moments before Biden’s term in office ended. Now 80 years old, Peltier languished for over 50 years in prison after being unjustly convicted of killing two FBI agents in 1975 during a terror raid of the Pine Ridge Reservation by agents of the U.S. government.
Biden’s clemency order for Peltier was a vulgar, narcissistic attempt to fabricate a benevolent legacy for himself. Falling far short of an exoneration, the Biden administration insinuated the act was one of compassion for a decidedly “guilty” FBI agent killer. The ailing elder Peltier won’t be released until February 18th, and will still have to remain confined to house arrest for the rest of his life under the jurisdiction of the Federal Bureau of Prisons that can rescind his release if they decide he has violated his parole. At least he will be surrounded and cared for by loved ones.
While the Black Alliance for Peace (BAP) welcomes the long overdue release of Leonard Peltier, we hold that he should never have been imprisoned and that his imprisonment reflects the ongoing institutional expression of settler-colonialism that defines the U.S. Even though all evidence in the case of Peltier points to his innocence, BAP’s commitment to an authentic process of decolonization in every sense of that term supports the right of American Indian, First Nation people to defend themselves and resist their colonialist domination by any means necessary.
Neither Biden nor the U.S. government deserves credit or gratitude for commuting Peltier's sentence. All credit belongs to the activists, international human rights leaders, and legal advocates led by the Indigenous people who fought for decades for Leonard Peltier’s release. Peltier’s case is but one in a long and decadent history of U.S. political imprisonment and repression, with a present record that includes the contemporary cases of the Uhuru 3, the nearly five dozen “Stop Cop City” activists indicted on RICO charges, and activists targeted in the Free Palestine movement.
BAP holds the U.S. setter state in contempt for continuing to hold political prisoners and we remain “committed to working against all forms of state and domestic repression, including the issues of political prisoners and prisoners of war in the United States.”
No Compromise!
No Retreat!
The Free Leonard Peltier Ad Hoc Committee is raising funds for expenses related to retaining independent medical experts, accommodations, travel, materials, and other expenditures related to Leonard's medical care. Please contribute what you can. You can also donate via Cash App to: $PeltierOfficialComm
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