Whats Happening in South Sudan and the Role of the United States? with Ugandan-native activist Milton Allimadi, publisher of Black Star News and an adjunct professor at John Jay College
Prof. Allimadi examines the background of the ongoing conflict in South Sudan, which has created untold suffering, tens of thousands of deaths and over a million displaced people who have been forced out of their homes. Violence is escalating in South Sudan, and famine has been declared in parts of South Sudan. As of 2016 estimates of victims of the war in South Sudan had already exceeded 100,000 and thousands more have been killed since that time. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) most recently reported 1,559,815 refugees since December 2013. Prof. Allimadi talks about what underlies the conflict and what is the role of the U.S. and the U.N? The U.S. is the primary financial supporter of the government in South Sudan.
Prof. Allimadi places a large part of the responsibility on Gen. Yoweri Museveni, who is the current dictator of neighboring Uganda, who seeks regional hegemony and has sent forces and military aid in support of Salva Kiir. Uganda, he noted, is a major ally of the United States and often does its bidding in regional conflicts. Military aid to Uganda, funded by U.S. tax dollars, has been used against the civilians in South Sudan. Allimadi said Americans can play a critical role in ending the massacres since the U.S. provides $750 million annually to the Museveni regime.
Prof. Allimadi has started a petition to Antnio Guterres, the secretary-general of the United Nations. For more details on the petition go to Black Star News *************** Indian Trade Unions Plead for World-Wide Support to Free 13 Autoworkers Sentenced to Life In Prison After Protesting Plant Conditions
Thirteen former workers of the countrys biggest car maker, Maruti Suzuki, in Northern Indian have been sentenced to life imprisonment because of their activism protesting the conditions at the companys Manesar plant in 2012. Four other former workers have been sentenced to a five-year jail term. The prosecution had sought capital punishment for the accused.
The workers were falsely accused in the death of a plant manager nearly five years ago, following a dispute between workers and management at the factory. In fact, the workers assert the general manager of the factory was killed by hired musclemen of the Maruti Suzuki management meant to create the ground for crushing the workers union. Despite in no way being responsible for the incident, the workers have been convicted on the basis of concocted evidence manufactured by the state administration, police and employer nexus in a shameless abuse of power. More than 546 regular and 2000 contract workers were thrown out of their jobs and 148 workers were sent to jail for up to four and half years.
Indias trade unions are calling upon workers to organize demonstrations in their workplaces or the industrial centers on April 4 and 5, 2017 as a mark of solidarity with the Maruti workers struggling for justice and for trade union rights. They are demanding unconditional release of the Maruti workers and reinstatement of the victimized workers.
produced by Mimi Rosenberg and Ken Nash
please notify us if you plan to broadcast this program - knash@igc.org
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