Former South African presidents Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma all made state visits to Britain…reports Asian Lite News
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will make a state visit to Britain, Buckingham Palace said on Monday, the first such visit since King Charles succeeded his late mother Queen Elizabeth last month.
Ramaphosa and his wife, Tshepo Motsepe, have accepted an invitation from the new British monarch for the Nov. 22-24 state visit, the palace said.
Former South African presidents Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma all made state visits to Britain.
Britain exported 4 billion pounds ($4.5 billion) of goods and services to South Africa in 2021 and its imports from the country were worth about 8 billion pounds, according to British data. Britain is South Africa’s fourth-biggest export market.
It will effectively see the King and Queen Consort play host and usually includes a lavish state banquet, but full details will be released in the coming weeks.
Any decisions on who should be invited for state visits are made by the Foreign Office, and are seen as the ultimate diplomatic gift; they are an important way for the UK government to shore up relationships with countries that they see as strategically important for reasons such as trade or security.
The Queen’s last state visit was playing host to US president Donald Trump in 2019. A visit from Japan in 2020 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The King has visited South Africa on a number of occasions since his first tour of the country, which included Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town, in 1997.
His last trip was in 2011, along with the Queen Consort, then the Duchess of Cornwall. The three-day state visit comes as Ramaphosa faces allegations of money laundering in South Africa.
The president has denied the accusations, which include illegally holding around four million dollars in cash at his game ranch in northern South Africa and covering up its theft in an attempt to hide the existence of the money.
The scandal has proved a major blow to his image as a leader committed to stamping out corruption in South Africa.
Later today the King and Queen Consort will carry out their first official engagements since royal mourning for Queen Elizabeth II came to an end.
Two weeks since his mother’s funeral the King, and Camilla, will visit Dunfermline in Scotland to mark its new city status.
It is one of eight towns that have become cities to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Their Majesties will also host a reception for members of British South Asian communities at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.
Some residents in the affected areas were seen scooping flood waters from their homes and shops…reports Asian Lite News
Torrential rain hit some parts of Ghana, the capital Accra included, causing flooding in downtown areas and disrupting traffic on major roads.
The intermittent rain, which started in the wee hours of Saturday, continued through to the afternoon. Many major drains carrying running water were overflown, while some road potholes were enlarged and deepened.
Vehicles and commuters to several places within the cities and adjoining communities had to wade through heavy floods to get to their destinations. Some drivers, as a result of poor visibility, had to park their vehicles on the shoulders of roads.
Some residents in the affected areas were seen scooping flood waters from their homes and shops.
Videos and comments about the flooding situation and its attendant impact were posted on social media with residents calling on the government to find a permanent solution to their age-old poor drainage challenges.
Komla Dodze, a resident of Tema, said the torrential rain had destroyed his property.
“In fact, today’s continuous rain has actually destroyed almost everything in my room, including the fridge, furniture, and others, all were flooded,” said the resident.
The Ghana Meteorological Agency on Saturday warned citizens to be cautious in flood-prone areas.
Financial experts have asserted that the BRI has become a big contributor to the debt distress in Africa and the rest of the world…reports Asian Lite News
After eyebrows were raised on China’s debt trap policy under its Belt Road Initiative (BRI), it announced a loan waiver for African countries to change the narrative, however, the amount of these loans was not even 1 per cent of its total lending to the continent, forcing the poor countries to continue to suffer.
The recent cancellation of 23 loans to 17 African countries is not complete cancellation of these loans but just a waiver of the outstanding balance. So these loans are likely to be those that were nearing their end, which means the African countries would continue to suffer under China’s poor debt trap policy.
The Chinese government with its debt trap policy has offered loans to various African countries with higher interest rates that continue to add to the economic woes of the poor African countries.
China has recently emerged as a major lender in more than 32 African countries including Angola ($21.5 billion in 2017), Ethiopia ($13.7 billion), Kenya ($9.8 billion), Republic of Congo ($7.42 billion), Cameroon ($5.57 billion) and Zambia reaching $11.2 billion in 2019.
Financial experts have asserted that the BRI has become a big contributor to the debt distress in Africa and the rest of the world.
