Michael Langley insisted only a “very small number” of Africans trained by Washington overthrew their governments
US general admits to sharing ‘core values’ with coup leaders
General Michael Langley, head of US AFRICOM, appeared to admit that the Pentagon’s “core values,” instilled into tens of thousands of African military officers, were compatible with staging coups as he was grilled during a House Armed Services Committee hearing by Republican Matt Gaetz (Florida) on Thursday.
Initially unable to provide a “ballpark” figure for how many US-trained African officers have gone on to stage coups, Langley then claimed it was “less than one percent,” crediting the Pentagon’s International Military Education and Training program, which stresses civilian governance and representative democracy.
Gaetz, citing an Intercept article revealing US-trained officers had staged at least eight successful coups in West Africa alone since 2008, asked whether the “core values” instilled in that curriculum were compatible with program graduate Col. Mamady Doumboya, who overthrew the Guinean government while his unit was literally in training with US Green Berets in September 2021.
Langley answered in the affirmative, insisting the “core values” of “respect for civilian governance, apolitical” were “what sticks across a very high percentage” of trainees.
“How many governments have to be overthrown by people we train before you sort of get the message that our core values might not be sticking with everyone?” Gaetz asked, questioning why US tax dollars should be spent training African military officers to overthrow their governments. “I think we should at least know how many countries we train the coup plotters in,” he suggested.......More Below
https://www.rt.com/africa/573599-africom-coup-plotters-trained-gaetz/
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) warns the enemies that any act of aggression against the Islamic Republic will not go unanswered.
In a statement on Thursday, the IRGC issued a “stern warning” to the enemies after US forces launched strikes against the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.
Following the US military attack on a point on the outskirts of Bandar Abbas Airport with aerial projectiles, the IRGC carried out new strikes targeting the US air base from which the attack originated in the wee hours of Thursday, it added.
“This response is a serious warning to the enemy that they should know the act of aggression will not go unanswered,” the IRGC emphasized.
The elite military force warned of a “more decisive” response if the enemy repeated any act of aggression.
It also said the responsibility for the consequences of any IRGC response lies with the aggressor.
The statement comes after the IRGC Navy on Thursday forced an American tanker to turn back. The tanker ...
Volker Turk has warned that efforts to advance reparatory justice are facing resistance in “certain quarters,” and urged countries to back Africa’s push.
Reparatory justice for historical crimes, including colonialism, enslavement, and the trade in enslaved Africans, is crucial to dismantling systemic racism, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has said.
Speaking at the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent on Tuesday, Turk linked present-day discrimination against people from the continent to the enduring legacy of colonialism and enslavement.
”Racism and dehumanizing rhetoric continue to permeate public institutions, communities, and online platforms,” he said, according to the UN Press Service. Turk noted that “digital technologies, including AI, are reproducing and amplifying existing biases against people of African descent.”
The remarks come weeks after the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade “the gravest...
The US VP had to defend President Trump’s Gaza policy at a rally on a Georgia college campus.
US Vice President J.D. Vance was forced to defend Washington’s policy in Gaza after he was booed and heckled at a key MAGA event on Wednesday.
Co-founded by the late Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA (TPUSA) is a conservative student group that has long been seen as a strong support base of President Donald Trump’s MAGA movement but is now showing apparent cracks.
Less than 15 minutes into a TPUSA event at the University of Georgia on Wednesday, Vance was interrupted by hecklers over US policy in Gaza, with one audience member shouting, “Jesus Christ does not support genocide!” As he attempted to respond, others shouted, “You’re killing children!” and “You’re bombing children!”
Vance replied by referring to Trump’s achievements as president, including securing a fragile ceasefire in Gaza, something he said the previous administration of Joe Biden failed to do.
“I ...
