- 3 years ago
01/08/2023
FTS 12.30
* Guatemala´s civil organizations warn of serious risks in election process
*Indigenous rally arrives in Argentina´s capital
These and many other stories now!
Visit our website: https://www.telesurenglish.net/
Watch our videos here: https://videos.telesurenglish.net/en
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 In Argentina, indigenous peoples of the Tercer Malon de la Paz arrived in Buenos Aires after
00:13 a week-long caravan from the province in Jujuy against aboriginal constitutional reform.
00:20 Guatemala's electoral observer, on behalf of civil society movements, reiterates its
00:26 complaints about the risks facing the country's democratic stability.
00:34 And also in a joint statement, the military governments of Mali and Burkina Faso warned
00:39 that any intervention against Niger could be considered a declaration of war.
00:52 Hello from the headquarters of Telesudy English in Havana, Cuba.
00:56 This is from the south.
00:57 I'm Yorenco Orglades-Quesada and these are the news.
01:00 In Argentina, indigenous peoples taking part in the Tercer Malon de la Paz arrived on Tuesday
01:05 in Buenos Aires after a week-long caravan from the province in Jujuy in defense of their
01:11 territories and natural resources against the constitutional reform approved by the
01:16 governor and the vice presidential candidate, Gerardo Morales.
01:20 The arrival of almost a thousand demonstrators in the Argentine capital coincides with the
01:25 Day of the Pachamama, so there will be a ceremony in homage to Mother Earth and other activities.
01:31 The mobilization to Buenos Aires is being held to demand that the Supreme Court of Justice
01:36 rule on the unconstitutionality of the reform of the Jujuy constitution and for the National
01:41 Congress to sanction the law of indigenous community prosperity.
01:46 And the province of Jujuy demonstrators have denounced institutional violence, persecution
01:51 and detention of the protesters.
01:59 In Bolivia, President Lizerce Categora called for the maintenance of preventive measures
02:03 against COVID-19 after decreeing the end of the sanitary emergency.
02:08 The Bolivian president explained the importance of applying preventive measures to avoid new
02:12 outbreaks of the disease.
02:14 He stressed that diagnostics, mass vaccination and hospital equipment were effective against
02:19 COVID-19 and contributed to Bolivia's overcoming from the international health emergency.
02:25 The Minister of Health, Maria René Castro, explained how this new phase will be carried
02:30 out.
02:35 In Colombia, the National Liberation Army, the ELN, ordered all its structures to suspend
02:40 offensive operations against the military forces.
02:43 The police and the Colombian state security agencies for 180 days as of August the 3rd
02:48 and until January 29th, 2024.
02:51 According to a statement issued by Antonio Garcia, the first commander of the ELN in
02:56 Colombia, all the ELN commanders and combatants have pledged to strictly abide and adhere
03:02 to this ceasefire.
03:04 While defensive operations will continue within the framework of the ceasefire, any incidents
03:08 will be reported to the command structures, who will in turn inform the monitoring and
03:13 verification mechanisms.
03:15 Over the course of the six-month ceasefire, efforts will be made to enhance societal participation.
03:21 In June, the Colombian government and the guerrilla forces reached the Cuba Accords
03:25 during the third cycle of peace talks, which included a bilateral, national and temporary
03:30 ceasefire.
03:36 President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has expressed that Mexico wants to contribute
03:40 in the process to end suffering in Ukraine and will do so if both sides are present.
03:46 During his usual morning press conference, the head of state asserted that it is a mistake
03:51 to get used to a war that only helps to increase the arms industry profits.
03:55 He reiterated that Mexico rejects any armed conflict and emphasized that they will take
04:00 part in any peace initiatives promoted by both countries.
04:04 In recent hours, Ukraine has expressed interest in talking about alternative solutions to
04:09 the conflict, but without Russia.
04:16 Guatemala's electoral observer, the organization that brings together civil society movements,
04:21 reiterates its complaints about the risks facing the country's democratic stability.
04:26 Regarding the arrival of observation missions for the second round of the elections, the
04:31 body expresses deep concern about the results obtained in the investigations.
04:36 According to the association, there is a clear weakening in the temporary bodies of electoral
04:41 authority, manipulation of people's will, abuse of criminal law, as well as arbitrary
04:46 and discretionary application of rules, which allows for the exclusion of candidates.