Over the last few years, China has extended a total of 1,188 loans to various African countries, which amount to a total sum of USD159.9 billion in loans, according to data compiled by the Global Development Policy Center of the Boston University.
Of the loans, a majority of loans have been extended for transportation and power generation projects, as has been the pattern of Chinese investment elsewhere.
However, as many as 27 of these loans, that amount to USD 3.5 billion have been extended toward defence-related projects. Of these, 13 loans have been provided to the country of Zambia alone, which has received a total loan amounting to USD 2.1 billion exclusively for defence purchases.
Ghana, Cameroon, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Sierra Leone and Namibia are other recipients of Chinese defence-related loans.
China’s debt trap policy BRI is often criticised which China is alleged to be using to take control of vital installations in other countries and expand its military presence,the European Times reported.
The economic crisis in Sri Lanka and the deteriorating financial situation in Pakistan has been linked to the stringent conditions of BRI loan repayment.
Think tank Centre for Strategic and International Studies said while the BRI is crucial for development but “China’s hostile economic practices, military expansion, and coercive political and ideological tactics in Africa should not be ignored.”
A report by the US Secretary of States aid the BRI projects became unsustainable due to heavy economic and environmental costs,the European Times reported.
“Largely debt-financed, 23 China’s projects in Africa often fail to meet reasonable international standards of sustainability and transparency, and burden local economies with heavy debt and other problems,” reads the report.
The elite group of G7 countries has time and again slammed the harsh terms of financing for the BRI loans. They made frequent references to the “debt trap” that made Beijing uneasy. Moreover, they proposed an alternative to the BRI, which would be sustainable and transparent.
This and what is happening in Sri Lanka and Pakistan caused the world to look at the BRI with suspicion. Thus, Beijing played a trick of loan cancellation in Africa, observers believed.
China has been cancelling interest-free loans for decades. Hannah Ryder, chief executive of Beijing -based Development Reimagined, said the debt forgiveness move was “the lowest hanging fruit” which helped Beijing hide the harsh repayment conditions of the other bulk BRI loans, the European Times reported.
Harry Verhoeven, senior research scholar at Columbia University, asserted that China tried to counter the debt-trap narrative by forgiving the 23 African loans. “It is not uncommon for China to do something like this [forgive interest-free loans] … now obviously it is connected to the overall debt-trap diplomacy narrative in the sense that clearly there’s a felt need on the part of China to push back,” he said.
Political economist Shahar Hameiri said Chinese loans are given in a hurry, skipping the important part of analysing debt sustainability.”Chinese lending has contributed to debt problems in a number of countries, although it is not necessarily the only or even the primary cause as in Sri Lanka,” Hameiri said, as quoted by the European Times.
Many African countries have voiced their concerns over the unsustainable BRI loans. Zambia has already cancelled its foreign loans which mainly constitute Chinese ones to stop aggravating its debt distress. This means 14 projects under the BRI are withdrawn.
In Ethiopia, the cost of the local food basket increased by more than 33 per cent between January and June 2022, according to WFP…reports Asian Lite News
At least 36.1 million people in the Horn of Africa, including 24.1 million in Ethiopia, 7.8 million in Somalia, and 4.2 million in Kenya, will be affected by severe drought in October, the United Nations has warned.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the figure represents a significant increase from July when an estimated 19.4 million people were affected by drought.
OCHA said aid agencies are already in a race against time and are working around the clock to respond to this rapidly deepening emergency.
“Urgent additional funding is required to scale up and sustain the response,” OCHA said in its latest humanitarian update on drought released on Wednesday evening.
It said communities in the Horn of Africa are facing the immediate threat of starvation, with forecasts indicating that the October-December rainy season is likely to underperform, marking the fifth consecutive failed season in parts of Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia.
According to OCHA, two districts in Somalia are at imminent risk of famine, and at least 21 million people are projected to face high levels of acute food insecurity due to drought in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia between October and December.
“The 2020-2022 drought has now surpassed the horrific droughts in 2010-2011 and 2016-2017 in both duration and severity and will continue to deepen in the months ahead, with catastrophic consequences,” OCHA said.
