Sare Şanlı on Africa & Global Affairs

Last week, provocative posts by Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, on X sparked widespread debate. In his posts, the General demanded a “security fee” of $1 billion in exchange for Uganda’s military presence in Somalia and declared that he wished to marry “the most beautiful woman in Turkey.” He went on to threaten that if his demands were not met immediately, diplomatic relations would be cut within 30 days and restrictions would be imposed on Turkish Airlines flights. Muhoozi had previously made headlines with another controversial tweet, stating he was ready to deploy 100,000 Ugandan troops to “protect the Holy Lands,” openly expressing support for Israel. When his threatening remarks toward Turkey drew backlash in both Turkish and Ugandan media, he quickly backtracked—saying “I love my Turkish brothers”—and deleted the posts. His statements triggered a wave of speculation, from theories about shadow actors pulling strings behind him to claims that ...

Ghana’s move to bring the transatlantic slave trade before the United Nations as “one of the gravest crimes against humanity” marks a powerful political intervention—one that forces the world to confront a system of exploitation that has never truly disappeared. For more than four centuries, millions of people were violently uprooted from African lands and crammed into ships bound for slavery. Many perished in the dark waters of the Atlantic, while those who survived were forced into brutal labor under white masters. In 1781, the Zong ship, sailing from São Tomé to Jamaica, became one of the most chilling symbols of this systemic barbarity. Overloaded far beyond capacity, the crew faced dwindling water and supplies. Their solution was a “commercial decision”: to throw enslaved people overboard—men, women, and children alike. As 133 innocent Africans were cast into the ocean as “excess cargo,” their cries vanished beneath the waves. The ship’s owners later filed an insurance claim f...