In October a lot of issues have been made public and the European society is reporting them, especially in London where the African anger is very present.
Using hashtags and social media to spread awareness around the globe has become very popular.
In Nigeria, there is an #ENDSARS movement against police brutality. The Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) was put in place to protect the civilians but instead, they have murdered, harassed, and raped citizens.
On October, 20th the Nigerian government leader sent soldiers to attack peaceful protestors resulting in 78 people being killed and injured.
In Liberia, rape and gender-based violence have been a growing issue since the 14-year long war back in 1989. However, during the pandemic rape against women and children has increased by 50%.
The President of Liberia, George Weah recently declared a #Rapenationalemergency this year to implement anti-rape measures.
In Namibia, following the murder of Shannon Wasserfall, the country treated the #shutitalldown protest on October 6th against femicide, rape, and gender-based violence. The protestors are demanding political action and although the government has condemned what’s going on there have not been any concrete plans or actions.
Africans, do not forget!#ChildTrafficking #EndSARS #ShutItAllDownNamibia #AmINext #CongolsBleeding #AnglophoneCrisis #ZimbabweanLivesMatter #RapeNationalEmergency #AfricanLivesMatter
The world is busy with their issues, let us focus on ours too! pic.twitter.com/SunDudHYTv— AfricaMthiyane 🇿🇦 (@Africa665) October 29, 2020
There has also been increased child labour and child trafficking in Ivory Coast and Ghana. This is leading to harsh and extreme work conditions and sometimes prostitution. Although the governments have attempted to put in measures to prevent and help, this has not been effective.
In Congo, there is currently a silent holocaust happening to prompt the hashtag #Congoisbleeding. Millions of people are being killed due to resources that the western world is benefiting from, such as coltan.
Congo has the world’s largest reserve of coltan. Coltan is a critical mineral needed for electronic devices, aerospace, and the innovation of technology. Many women are being raped, many children are being exploited to work in coal mines. Many organisations like the UN and ICC have intervened but it has also not been effective.
The Zimbabwean government has turned the country into an Army state. Innocent citizens are being tortured and women are being raped by soldiers and the police. On top of that Zimbabwe is all facing an economic crisis concerning food and the collapse of the currency. This has prompted the #ZimbabweanLivesMatter movement to demand justice and reform.
https://twitter.com/ZimbaChimoko/status/1321279301212377088
Since 2016, Cameroon has been dealing with #Anglophonecrisis which is directly associated with sectoral demands that resulted in hundreds of people dying and nearly 500,000 people being displaced. Peaceful protestors have been killed trying to advocate for this tragedy.
Finally in Guinea Conakry, Conde who is 82, is seeking a controversial third presidential term, a move that has triggered months of deadly unrest in the country.
In March, the president, AlphaConde, pushed through a new constitution which he argued would modernise the country; but it also allowed him to bypass a two-term limit for presidents, even though the Guinean constitution imposes a two-term limit.
Over 200 people have been injured, 70 imprisoned and over 90 killed in anti-Conde protests since October last year.
The Guinean military is currently shooting at civilians in the streets of Guinea who are protesting the president’s decision to not concede. Guinea’s citizens are being silenced through violence and oppression by the very system that is meant to protect their best interests.
Words: Jessica Sanches | Subbing: Grace Stanley, Sam Tabahriti