It said food prices are spiking in many drought-affected areas, due to a combination of macroeconomic challenges, below-average harvests, and rising prices for food and fuel on international markets, including as a result of the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
In Somalia, staple food prices in drought-hit areas have surpassed the levels recorded during the 2017 drought and the 2011 famine, according to World Food Program (WFP)’s price monitoring.
In Ethiopia, the cost of the local food basket increased by more than 33 per cent between January and June 2022, according to WFP.
Soaring prices are leaving families unable to afford even basic items and forcing them to sell their hard-earned properties and assets in exchange for food and other life-saving items.
There are also repercussions for food for refugee programs, which are already impacted by reduced rations due to a lack of funding support.
This package of support takes the UK’s total humanitarian, health and nutrition funding for Somalia this financial year up to £52.8million…reports Asian Lite News
The UK Development Minister Vicky Ford has announced a new package of support for people affected by the worst drought in decades in the Horn of Africa.
Speaking at an event on the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Horn of Africa at the UN General Assembly in New York, Ford announced £22.8 million to enable the UN and our NGO partners to continue lifesaving assistance through cash support; access to water and sanitation services; and the delivery of highly specialised health and nutrition treatment.
Ford called on the international community to act now to avert disaster, as concerns rise that a projected famine in Somalia could be worse than in 2011, when a quarter of a million people lost their lives.
Minister Ford said, ‘The drought in the Horn of Africa is one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. Almost half of Somalia’s population is in dire need of help – with 300,000 people forecast to be in famine by October if assistance is not provided immediately.
The UK is playing a leading role in the international response to this crisis. We are providing vital life-saving food security, health, nutrition and water support to half a million people across Somalia, backed up by the funding announced today.
If we are to avoid a repeat of the catastrophic drought which saw a quarter of million people die in Somalia a decade ago, the international community must act now.
This package of support takes the UK’s total humanitarian, health and nutrition funding for Somalia this financial year up to £52.8million.
The UK has allocated a total of £156 million in humanitarian support for crises in East Africa this financial year’.
India has close developmental relations with Ghana and supports several projects there in infrastructure, education and technology…reports Arul Louis
As India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar launched his second day of diplomacy on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly with high-level meetings with Presidents Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana and Azali Assoumani of the Comoros, New Delhi’s diplomats also fanned out to meetings at other levels.
After calling on Akufo-Addo, Jaishankar tweeted, “Discussed our ongoing cooperation in the UN Security Council, especially on counterterrorism. Appreciated the achievements of our development partnership.”
India has close developmental relations with Ghana and supports several projects there in infrastructure, education and technology.
Jaishankar tweeted that Assoumani appreciated “India’s outreach in combating Covid-19 and dengue”.
He added that they “discussed taking forward our development partnership and working together on maritime security”.
Jaishankar also met with Nicaragua’s Foreign Minister Denis Moncada and tweeted, “Interesting discussion on the global situation and its multilateral implications.”
India’s Permanent Representative Ruchira Kamboj met with US Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland.
Nuland tweeted that they met “to advance #USIndia partnership, including at the UN and through the Quad. Our work with India is vital for global prosperity and security”.
The Quad, made up of India, the US, Japan and Australia, is centered on the Indo-Pacific region and is an important area in the growing cooperation between the US and India.
Nuland was in India in March for the India-US Foreign Office Consultations at official’s level under the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a neighbour of Poland was discussed during Sanjay Verma, India’s Secretary (West), met with Warsaw”s Under Secretary of State Marcin Przydacz.
Przydacz tweeted after the meeting, “We talked about the security situation following the invasion of Ukraine and the global challenges it caused. Poland, India will also seek to strengthen economic relations.”
Verma said in his tweet, “Discussed bilateral, and regional issues, including Ukraine. Right tone set for our Foreign Office Consultations. So much to look forward to as we strengthen India Polish ties.”
After 2030, it will be important to capture the emissions from gas too, Kerry added…reports Asian Lite News
US climate envoy John Kerry cautioned against investing in long-term gas projects in Africa as countries in the region, some hoping to tap recent oil and gas discoveries, wrestle with how to power their development with clean energy.
“We are not saying no gas,” Kerry told Reuters on the sidelines of an African environment ministers’ conference in Dakar, Senegal, on Thursday.