04:52 According to the organization, such issues put the electoral process at serious risk.
05:01 Let's take a short break, but remember you can join us on TikTok @Teluswithenglish where
05:05 you will find the news in different formats, news updates and more.
05:13 Other stories coming up, stay with us.
05:14 Welcome back.
05:32 On Tuesday, in a joint statement, the military governments of Mali and Burkina Faso warned
05:37 that any intervention against Niger would be considered a declaration of war.
05:43 Both countries further stressed that they will take self-defense measures in support
05:47 of the armed forces and people of Niger.
05:50 The statement further warned that action against Niger will lead to the withdrawal of Burkina
05:55 Faso and Mali from the economic community of West African states.
05:59 Both nations reiterated that their position is against the negative consequences of a
06:04 military intervention that could destabilize the entire region and referred to NATO's unilateral
06:10 incursion into Libya, which led to the spread of terrorism in the Sahel and West Africa.
06:16 Colonel Abdullahi Maiga denounced the persistence of regional organizations in imposing sanctions
06:21 to Niger.
06:28 And in the same line, the latest coup d'etat in Niger has caused regional and international
06:33 tensions as it poses a threat to local stability and could turn into the token of other political
06:38 actors.
06:39 To go on the matter, we receive Kembali Musevuli, who is an analyst with the Center for Research
06:45 on the Congo Kinshasa.
06:47 Be welcome, Kembali.
06:48 Thank you for having me.
06:51 Okay, it's always a pleasure.
06:53 So Kembali, can you recall the events that led to this military uprising in Niger?
06:59 On the 26th of July, there was a coup that started at 3 a.m., led by the presidential
07:06 guard who deposed the president, Basu, who since he's been deposed, he has refused to
07:14 resign officially.
07:16 And the military has control of the country at the moment.
07:21 Abdullahi Maiga, he's the general who's currently leading Niger.
07:28 And for the moment he took power, he has done a few populist actions.
07:32 One of them is to actually rein in any of the former members of the government who are
07:40 allegedly have participated in any form of corruption, to actually bring back any money
07:46 that they've embezzled.
07:48 So one actually has been already arrested, the minister of defense.
07:52 Others are actually hiding in a foreign embassy, Western embassies at the moment.
07:57 From the coup itself, what is clear to see on the ground is the overwhelming support
08:03 of the Nigerian people to the coup.
08:07 They came out this past Sunday, July 30th, in a rally of support to the coup.
08:15 And many of them actually went to the French embassy.
08:18 The French embassy has been defaced, glasses have been broken.
08:22 The people have expressed that they see the coup as a way of liberation of French control.
08:31 So in the protest, you are seeing people saying, "Fonce de gage."
08:35 In the protest, you are seeing Russian flags.
08:39 You are seeing people saying, "Viva Putin."
08:41 Clearly the people of Niger are saying, "We want to break our ties with the West.
08:47 We want to continue to our connection with Russia in creating a multipolar world."
08:55 But the situation is very rapidly changing.
08:58 As you mentioned earlier in the segment, that ECOWAS, countries of ECOWAS, given the new
09:05 government, the general and the soldiers in Niger, seven days to bring back Mohamed Bazoum,
09:15 the former Nigerian president.
09:19 And of course, Niger has said that any action by France or its agent in Niger would be considered
09:28 as an attack on Niger, and they will actually pick up arms and the people of Niger will
09:33 pick up arms to fight any invasions of the country.
09:37 Mali and Burkina Faso, and just lately, Guinea also has shown their support to Niger.
09:47 So what is really unfolding is that if ECOWAS today decides to send its soldiers to Niger,
09:55 there is a huge risk of having a regional war similar to the regional war that took
10:01 place in the DRC in the Congo in the late '90s, where many African nations ended up
10:07 there.
10:08 But for this moment in West Africa, this particular moment is very, very important.
10:15 We have to understand why this is happening in West Africa.
10:18 The people of West Africa, from Mali, Niger, Senegal, Burkina Faso, mostly Francophone
10:25 Africa, they want to break ties with France.
10:28 They do not understand why in 2023, France still controlled their resources, France still
10:36 controlled the currency, and France still controlled the politics of the country.
