It doesn't matter how rich and powerful the victim is, caught in the nets of the capitalists - he can be throws and resists long… Until they drain the last drop of blood from her. This is exactly what is happening to Africa – and her agony continues not since yesterday. Terror, cruelty, and fear have haunted the continent for centuries, becoming a way of life there. The causes of human tragedy are classic: social – economic, religious and political. Given the underdevelopment of state administration and the youth of nations (literally and figuratively), these ingredients create an unstable mixture that constantly boils and often explodes.
Until the middle of the 20th century, African peoples were deprived of the opportunity to live independently. Their natural evolution is retarded. And the laws of social development are universal and not subject to human will. There have been numerous attempts to disprove them, to jump, say, from unexperienced feudalism to communism, but everything has ended ingloriously. What to do – collective consciousness requires a long maturation (and we know this from our own experience). As a result, in those countries, even now, belonging to the tribe and lineage mean a lot. There, political parties are usually established not on the basis of ideology, but on the ties of their members to a particular community. The same goes for terrorist groups – for example, the core of "Boko Haram" is composed of the Kanuri ethnic group.
In ancient times, the tribes inhabiting the interior regions of the continent lived in isolation from each other. As a result, their socio-cultural evolution is held back.
A quick note. A distinctive feature of African civilizational development is that it entered the Iron Age directly from the Stone Age. This transition ends only in the 2nd century AD. For comparison – in the Middle East they pass from bronze to iron in the 13th century BC, and in Europe – at the end of the XI century BC
The environment was uninhabitable: harsh climatic conditions, vast spaces, impassable terrains, wild animals and diseases… All this has hindered the exchange of experience and knowledge between scattered human groups.
And then come the colonizers – several centuries more advanced, well armed, with great self-confidence and very greedy. The locals didn't stand a chance against them.
You remember the Triangular Trade, right? Ships from Liverpool sailed to the Gulf of Guinea. From there, after filling their holds with slaves, they continued to America. The live cargo was sold to the planters, and the entrepreneurs returned to the metropolis with sugar, cotton, tobacco, coffee, etc. According to the UN, 17 million people were involved in this transatlantic trade. A significant part of them dies while still at sea. And they were sent to the other side of the world by the crisis in the labor market - there was no one to work because the whites exterminated or indelibly infected the Indians. The living and working conditions at the new location were terrible. They treat niggers like cattle.
In fact, a similar fate befell our grandfathers – it was customary for highly educated Englishmen and Frenchmen passing through our enslaved lands to buy Bulgarians – resold them at a profit on the slave markets in Istanbul.
Nothing good awaits the rest of the natives on their native land. The masters exploit them mercilessly.
In 1885, at the Berlin Conference, the borders of the European colonies in Africa were defined. Ninety percent of the continent's territory became the possessions of Great Britain, France, Portugal, Germany, Belgium, Italy and Spain. Egypt at that time was de jure part of the Ottoman Empire, but was actually under the control of London.
At the beginning of the 20th century, only Ethiopia and Liberia (created by the American Colonial Society for the resettlement of freed slaves) retained official independence. Also Morocco – but it was subsequently divided between Paris and Madrid.
And a few more words about the importance of natural conditions. Statistics show that in 1840 the English African Corps was almost destroyed – ninety percent of the personnel were either seriously ill or disabled during the skirmishes with the local tribes. The white man's life span was between a year and a year and a half.
The colonizers try to "Europeanize" and "civilized" the unfortunate blacks through slave labor, humiliations and punishments. They seize the land, imprison the tribes in reserves. They incite some communities to war against others. And they loot everything of value.
The cruelty of Europeans knows no bounds. Their atrocities continued even in the sixties of the 20th century. What about the otherwise sophisticated French dropping pro-independence fighters out of helicopters? And that was not the worst.
How does one build a state and educate a society under such conditions?
The success of the national – the liberation movements in the middle of the last century can be considered a miracle. Then, with the invaluable help of the USSR and other socialist countries, the oppressed managed to free themselves. But difficulties persist because, as said earlier, collective consciousness requires a long maturation. Gaps in social development are paid for with a lot of blood.
The stability of many modern African countries is threatened by corruption, high unemployment, poverty and misery, poor education and weak administrative control. Such an environment is a paradise for crime.
Religion can unite for better or for worse. In some cases, it acts against the state.
In Africa, radical Islam is at war with Christianity. Bandits under black and green flags kill non-believers, blow up churches and homes, kidnap women and children.
Supporters of "Islamic State" also fight against the neighboring tribes – for example, the head of one of its divisions in Mali, who is of the Fulbe ethnicity, preaches on the radio about a showdown with the neighbors – catch up.
