On August 13, the Malian government pardoned and released French DSGE officer, Yann Christian-Bernard Vézilier, who was arrested by the Malian authorities last August for plotting to destabilize the country, and sentenced this June to 20 years in prison.
The same day as Vézilier’s release, 82 Malian military personnel, captured by Western-backed terrorists during the failed April 25-26 t*rror attacks, were finally welcomed home.
In this report for The Spearhead, Nuhu Guinko explores the truth behind these twin developments, and what Africa must learn from them.
Is the West Trying to Stop Dangote’s East Africa Refinery?
In April 2026, under a hail of backlash from Nigeria, the World Bank deleted a policy report where it recommended that Nigeria re-open its market to petroleum imports, despite hosting the world’s largest single train refinery in Lagos. The report justified this recommendation by claiming that Nigerian businessman Aliko Dangote now holds a monopoly on fuel in Nigeria.
The question, as succinctly outlined by this Nigerian commentator, is why did over 60 years of European corporate control of Nigeria’s refined petroleum market not raise the same concerns about “monopoly”? Why does “monopoly” only become an issue when Africans seize control of their own resources from European and US corporate interests?
This question has taken on even more significance as Africa’s wealthiest businessman prepares to break ground on a $15.5-billion petroleum refinery project on Kenya’s Indian Ocean coast.
What do you make of all this? Drop us a comment.
Follow us: The Spearhead
Video credit: @iswellthecapitalist
Botswana & Côte d’Ivoire Charge Forward on Mineral Exploration
Botswana and Côte d’Ivoire signed a memorandum of understanding on 30 July for increased collaboration on mineral exploration, energy development, technical skills transfer, innovation and institutional capacity building.
Here, the two countries’ leaders remarked on their endeavour in the context of Africa’s vast mineral wealth. Don’t we need more intra-continental collaborations like this? Drop us a comment.
Follow us: @spearhead_af
Video credit: @loratotv4960 (YouTube)
Somali Airlines to Resume Flights After 35 Years
Somalia is entering a new chapter in its aviation history as Somali Airlines prepares to return to the skies this September, 35 years after it stopped operating during the civil war.
The government has acquired two Airbus A320 aircraft and is putting new safety and operational systems in place at Aden Adde International Airport ahead of the relaunch.
The return of Somali Airlines means the country can begin reducing its dependence on foreign airlines while reconnecting more people within Somalia and across the region. It could also support trade, tourism and business, while marking an important step in Somalia’s wider effort to rebuild its national institutions.
Smash the Global Financial System Rigged Against Africa
Ghanaian Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa ripped into the U.S./EU/UK-created global financial system, calling it a world order that is rigged to keep Africa and the rest of the Global South forever poor.
How should Africa begin reclaiming its sovereignty? Drop us a comment.
Follow us: The Spearhead
Video credit: @RT_com
John Bolton: U.S. Behind Many Regime Change Operations
At least we can rely on a nasty imperialist like John Bolton for one thing: His honesty.
This is one of a few clips circulating showing Bolton, who had once been US National Security Advisor and a US ambassador to the UN, admitting that the US engages in regime change. Bolton said the US should have stayed occupying Afghanistan as it does Germany. The part about Germany is one many in the West may not be able to wrap their heads around, but yes, the US colonised Europe after World War II, funding its reconstruction and occupying it militarily to this day with at least 38 known bases and 84,000 troops.
Are you surprised by Bolton’s audacity? Drop us a comment.
Follow us: The Spearhead
Video credit: “Frontline,” PBS (2026)
Follow The Spearhead on the following platforms:
TikTok - http://tiktok.com/@spearhead_af
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@african_spearhead
Instagram - http://instagram.com/spearhead_af
Threads - http://threads.com/@Spearhead_Af
Facebook - https://facebook.com/spearheadafrica
Rumble - rumble.com/user/spearhead_af