“What we are saying is, over the next few years, gas replaces coal or replaces oil,” the former secretary of state and Democratic presidential candidate said, adding that gas can be used as a transition to cleaner energy sources.
But after 2030, it will be important to capture the emissions from gas too, Kerry added.
Continued financing of oil and gas projects in Africa has become a key issue for the countries, which they plan to push during a United Nations climate summit in Egypt in November.
Senegal and other countries in the region aim to start producing oil and gas, which they hope will help boost their electricity production, power industries and curb energy poverty.
Over 600 million people, or 43% of Africa’s population, lack access to electricity, most of them in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the International Energy Agency.
African countries argue that they need investments to develop their energy resources, including oil and gas, and a pledge by developed nations including the United States last year to curb investments in fossil fuels, was unjust.
Kerry said the question now is how to help the nations, which account for only a small amount of carbon emissions, develop without making mistakes that others made, enabling them to be as green as possible without creating more problems.
He said the viability of long-term gas projects could become a problem beyond 2030, the target date many developed nations have set to move to mostly renewable and curb the need for gas.
Kerry said such long-term projects likely would not recoup their investments within 10 years, adding that some countries are talking of projects with lifespan as long as 40 years, which was not necessary.
“We do not have to rush to go backward, we need to be very careful about exactly how much we are going to deploy, how it is going to be paid for, over what period of time and how do you capture the emissions.” Kerry said.
He said developed nations need to step up efforts and meet the urgency to help other countries adapt and get over the initial hurdles of developing renewable energy systems.
Kerry said the United States has committed $12 billion for “adaptation and resilience,” and was working on a new structure to bring more the big investors with trillions of dollars.
The outbreak of bird flu in 2021 killed an estimated 230 African penguins, he added…reports Asian Lite News
Four cases of avian flu or bird flu were confirmed among the endangered penguins at Boulders Penguin Colony in South African city of Cape Town, News24, a local news website reported, citing a clinical veterinarian.
As of Friday, there had been four confirmed cases and another seven suspected cases, said Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) management.
Once seabirds show symptoms of bird flu, they usually die soon afterward, News24 reported on Saturday, quoting David Roberts, a clinical veterinarian at the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (Sanccob) as saying.
The flu strain is the same as the one detected in seabirds in the Western Cape last year. That outbreak saw thousands of birds die in vulnerable colonies. Now, conservationists worry the same fate could await the endangered penguins, if no quick action is taken.
Roberts said that it could also pose a significant risk to breeding colonies if there is an outbreak in endangered species like the African Penguin, Cape Cormorant and Cape Gannet.
The outbreak of bird flu in 2021 killed an estimated 230 African penguins, he added.
“At the peak of the outbreak, more than 500 affected birds were collected per day. The population-level effect was of an unprecedented scale, and nearly 15 per cent of the South African population of Cape cormorants died from avian influenza in less than four months,” he said.
The outbreak devastated the endangered Cape cormorant population in the Western Cape, resulting in the deaths of 24,000 birds. The worst-affected area was Dyer Island off Gansbaai, home to a Cape cormorant breeding colony.
According to Roberts, the actual number of deaths was likely to be far higher. Before the outbreak, there were an estimated 57,000 Cape cormorant breeding pairs in South Africa. However, the population had dropped by 50 per cent over the last 30 years.
Bird flu refers to the disease caused by infection with avian (bird) influenza virus. Strains of the influenza virus primarily infect birds.
Nigeria remains a country of immense significance for India with both countries having enjoyed robust ties. India is also the largest importer of Nigerian petroleum products…reports Asian Lite News
Indian Naval Ship (INS) Tarkash’s joint maritime exercise with the patrol ships of the Nigerian Navy in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) earlier this week marked a new level of strategic convergence between both the nations on the crucial west coast of Africa.
The first joint operational deployment by India and Nigeria in support of anti-piracy operations in the GoG witnessed INS Tarkash, currently on operational deployment in the region, carry out exercises with Nigerian Navy’s NNS Kano, Osun, Sokoto and Nguru.
INS Tarkash’s third visit to Lagos since 2017 not only strengthens bilateral naval ties but also furthers the Indian Navy’s operational philosophy of Mission Based Deployments under which ships are regularly deployed in maritime areas of interest to India to ensure that the national interests are protected.
