Skip to main content
Africa and the Western lust for power and control
Neocolonialism still ravages the African continent with war and debt. Niger and other nations are right to refuse it, says CLAUDIA WEBBE MP
DEFIANT: Nigeriens at a march called by supporters of coup leader Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani in Niamey, Niger

THE humanitarian disaster of wars which have destroyed Yemen, destroyed Libya and ravaged huge parts of west Africa are not a phenomenon intrinsic to Africa, but one that has been inflicted on it by centuries of colonial greed and control — and continues to be perpetuated by the neocolonial ambitions of so-called “developed” nations now.

It is a phenomenon fuelled by the greed of corporations for mineral wealth and enabled by governments beholden to their donations and corrupted by the revolving door between government and big business. And it is one that cannot be allowed to continue.

It’s not hard to see why Western powers want to control access to Africa’s mineral resources — the stakes are huge.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
Surrounded by members of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), Willy Ngoma, spokesman of the M23 (centre) arrives for a ceremony to mark the withdrawal from their positions in the town of Kibumba, in the eastern of Democratic Republic of Congo, December 23, 2022
International Women’s Day 2026 / 7 March 2026
7 March 2026

As the world marks International Women’s Day, African women warn that wars, mineral grabs and militarism are drowning out promises of peace. Human rights defender MARIE-CLAIRE FARAY explains

THE RESOLVE UNALTERED: Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez, center, makes a statement flanked by Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, right, and National Assembly President, Jorge Rodriguez, at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela on Wednesday
Features / 16 January 2026
16 January 2026

International solidarity can ensure that Trump and his machine cannot prevail without a level of political and economic cost that he will not want to pay, argues CLAUDIA WEBBE

TRAILBLAZING RESEARCH: Dr Aggrey Burke in 2022; Jamaican immigrants met by the Colonial Office officials as they disembark from the Empire Windrush one in four will commit suicide / Windrush pic: Whispyhistory/CC
Obituary / 31 December 2025
31 December 2025

1943-2025: How one man’s unfinished work reveals the lethal lie of ‘colour-blind’ medicine

A vendor sells local newspapers with headlines referring to US President Donald Trump's comments about Nigeria, on the street of Lagos, Nigeria, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025
Maga Diplomacy / 10 November 2025
10 November 2025

Nigeria’s presidential spokesman grovels to the West in response to Washington intimidation, writes PAVAN KULKARNI