Sub-Saharan Africa: They're Conflict Minerals, Marie

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Sub-Saharan Africa: They're Conflict Minerals, Marie

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Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Dapper_Swindler posted:

so what kinda coup is this, is it gonna be "suddenly Mugabe decided to resign and give the presidency to his new friends" or "Mugabe caught a bulle- cold and died suddenly. sounds like its gonna be the latter.

Honestly the real question is what will happen to poor Grace"i want to succeed my husband<punch>" Mugabe.

# ¿ Nov 15, 2017 06:02

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# ¿ May 10, 2024 09:54

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Ahahahaha the man behind the coup? It's apparently former vice president and future president Emmerson Mnangagwa who is taking over, the guy who Mugabe fired 9 days ago to make Grace 's succession more secure.

# ¿ Nov 15, 2017 09:07

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

If Grace isn't in a plane already i expect a great show of a trial for corruption.

kustomkarkommando posted:

That's always who it was going to be really - His removal was a pretty big deal and always had allies in the military and among the veterans.

And i doubt the people in charge were happy to have him replaced by Madam Punch-people. I guess he knows who to pay and he is known to pay. "Why ruin a perfectly working dictatorship because of the old man's mistress?"
edit: a sad day for the Gucci brand, really.
Best comment on the "no coup" thing:
https://twitter.com/BBCr4today/status/930716223473635328

Toplowtech fucked around with this message at 10:51 on Nov 15, 2017

# ¿ Nov 15, 2017 10:42

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

BBC News posted:

Sources close to the talks say Mr Mugabe - who has been in control of Zimbabwe since it threw off white minority rule in 1980 - is refusing to stand down voluntarily before next year's planned elections.

"I think he is trying to buy time," one source close to the army leadership told the AFP news agency.

All i can say is RIP Robert Mugabe, victim of an hearth attack at the age of 93. Tragic it happened tomorrow during to the non-coup.

# ¿ Nov 17, 2017 08:42

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Jesus with all the people manifesting in the street against Mugabe, now i am afraid of what would happen to the civilians if Mugabe managed an unlikely successful counter-coup.

# ¿ Nov 18, 2017 16:06

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Loving Africa Chaps posted:

There are almost no riot police on the street. He has 0 power now

I'd rather have people celebrate in the street after he is actually gone, than before. Never sell the bear's skin before one has actually killed the beast. But they sure are happy and no one can blame them, really.

# ¿ Nov 18, 2017 16:29

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Well there is a resignation letter now, from Mugabe apparantly. For what it's worth, so it looks like we will see so departure soon.

# ¿ Nov 21, 2017 16:58

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

punk rebel ecks posted:

I'm more shocked that half of all blacks and most mixed race believe that things were better fifty years ago.

I would blame Jacob Zuma for that.

# ¿ Jan 4, 2018 13:00

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Grouchio posted:

In which Ethiopia effectively assassinates Egypt:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_8X8tbjqjg

Here come the water wars.

# ¿ Jan 20, 2018 10:15

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Grouchio posted:

"You are sentenced to make love with this Porcupine"

"Then you can take a shower when you are done."

# ¿ Feb 1, 2018 20:11

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

The SA parliament just postponed Zuma state of nation speech. It was supposed to happen Thursday, the parliament didn't give a new date.

# ¿ Feb 6, 2018 14:20

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Well good to know there was a ground down the pit, i guess.

# ¿ Feb 13, 2018 11:23

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Well, Happy Valentines Day from the people of South Africa, i guess.

# ¿ Feb 14, 2018 09:48

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

KOTEX GOD OF BLOOD posted:

So you think he'll resign rather than face the humiliation of a no-confidence vote?

If Mugabe was still in power i would worry more about foreign interventions but honestly i think he may just try to run to the border and spend the rest of his life claiming legitimity.

# ¿ Feb 14, 2018 19:28

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

KOTEX GOD OF BLOOD posted:

I can't imagine a foreign intervention in SA,

Realistically no, you are right, but those days i consider 2% crazy insane unlikely chances at least possible. Too many "They can't be THAT stupid and short sighted" turned into "i can't believe they are THAT stupid and short sighted".

