Musings From Abroad

President de Sousa insists Portugal must ‘pay costs’ of slavery, colonial crimes

Published

2 weeks ago

April 24, 2024

Following recent conversations around reparations to countries with colonial heritage, Portuguese President, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, has added his voice to the argument that his country was responsible for crimes committed during the transatlantic slavery and the colonial era and suggested there was a need for reparations.

For over four hundred years, at least 12.5 million Africans were taken hostage, forced to be moved long distances by mostly European ships and merchants, and then sold as slaves.

At a meeting with foreign reporters late Tuesday night, Rebelo de Sousa said that Portugal “takes full responsibility” for the wrongs done in the past and that those wrongs, such as the killings of colonists, had “costs.”

“We have to pay the costs,” he said. “Are there actions that were not punished and those responsible were not arrested? Are there goods that were looted and not returned? Let’s see how we can repair this.”

Those who made it through the trip worked on farms in the Americas, mostly in Brazil and the Caribbean, while others made money off of their work. More than any other European country, Portugal traded almost 6 million Africans. The country has not done much to face its past, and schools don’t teach much about its part in transatlantic slavery.

More and more African and Caribbean countries want to set up a group to deal with making up for crimes that happened during the transatlantic slave trade. Payments of money or other forms of getting things right could be part of reparations.

Last week, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said in an address at the closing of the four-day U.N. Permanent Forum on People of African Descent (PFPAD), called on countries to take real steps toward reparations for people of African descent. He appealed while adding his voice to calls for justice for the horrible crimes committed during slavery.

Last year, Rebelo de Sousa said that Portugal should say sorry for transatlantic slavery and colonialism, but he didn’t say sorry in full. He said on Tuesday that it was more important to own up to the past and take responsibility for it than to say sorry.

“Apologising is the easy part,” he said.

The United Kingdom, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands, Denmark, Spain, and the United States of America were among the eleven countries that colonized more than 90% of the world’s 193 countries.

Related Topics:Colonialism Featured Portugal Slave Trade

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Musings From Abroad

US official accuses Russian troops of entering base housing US military in Niger

Published

1 day ago

May 4, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

According to a senior United States defence official quoted by Reuters, Russian military soldiers have entered an air base in Niger that is housing American troops. This action comes after the junta in Niger decided to drive out American forces.

The West African nation, which up until a coup last year had been a crucial ally for Washington’s struggle against insurgents who have killed hundreds of people and displaced millions more, had demanded that Washington remove the almost 1,000 American military personnel.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior U.S. defence official stated that Russian personnel were using a different hangar at Airbase 101, which is close to Diori Hamani International Airport in the capital city of Niamey, Niger, rather than interacting with American troops.

Russian military action brings U.S. and Russian forces closer at a time when the country’s military and diplomatic rivalry is growing more intense due to the situation in Ukraine. Reuters was the first to report on the move. It also begs the question of what would happen to US installations in the nation after a pullout.

“(The situation) is not great but in the short-term manageable,” the official said.

When questioned about the Reuters article, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin downplayed the possibility that Russian forces would approach American military assets or pose a threat to American troops.

“The Russians are in a separate compound and don’t have access to U.S. forces or access to our equipment,” Austin told a press conference in Honolulu.

“I’m always focused on the safety and protection of our troops … But right now, I don’t see a significant issue here in terms of our force protection.”
The Nigerien and Russian embassies in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

After coups that installed forces anxious to break away from Western governments in power, the United States and its allies were obliged to withdraw their troops from many African nations. Apart from the imminent withdrawal from Niger, American forces have recently departed Chad and been expelled from Mali and Burkina Faso.

Simultaneously, Russia is attempting to reinforce its ties with African countries by portraying itself as a friendlier nation with no colonial past in the region. For instance, Mali has emerged as one of Russia’s closest African friends in recent years, thanks to the deployment of the Wagner Group mercenary force there to combat jihadist insurgents.

Russia has said that ties with the United States are “below zero” due to American financial and military support for Ukraine’s defence against Russian forces on the invader’s territory.

Musings From Abroad

Hamas leader in talks for Gaza ceasefire with Egypt, Qatar

Published

1 day ago

May 4, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, spoke with Abbas Kamel, the head of Egypt’s security services, and Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the prime minister and foreign minister of Qatar, as negotiations continue for a ceasefire in Gaza.

In a statement released on Thursday, the Palestinian Islamist group stated that a delegation will soon be in Egypt for additional negotiations on a cease-fire in the Gaza conflict.

The statement further stated that during the phone conversation with Egypt’s Kamel, Haniyeh had confirmed the group’s “positive spirit in studying the ceasefire proposal”.

Hamas announced on Saturday that it had received Israel’s most recent stance and would review it before responding.

An unnamed high-ranking Egyptian source was quoted by the Egyptian state-affiliated Al-Qahera News as stating that the Hamas delegation would land in Cairo within the next two days.

The visit by the Hamas delegation may happen within the next two days, according to a Palestinian official close to the mediation quoted by Reuters.

Hamas’ statement added that the negotiations to be held in Cairo aim to “mature a deal that achieves the demands of our people and ends the aggression.”

Hamas also said on Thursday that Haniyeh and the prime minister of Qatar had decided to carry on with the current negotiations to “mature a deal” through mediation by the governments of Qatar and Egypt.

Egypt has redoubled its efforts to force Israel and Hamas to resume their stalled talks to reach an agreement on a truce in Gaza.