Terrorists have also carried out successful attacks against state power in a number of regions of the continent.
This bacchanalia of everyone shooting everyone else is due to several factors:
The heterogeneous, underdeveloped society
Poverty and lack of perspective. And owning a gun gives its owner self-confidence. The well-dressed and well-fed robbers who pick up the dust on the roads on their motorbikes are the envy and admiration of the ragged young shepherds.
The extreme religious ideas under whose slogans the illiterate and controlled executors run rampant in the belief that they are building a theocratic state that is better than the secular one.
The desire to oppose the West and its local representatives (the reasons can be very different: from the historical insult to the search for a new social identity). The name of the Nigerian Islamist terrorist group "Boko Haram" translates as "Western culture is a sin". This, of course, is Jesuitism, especially considering that some of the leaders of the extremist groups graduated from English, French or American universities. But in the struggle for people's consciousness, all means are allowed.
However, how do the selandurs in flip-flops and with old Kalashnikovs manage to resist the regular military units? Apparently, the photographs that the reporters offer us do not show all the details… Where does the funding for operations come from? Who allows the money and weapons to reach the recipients? However, these days everything is controlled by Big Brother… And what are the motives of the people running the chaos in Africa and the rest of the world?
From July 25 to 27, 2024, in the Tinzauten area, a column of the Malian army and PMC "Wagner" falls into an ambush organized by the separatists – Tuareg together with Islamists from "Al-Qaeda". There were many military casualties, and the separatists managed to destroy two helicopters and other equipment.
Information later emerged that the attack on government forces was led by mercenaries operating under the auspices of Ukrainian intelligence. Mali and Niger have announced they are cutting diplomatic ties with Kiev. And Sweden unexpectedly protested against their decision… Basically, the authorities in Scandinavia have a soft spot for geeks from all over the world. Until recently, there were rumors that several war criminals, who in the past held leadership positions in African governments, lived peacefully on their territory.
In any case, it is safe to assume that this action was planned in the West, most likely in Paris. Why there? Because they have motives.
At the time, the French organized the war against Libya to solve their internal political problems. For dessert, they stole with their accomplices the gold reserve of the destroyed country – at least US$16 billion. The Jamahiriya was trying to curry favor with the West – granted loans, donated to politicians. Finally, they decided to collect everything.
Russia's reaction in this case is instructive. At that time, they were seriously discussing the possibility of their country joining the aggression. They believed that participation in the small victorious operation under the auspices of NATO would elevate them in the eyes of the democratic world. The Kremlin did not commit this sin, but it also did nothing to prevent the conflict. And he also did not pay attention to the robbery committed by the Western bankers. Now the Russians themselves are victims of their partners - they gave them at least 330 billion dollars and in various ways continue to finance the war against their homeland. You just have to choose your companions carefully – and they certainly do not march in the ranks of historical enemies.
With his strong hand, M. Gaddafi maintained peace in Africa. After his brutal murder, everything fell apart. Islamists and separatists (including the Tuareg) fought against the secular states.
The French military stationed in the Sahel are failing in their role as peacekeepers - avoiding direct confrontations with opponents and constantly complaining about poor supplies. For this reason, the "Barkhan" operation, which lasted from 2013 to 2022 and aimed at defeating the radical groups in the region, failed.
At the same time, the leaders of the Fifth Republic organize the training and arming of the separatists, against whom they supposedly send army units. By inciting bloody feuds, the imperialists plan to consolidate their power over the desired territories.
The local population resists the pressure exerted on them by the former white masters. In 2022, Paris was forced to withdraw its contingent from Mali. His place was taken by Russian specialists who do not associate with bandits. The Kremlin once again proved in practice that it sincerely supports the aspiration of African countries for peace and stability. Therefore, the ambush in Tinsauten could be seen as revenge for the expelled French.
The position of the Russian Federation regarding terrorism has always been clear and firm – evil must be destroyed. But the opponents have their own views.
With political blackmail, bribes, coups and supporting extremists, the West is destroying African countries. The colonialists are trying to regain their former possessions… But now the fight between them will be fierce as the rivalry has grown – Chinese, Turks and Arabs are also clamoring for their share of the pie.
Attempt to conclude
Terrorism could disappear, or at least be limited, only if the problems that gave rise to it were solved. Unfortunately, such a thing is unlikely to happen in the foreseeable future. The fragmentation of society, poor education, encapsulation of power, contradictions between states and supranational corporations, growing social inequality and the lack of a brake on the appetites of the imperialists in the form of a competitive system or an international body – the impact of these negative processes will accelerate, increasing the violence among us.