Benedict Kamya Winyi | Communist League of Uganda
Analysis:
Africa’s position: Neo-colonies supplying raw materials while importing finished goods causes vulnerability to currency dominance and commodity price volatility. The continued presence of Imperialist powers in Africa causes lack but no gain at all, but gain and no lack at all for those said powers since Africa only earns Loans from the IMF and World Bank, while the Imperialist earns raw materials and resources.
Discussion Point 1: The CFA Franc–The Economic Shackle of Africa
The CFA franc is a masterfully designed tool of neocolonial exploitation. It requires 14 African nations to deposit 50% of their reserves with the French Treasury, essentially giving Paris a veto over their economies.
Submission for Resolution: The CLU condemns the CFA franc system as the single biggest instrument of French economic imperialism in Africa today. We call for an immediate, legally binding timetable for its abolition, and demand the unconditional and immediate repatriation of all African gold and foreign currency reserves currently held in France to their rightful owners i.e. the African people.
Discussion Point 2: Corporate Plunder–France’s Strategic Resource Grab
The true purpose of French military and political intervention is to guarantee access for its corporate giants. Companies like TotalEnergies are actively expanding their control over African oil and gas, extracting wealth while local communities see little benefit. Meanwhile, a wave of resource nationalism is sweeping the continent, with Sahel states nationalizing gold mines to reclaim their wealth.
Submission for Resolution: The CLU condemns the predatory activities of French and Western corporations that plunder Africa’s natural resources. We call for the creation of a “Pan-African Extraction Watchdog” to investigate and expose all exploitative contracts, and demand the immediate renegotiation of all mining and energy contracts to ensure Africa’s resources serve the African people. Same case as for Uganda, where the French company, Total Energies has full charge of the EACOP and the Oil and Gas discovered around the Albertine region.
Discussion Point 3: The Wider Imperialist Web–AFRICOM and the UK’s “Occupying” Army
France is just one component of a broader imperialist system. U.S. AFRICOM continues to treat the continent as a strategic chessboard. In Kenya, the legacy of the UK’s former colonial power lives on through BATUK, which has been accused of horrific abuses that force the unit to be seen as an “occupying presence”.
Submission for Resolution: The CLU condemns all foreign military bases on African soil, from the UK’s BATUK to the U.S. Pentagon’s AFRICOM network. We call for a total and immediate shutdown of all such bases operating without the express, informed, and revocable consent of the African people. Finally, we demand that the International Criminal Court immediately investigate and prosecute serious crimes committed by UK and French forces in Kenya.