Toplowtech fucked around with this message at 19:33 on Feb 14, 2018

# ¿ Feb 14, 2018 19:31

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

I honestly think that if things really turned that bad and he risks prison, he will just choose exile and run to the airport. But hey a few trials may be fun.

# ¿ Feb 14, 2018 19:37

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

And Zuma just resigned. Well good luck to SA for their next President.

# ¿ Feb 14, 2018 22:45

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Okay it's the right combination of words, it just not the order (or the story) i was expecting:

Grace Mugabe's farm invaded by Zimbabwe gold diggers

quote:

Illegal workers have invaded the farm of former Zimbabwean first lady Grace Mugabe to mine for gold.

Reporters from the Zimbabwean newspaper Newsday found them uprooting lemon trees, digging shafts and loading gold ore into lorries.

After unsuccessfully confronting them on Thursday, Mrs Mugabe reported the matter to the police.

The farm is in Mazowe, where she had forcefully evicted villagers in 2015 - while her husband was still in power.

Mrs Mugabe said in a statement to the police obtained by the New Zimbabwe website that she was touring the farm when she was "shocked to find approximately 400 men illegally panning for gold".

When she confronted them at the farm, some 40km (25 miles) north of Harare, she said they "started to shout obscenities at me and continued with their unlawful activities".

Newsday reports that one worker shouted at her:

"You no longer have any power to remove us. This is the new dispensation, we do what we want".

Last year Mrs Mugabe was widely reported to be preparing to replace her aging husband as president of Zimbabwe.

But the rumours were not welcomed by parts of the ruling party and he was ousted from office in November, to be replaced by his long-time ally Emmerson Mnangagwa.

# ¿ Mar 30, 2018 10:56

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

KOTEX GOD OF BLOOD posted:

What is really going on with Abiy Ahmed? There's no way he's actually this good.

Well some South Sudan�s armed opposition group announced they rejected the �imposition� of peace but they also said they wanted more talks so he may be that good.

# ¿ Jun 21, 2018 17:13

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

KOTEX GOD OF BLOOD posted:

I've learned not to get hopeful about things in Africa, so the combination of reforms in Ethiopia, the Ethiopia-Eritrea detente, and the South Sudan peace talks he's hosting is disorienting.

Yeah, I will be honest i half-expect 5 new insurrections to start over something totally different the minute he manages to have everyone stop fighting.

# ¿ Jun 21, 2018 19:28

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Deadly explosion hits Ethiopia PM rally.
"Mr Abiy was whisked away immediately after the blast, thought to be from a grenade thrown amid thousands of people in the capital's Meskel Square." Yeah, what a surprise.

# ¿ Jun 23, 2018 09:33

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

kustomkarkommando posted:

It's a two for one Saturday

https://twitter.com/AshakaSaleh/status/1010551405797629952?s=19

"Peace in my country? NOT ON MY WATCH!!!" - Every militia south of Bentiu& the Grace Mugabe's Fanclub.

Toplowtech fucked around with this message at 17:57 on Jun 23, 2018

# ¿ Jun 23, 2018 17:54

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

If we don't limit ourself to interior enemies, it could also be the Egyptian secret services who don't want a stronger government south of the Nile.

Toplowtech fucked around with this message at 15:42 on Jun 24, 2018

# ¿ Jun 24, 2018 15:33

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

KOTEX GOD OF BLOOD posted:

Thanks, adding this to my amazon list.

So it sounds like the attempt on Mnangagwa's life may have been a Grace Mugabe thing, surprising no one.

Yeah, the G40 group. Things should become "interesting".

# ¿ Jul 1, 2018 16:49

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Aurubin posted:

Anyone know why Eritrea and Eithiopia suddenly decided to stop shooting at one another?