10:41 So for over a decade, people in West Africa have demanded that France leaves.
10:47 Mali has requested that the French military leaves.
10:49 They have done so.
10:51 Mali has changed the official language of the country.
10:54 They've removed French as the official language.
10:58 Burkina Faso has followed lead.
11:00 The Jews participated also at the Russia-Africa Summit.
11:03 Burkina Faso has been very clear about France leaving.
11:07 And now we see Niger.
11:09 So we have a new non-alignment movement on the African continent, being led by Mali,
11:15 Niger, and Burkina Faso, where they want French military and French presence to be out of
11:21 Africa so that Africa can determine their own affairs.
11:26 So precisely, France announced the evacuation of its national from Niger, but is also leaving
11:31 1,500 troops in the African nation, which is the underbelly of this decision.
11:37 You were mentioning some of the aspects.
11:39 Yes.
11:40 I mean, imagine if you go to France, you will not see 1,500 Nigerian soldiers or 1,500 Malian
11:51 soldiers.
11:52 What are French soldiers doing in the region?
11:54 They are saying that they are actually there to stop the so-called jihadists.
12:01 And we know that the security in the Sahel region, where right at the border, where Mali,
12:08 Niger, and Burkina Faso meet, that this instability comes from the toppling of Gaddafi, a NATO
12:17 action to remove a president of a country and killing him.
12:23 That's what this instability has come from.
12:25 But the people of West Africa can control their own affairs.
12:28 We know why France is there.
12:30 One out of three light bulbs in France is actually powered by uranium, and that uranium
12:37 comes from Niger.
12:38 So Niger produces uranium that does not benefit the Nigerian people.
12:44 Only 18% of the population in Niger benefit from the electricity, have actually access
12:51 to electricity.
12:53 So the uranium of Niger is ending up in France.
12:57 So France's French interest in the Sahel region, French interest in Mali, in Burkina
13:03 Faso, in Niger, is mineral resources, natural resources.
13:08 But the people of the region are saying, this is not the Berlin Conference anymore.
13:13 We are in 2023.
13:15 African people must control their land.
13:17 They must control their resources.
13:18 They must exploit those resources for the benefit of the masses.
13:23 And you can see that in the protest.
13:26 There was a coup in Niger, a military coup.
13:30 The leaders have spoken.
13:31 The people could have said, we're not in support of the coup.
13:35 But why are thousands of people in the streets?
13:38 So the people of West Africa are very clear about imperialism.
13:43 They are very clear about French imperialism.
13:46 And they're saying no to imperialism.
13:49 And they are saying yes to a multipolar world.
13:52 This is why you're seeing the Russian flag in this protest, where African people, where
13:57 Nigerian people are saying that we do not want to stay connected to the West.
14:04 We want to have partners who look at us with dignity, who treat us with respect, to build
14:09 a new world that we want to see.
14:13 So Kembala, given the current situation, given the possible France intervention, the threats,
14:20 maybe also this stance, this position from Burkina Faso and Mali, and we know these regional
14:25 contradictions, what can we expect for the future of Niger and the Nigerian people?
14:31 What can we see and foresee in the future, given this political landscape and this outcome,
14:38 and also what is happening in this country?
14:42 We can predict that in coming months or years, that there will be more and more actions such
14:50 as in Niger happening in Africa.
14:52 Why is it happening?
14:54 The people of Africa are being led by a comparador, an elite, and this elite has no interest of
15:03 the people.
15:04 President Bazzoom on Niger, who has been there since 2021, has not risen up to the aspirations
15:13 of the people.
15:14 There are so many cases of corruption, there are so many cases of sidelining of opposition
15:19 leaders and so on.
15:21 So the people are able to see what is unfolding in their country and in their region.
15:26 So I can predict very easily that there will be other countries in West Africa who will
15:32 face the similar situation, where the people themselves will rise up and say, "We want
15:38 leaders who represent our aspirations."
15:41 And specifically for the question of the military confrontation of ECOWAS, it's quite fascinating
15:48 to see that Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso are building an alliance, including Guinea,
15:55 that they are saying that if ECOWAS decides to send soldiers in Niger, they will actually
16:02 make sure to protect Niger and they will fight.