Nigeria remains a country of immense significance for India with both countries having enjoyed robust ties. India is also the largest importer of Nigerian petroleum products.
India, which will assume the Presidency of the G20 for one year starting in December, has also decided to invite Nigeria as a guest country to its G20 meetings and Summit.
INS Tarkash had also recently been to Togo, the first visit ever by an Indian Naval Ship to the country.
The exercise in the Gulf of Guinea, said the Indian defence ministry, provided an opportunity for reinforcing inter-operability between the Indian and Nigerian navies in various facets of maritime operations.
The focus was on anti-piracy operations, assistance to vessels in distress, SAR drills as well as anti-air and anti-surface operations besides enhancing skills for maritime interdiction and counter-piracy operations.
“We are planning joint patrols with the Nigerian Navy to counter the menace of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea,” Captain Abraham Samuel, Commanding Officer of INS Tarkash, told local media after the ship arrived at Port Lagos.
Stretching from Senegal to Angola with an approximate coastline of 6000 km, the Gulf of Guinea remains an important shipping zone transporting oil and gas, as well as goods to and from central and southern Africa.
About 13,000 vessels – including tankers, cargo ships, and fishing trawlers – transit the vast and diverse region annually for maritime trade.
Pirates, armed robbers, and several groups continue to operate off Nigeria, Benin, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Sao Tome and Principe, and Gabon, targeting these vessels thus posing a major threat to the maritime security and the economic development of the region.
The region, believes the Indian Navy, has also certain non-traditional maritime challenges, and the deployment of INS Tarkash is aimed to enhance professional interactions, exchange best practices in tackling common threats, and further interoperability with navies of friendly countries.
Keeping with India’s stated policy towards maritime cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and vision SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region), the Indian Navy has also shown its full commitment to the countries along the East Coast of Africa and the Western IOR.
The special name that Mandela had for the Queen was ‘Motlalepula’, which means ‘to come with rain’ in the indigenous Setswana language…reports Asian Lite News
Contravening royal etiquette, Nelson Mandela often referred to Queen Elizabeth II by a special name out of respect and affection, South Africa’s late apartheid hero’s foundation said on Friday, while sharing interesting anecdotes on their friendship.
Queen Elizabeth II, the UK’s longest-serving monarch, died on Thursday at Balmoral Castle in Scotland after reigning for 70 years.
She was 96.
“By his own admission, Nelson Mandela was an anglophile, and in the years after his release from the prison, he cultivated a close relationship with the Queen. He hosted her in South Africa and visited her in England, taking particular delight in exploring Buckingham Palace,” the Nelson Mandela Foundation said in a statement.
“They also talked on the phone frequently, using their first names with each other as a sign of mutual respect as well as affection,” the Foundation said.
The special name that Mandela had for the Queen was ‘Motlalepula’, which means ‘to come with rain’ in the indigenous Setswana language, it said.
During a banquet hosted by Mandela in 1997 for then Prince Charles, who is now King Charles III, Mandela explained the reasoning behind coining this special name for the Queen.
“We cherish fond memories of the Royal State Visit to South Africa by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth in 1995. We regard it as a watershed in the historical relationship between our countries, now firm partners for peace and prosperity,” Mandela had said.
“As a token of our affection to Her Majesty, we conferred on her the name ‘Motlalepula’, because her visit coincided with torrential rains that we had not experienced in a long time. With the threat of El Nino, we would have welcomed her presence in this period even more. But we can rest content that a part of her soul and her magic is with us today,” he added.
Fondly known to South Africans as Madiba, Mandela spent 27 years in prison, before leading his country from white minority rule to a multi-racial democracy.
He died in 2013 aged 95.
Mandela received numerous civic awards from British institutions, including the British Order of Merit from the Queen, the Order of St John, and an honorary doctorate in law.
“For Madiba (the clan name by which Mandela is fondly known) it was important that the former colonial power in southern Africa should be drawn into cordial and productive relations with the newly democratic republic of South Africa,” the Foundation said.
“For the same reason, South Africa becoming a full member of the Commonwealth again after its long apartheid-era absence had a special significance,” the Foundation said.