Abiy Ahmed said last month that Ethiopia would abide by a 2002 UN-backed ruling, made after a two-year frontier war, and hand back disputed border territory, including the flashpoint town of Badme, to Eritrea. Which is like 95% of the reasons Eritrea was at war.

# ¿ Jul 9, 2018 16:01

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Doc Neutral posted:

Possible civil war brewing in Cameroon between the francophone led and dominated government and the anglophone region.

Video of mothers and their children being executed by what seems to be armed men in camo who're either part of the army or some kind of militia.

That poo poo has been going on for years and it always confuse me because Cameroon got its share of idiots blaming a French government plot for every bad news and the bad weather. But the second someone dare to speak English during a protest about the perceived oppression of the anglophone by the francophone population, the military go full rear end in a top hat and bullets start flying. :derp:

The government also spent a lot of money setting up bilingual (english and french) universities, schools and administrations but in practice they have very very few people speaking both French and English(but a lot speak a pidgin mixing both), it's more of a Nigeria-aligned Protestant group versus Cameroon-reactionary Catholic group thing, if you ask me, with their inability to understand each other as a great excuse to murder people.

Edit: you would think the Nigeria-Cameroon tensions over the Golf of Guinea's Oil would go down because the price of oil is going down those days and the war was in the 90s but from time to time tensions flare horribly.

Toplowtech fucked around with this message at 22:06 on Jul 14, 2018

# ¿ Jul 14, 2018 21:52

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Kurtofan posted:

Yeah germany lost all their colonies after ww1

Funnily enough, because of the German colonies loss, i have seen some anti-colonial Africans expressing their preference in dealing with modern day Germany because i quote "they don't have a colonial culture, unlike your country :france:

". Which i have always found extremely weird and quite forgiving toward uncle Wilhelm's Herero and Namaqua genocide. Of course, that argument is pushed by modern German corporations so i guess it's mostly the free market loving Africa again.

Saladman posted:

so fighting over a colonial second language (from a power that wasn't even in control all that long in the first place) seemed to me like that is probably not the real issue, but a plaster face over underlying problems. I never really looked into it though.

The linguistic divide being only the visible top of the poo poo iceberg of less visible tribal, national and economic conflicts is actually a lot of people impressions of the whole situation. It also make each group easier to separate and make it easier to explain in the news.

Toplowtech fucked around with this message at 09:49 on Jul 15, 2018

# ¿ Jul 15, 2018 09:46

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

steinrokkan posted:

I mean France was thrown into disarray just during the last election season when Macron suggested apologizing for the history of colonialism. Germans have been pretty good at shedding the legacy of militarism and colonialism compared to the French and Brits, AFAIK, though a narrative about being historically less imperialistic would be false.

Well it's maybe because i am French and i find your 'thrown into disarray" slightly excessive (we can do far worse disarray-wise then the little bullshit polemic to which you are referring) but the thing is the "disarray" was mostly minor protests by the Harkis, descendants of pro french algeria muslims now living in France(who are considered descendants of traitors by many modern Algerians*) which found themselves betrayed by Macron attempt to heal the old rifts. When we lost Algeria tons of Muslims Algerian who believed in French Algeria were forced to come to France and let's say we don't have the best history in accepting large Muslim population well.

* and some Frenchmen of Algerian descent, i remember Zidane calling them as such. Ignore the fact Algeria massacred 100k-150k of them while De Gaulle did nothing.

Toplowtech fucked around with this message at 11:12 on Jul 15, 2018

# ¿ Jul 15, 2018 11:08

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

steinrokkan posted:

Thanks, that's more convoluted than the media portrayed it here to say the least.

To be honest the whole opposition to the recognition of colonialism as a criminal activity is pretty common fight in French right-wing circles but confusing it to the relatively small bullshit opposition to Macron's "Algeria was 50 years ago, let change thing" event is kinda missing the giant elephant next to it.
See apologia of colonialism in France isn't new but it kinda got worse after Chirac reelection in 2000 against Lepen, the hard right of the UMP(nowadays Les Republicains) including some former members from Le club de L'horlogue, the GUD and Occident ended up getting some place in the Ministry of Interior and the Foreign Affair under Chirac. They went for Sarkozy in the 2008 years and with the Sarkozy's constant attempt to get the FN voters, it ended up with a loving law celebrating the "benefits and positive side of Colonialism" because there is nothing like roads and hospitals to justify not applying basic human rights to a large part of the local populations.