16:07 This will bring an end to ECOWAS, because you have four African nations, members of
16:12 a regional body, who do not see the legitimacy of ECOWAS anymore, who see ECOWAS as an agent
16:20 of France, as an agent of Western power dictating what has to happen in African countries, without
16:28 looking at why these coups are happening.
16:32 In Mali, there was a rigged election that the day the coup took place, there was actually
16:38 a call for a general strike by progressive groups in Mali.
16:44 That's how Goita, the current president of Mali, ascended to power.
16:50 One thing in Burkina Faso, the vacuum that's been created of lack of leadership that emanates
16:58 from the people, as many of the militaries of the regions are taking power, but they
17:03 are listening to people.
17:05 In the case of Mali, in the case of Burkina Faso, in the case of Niger, the rhetoric they
17:09 are actually sharing connects with the aspirations of the people.
17:14 So that continues for these leaders to be able to listen to the people.
17:20 The struggle must continue.
17:22 The history of humanity is a history of class struggle.
17:25 So the people of these countries, even though they have strong military forces taking control
17:32 of the country, they must continue to engage with these leaders so that their aspirations
17:37 are actually met.
17:38 But we are in a new world.
17:39 Who could have thought that in 2023, that a nation in Africa asked the French to close
17:47 the embassy and to take out their soldiers?
17:50 We've seen that in Burkina Faso.
17:52 We've seen that in Mali.
17:54 And it's time for Africa to rise up.
17:56 It's time for Africa to unite, as Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso are uniting now.
18:02 And as we unite, we'll be the mighty force that will transform not just the African continent,
18:08 but the African world, and also humanity.
18:11 OK.
18:13 We will stay tuned to this, and we will keep our focus on Africa to see what happens.
18:19 So thank you, Kembale, for your time, your presence, and your criteria here from the
18:24 South.
18:25 Thank you very much.
18:27 OK.
18:28 So we were discussing the current situation in Niger after the latest coup d'etat.
18:32 We will go to a short break now.
18:34 Stay with us.
18:35 [MUSIC PLAYING]
18:51 Welcome back.
18:52 Russia's defense ministry reported on Tuesday that it foiled an intended Ukrainian attack
18:57 on two of its Black Sea fleet ships.
19:00 Two unmanned boats were destroyed on Monday night by Russian patrol boats Vasily Bikov
19:05 and Sergei Karev while carrying out monitoring missions in the southwestern Black Sea, more
19:10 than 300 kilometers from Sebastopol.
19:13 The patrol boats, the first and fourth guided missile corvettes of the 22-160 series, destroyed
19:20 the unmanned Kiev vessels with standard weapons with no injuries or damage to property.
19:26 The Kiev regime carried out an attempted terrorist attack using three enemy naval drones on Russian
19:34 civilian transport ships en route to the Bocharov Strait in the southwestern Black Sea.
19:40 The ships of the Russian Navy, which escorted the sea transport, detected and destroyed
19:46 all the Ukrainian boats in a timely manner.
19:49 [MUSIC PLAYING]
20:02 Now we move on to other topics.
20:04 On Thursday, at least 11 people have died and 27 are missing due to the heavy rains
20:09 that have affected the Chinese capital, Beijing.
20:12 Local authorities reported that the dead included two emergency services workers and the missing
20:17 included four members of a rescue team.
20:20 They explained that the two workers died while carrying out rescue work and the other four
20:25 missing fell into the water in a rural area.
20:28 Authorities have issued a red alert for flooding in most parts of the city and have warned
20:33 of the risk of landslides, mudslides, and other disasters caused by the rains.
20:38 The cities of Zankianku, Shande, Changshan, Baorin, and Xionghan near Beijing have also
20:44 been affected by the heavy rains, having damaged more than 44,000 people and forced the evacuation
20:51 of 127,000 more.
20:54 According to meteorologists, these rains have been the heaviest recorded in the Chinese
20:58 capital in recent years.
21:04 Like this, we have come to the end of this news brief.
21:07 But remember, you can find this and many other stories on our website at telluswittyenglish.net.
21:12 And also, if you feel so inclined, please join us on social media for all the latest
21:17 news.
21:18 We are on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Telegram, and TikTok.
21:23 For TELUSWITTYENGLISH, I'm your anchor Gladys Quesada.
21:25 Thank you for watching.
21:26 [music]