The Foundation also recalled how Mandela would ask anyone from Britain or anyone who had visited Britain the question, “And did you get to meet the Queen?” “He would then take great delight in sharing anecdotes of his encounters with her,” the Foundation said, as it shared condolences with the Royal Family and wished King Charles III “strength and fortitude as he takes on new responsibilities at this difficult time.”
Meanwhile, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa also expressed his profound and sincere condolences to King Charles III.
“Her Majesty was an extraordinary and world-renowned public figure who lived a remarkable life. Her life and legacy will be fondly remembered by many around the world. The Queen’s commitment and dedication during her 70 years on the throne remains a noble and virtuous example to the entire world,” Ramaphosa said in a statement on Friday.
He recalled how he had met the Queen at the last Commonwealth meeting in London four years ago.
“(We) spent some time looking at letters that Former President Mandela had sent to the Queen, reminiscing about the great statesman that Her Majesty respected enormously,” he recollected and added that South Africa’s thoughts and prayers are with the Royal Family, the government and people of the United Kingdom as they mourn their immense loss.
In South Africa and across the globe, the death of Queen Elizabeth II has prompted reflections on the historic sweep of her reign and how she succeeded in presiding over the end of Britain’s colonial empire and embracing the independence of her former dominions.
It was in Cape Town, marking her 21st birthday in 1947, that the then Princess Elizabeth pledged that her “whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong”.
The British empire soon crumbled, but Elizabeth managed to maintain a regal if a ceremonial, position as the head of the Commonwealth, the 54 nations of mostly previous British colonies.
“The Queen lived a long and consequential life, fulfilling her pledge to serve until her very last breath at the age of 96,” Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, said in a statement Friday.
“She was an exemplary leader of the kind seldom seen in the modern era.”
As queen, Elizabeth was seen as endorsing the birth of democracies in Africa where previously Blacks had been denied basic rights, including the vote.
When in glittering tiaras she danced with new African leaders in the 1960s and visited their capital cities, she bestowed a legitimacy on their governments.
When white-minority rule finally fell in South Africa in 1994, Elizabeth welcomed Nelson Mandela as a world leader.
Her openly warm friendship with Mandela was enjoyed by him, and it gave her a new relevance.
“In the years after his release from prison, (Mandela) cultivated a close relationship with the queen. He hosted her in South Africa and visited her in England, taking particular delight in exploring Buckingham Palace. They also talked on the phone frequently, using their first names with each other as a sign of mutual respect as well as affection,” the Nelson Mandela Foundation said in a statement Friday.
“For Madiba (Mandela’s clan name) it was important that the former colonial power in southern Africa should be drawn into cordial and productive relations with the newly democratic republic of South Africa. For the same reason, South Africa becoming a full member of the Commonwealth again after its long apartheid-era absence had a special significance,” it said.
Fellow radical anti-apartheid fighter, Anglican archbishop of Cape Town Desmond Tutu, also enjoyed good relations with the queen, and his foundation paid tribute to her.
“Although ensconced in the pomp, ceremony and lifestyle of royalty and empire, in a world of profound inequality, she was a servant queen,” Tutu’s foundation and trust said Friday.
In contrast, a scathing view of the queen’s rule was issued by South Africa’s populist party, the Economic Freedom Fighters.
The queen was “head of an institution built up, sustained, and living off a brutal legacy of dehumanisation of millions of people across the world,” said the statement.
“We do not mourn the death of Elizabeth, because to us her death is a reminder of a very tragic period in this country and Africa’s history,” said the party.
“During her 70-year reign as queen, she never once acknowledged the atrocities that her family inflicted on native people that Britain invaded across the world. She willingly benefited from the wealth that was attained from the exploitation and murder of millions of people across the world.”
The queen’s death came as a growing number of British territories in the Caribbean are seeking to replace the monarch with their own heads of state amid demands that Britain apologise for its colonial-era abuses and award its former colonies slavery reparations.
Still, Caribbean leaders mourned her.
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said that for many years Elizabeth visited the island every decade.
“Undoubtedly, she formed a special bond with the people of Jamaica,” he said.
“We are saddened that we will not see her light again, but we will remember her historic reign.”
Bermuda Premier David Burt noted that her reign “has spanned decades of such immense change for the United Kingdom and the world.”
