Besieged by the jihadists of the Islamic State (IS) since October 2014, Kobani became the symbol of Kurdish resistance for Rojava (Syrian Kurdistan), which includes the autonomous regions of the North East of Syria, populated mainly by Kurdish population and controlled by the PYD (Democratic Union Party), the Syrian branch of the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party). Large parts of the Western left have mobilized around the issue, which deserves to be widely praised.
Social movements and the fall of Compaoré
11 January 2015, byBlaise Compaoré became President of Burkino Faso in 1991 as a result of a coup in 1987 in which his predecessor Thomas Sankara died. In 2000 the opposition succeeded in amending the constitution to limit a President to two five year terms. In 2014 Compaoré attempted to change the constitution back to allow him to remain in power and was eventually forced from office in October 2014. Afriques en Lutte spoke to Burkina Faso specialist Lila Chouli about how the social movements led to the fall of Compaoré.
Boko Haram: caliphate and rentier state
11 January 2015, byThe April 2014 kidnapping of almost 300 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok, in the extreme northeastern Nigerian state of Borno, made the name ‘Boko Haram’ notorious overnight. A global call to “bring back our girls” quickly became one of the highest-profile social media campaigns ever, with even leading celebrities and high-profile politicians joining in.
The revolutionary processes caught in the grip of reactionary forces
10 January 2015It’s been almost four years since the beginning of the revolutionary processes in the Middle East and North Africa, and although these processes are far from completed, their initial objectives (democracy, social justice, and equality) never seemed more distant.
LGO press release on the situation and tasks
9 January 2015The central committee of the Ligue de la gauche ouvrière (LGO – Workers’ Left League), expanded to include various regional and sectoral coordinations, met on 28 December 2014 at the national headquarters to discuss the political situation in the country and the tasks to be carried out during the coming period.
With the Greek people, for a change in Europe – A call launched in the Spanish State
9 January 2015This call launched in the Spanish State had already received some six thousand signatures on January 9, 2015.
European Union:social and democratic rights radically challenged!
9 January 2015, byIf the governments, the ECB and the European Commission truly intended what they claimed—that is, to reduce unemployment, boost economic activity, clean up the banking sector, increase and stimulate lending to small businesses and consumers, increase investment, reduce debt, and so on—, then their policies have clearly failed. But were these ever their true intentions?