Toplowtech fucked around with this message at 20:57 on Jul 15, 2018

# ¿ Jul 15, 2018 20:47

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Zimbabwe election: Troops fire on MDC Alliance supporters
The Zanu-PF really changed when they put the crocodile in charge instead of the old man's wife.

# ¿ Aug 1, 2018 20:00

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Cat Mattress posted:

Trump emboldens bloodthirsty fascists everywhere:

https://twitter.com/johnupton/status/1058447229973917696

Well, the whole Nigeria+Cameroon area is going to be a bloodbath if they all follow Trump's escalation doctrine.

# ¿ Nov 3, 2018 14:24

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Grouchio posted:

Hypothetically, if Nigerians were to suffer a migration crisis, where would most of them go?

Benin's, Niger's and Cameroon's English speaking regions (yeah, i doubt it would be good in Cameroon).
VVV Yeah Canada and England for the international destinations. Maybe Ghana for those who can sail away but want to stay in Africa.

Toplowtech fucked around with this message at 08:58 on Feb 17, 2019

# ¿ Feb 16, 2019 07:48

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

KOTEX GOD OF BLOOD posted:

Wait, holy gently caress

There's no way that's accurate right?

It probably is. Any foreign investor with a lot of money is probably afraid to inject money into a potentially unstable country of 180+ million people. It must have an impact.

# ¿ Feb 18, 2019 17:56

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

This is horribly bad because the DRC is literally one of few places in the world where leaders would let the disease spread to get ride of political opponents, region by region. And there are a few regions nearby where the same cynical strategy would happen too. Say what you want about Western Africa, central africa dictators always manage to be worse and Ebola in their area is going to be a nightmare.

# ¿ Mar 11, 2019 06:18

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

i say swears online posted:

how many 'dictators' are left in west africa anyway?

Faure "the typical fail son" Gnassingb� in Togo is probably the last one remaining in West Africa since the Gambia went better and Jammeh was exiled.
Most of west africa is considered "partly free" those days, freer than north africa (with the exception of Tunisia) at least and certainly better than central africa.

# ¿ Mar 11, 2019 08:40

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

The dead count is getting around 800 but "everything is fine!". :smithicide:

For reference the West African outbreak killed around 1200+ people in Guinea alone and around 4000+ people total if you add Liberia. Someone must be really (over)confident in its ability to prevent the spread of the disease.

Toplowtech fucked around with this message at 07:09 on Apr 15, 2019

# ¿ Apr 15, 2019 07:07

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

I remember MTN being accused of bribery to win a mobile licence in Iran. So yeah, hardly a surprise.
edit: also isn't Nigeria like one third of their revenue or something like that?

# ¿ May 29, 2019 06:07

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

Ebola Update: first case in Goma(DR Congo), a city of 1 million.

# ¿ Jul 15, 2019 05:22

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

KOTEX GOD OF BLOOD posted:

Well this is going about how I expected

The Egyptians must be pleased.

# ¿ Nov 8, 2019 16:39

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# ¿ May 10, 2024 09:54

Toplowtech: Aug 31, 2004

KOTEX GOD OF BLOOD posted:

Manager of Sonangol account in Portuguese bank found dead in Lisbon: report

uhhhh

Yeah they are the bank who manages the money they get from the oil extracted offshore of Cabinda. To understand the context: Cabinda's oil represents, if i am not wrong, like 90% of Angola income for the last 50 years. Cabinda is an exclave of Angola in Congo with a non stop independence movement since the Angola civil war of the 70s.

# ¿ Jan 23, 2020 16:49

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Sub-Saharan Africa: They're Conflict Minerals, Marie

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