when customers go buy, you reduce the price, then hell reduce a lower that's under cutting, but what's good for food market is that get to the global economy? mm hm. with i'm after it's ancy and we're going on the ground on the day. russia invades ukraine, according to anonymous u. s. intelligence briefings amplified by major nation media coming up on the show . while nature nation media focuses on war with russia in europe, africa, facebook, coups and corona virus. however,

other signs of hope that alleged us interference in the horn of africa may have failed to catalyze instability, especially in the g, a strategic babel, mandab, straits, through which a reputed 10 percent of all well trade flows. and what about the 1st few s u. k. french armed bombing of a civilian ministry in yemen. this week that nature, nation media is arguably ignored. we speak to oxfam international global programs, director of what the un cools, the world's worst humanitarian crisis. dollars or more coming up in today's going underground, but fast as washington's obsession. about a russian invasion of ukraine seen it take its eye off the ball from its interventions in africa as joe biden deploys thousands of soldiers to europe. 4 years ago to day ethiopia declared a state of emergency. yet amidst dire predictions of war, in the e. u, ethiopian politicians of just voted and their state of emergency. so what's happened in the critically geo strategic horn of africa known in i, m f, supporting countries for the ly, they'd, charity concerts and famine,

journeymen out from lynchburg, virginia is thomas mountain. the renowned and most widely distributed independent journalist in the whole of africa. thomas, thank so much for coming on going underground. finally, we, we finally got you all be in virginia. the suspicious state of virginia, i might say the u. n. as i congratulated the era trained government in the past few days, on the 32nd anniversary of operation fen kill liberation of miss sour. now, many people around the world watching this don't perhaps understand the crucial importance of the region you've lived in for so long. what, why is it relevant to the current to gray conflict with sure, yeah, joe biden, state department often says is a, is a, is a conflict rooted in, in barbarism, virtual barbarism by if you appear in eritrea. how is it relevant to that? well, no or no, that is one of the most strategically critical places in the world because the 2

largest trading partners in the world are europe and asia. and most of their trade passes through the red sea, which is at $22.00 in egypt where the suez canal, which is controlled by basically by the c i o pays the salaries of egypt and military to the, to the $1500000000.00 a year with his company would dispute that you know, well, the other strategically critical point is the bob on monday at the entrance between the red sea and the indian ocean. and this is what's up for grabs because who controls the bottom. and that basically controls the 2 largest trading partners in the world. europe in the now the united states is no longer dominant economically, but they remain dominant militarily. and so, you know, historically, ethiopia has been, the police been on the beat for the u. s. a. control balm, and now ethiopia has made a dramatic turn since this coup d'etat to see i supported by the to grab people's

liberation front to feel after sure. and they tried to regain power, any fuel at the end of 2020. so this coup d'etat was basically united states trying to reassert their military control over a strategically critical part of the world, the horn of africa. so for, you know, whether you are, i understand it, that your list is understand it to see, i believe, is aware of just how critical horn of africa is. and that's why, if you didn't end up and firing line of the united states now, since they have moved decisively out of the u. s. sheer influence and become close to retrieve, which is what's very alarming. i mean, i'm the argument announced that it was going to nationalize all the land and this isn't the 1st time it's been announced that he's fairly, very serious about similar to what to reach is nationalized o m. whoa, that's a 1st step towards socialism. so the americans are very upset about all this and

they wanna our, our compliant regime and power in our be, act met is no longer there now. well, as i said, the egyptians would say no, they're in charge of the suez canal. i mean they, they, for full, for that one with the, with the british. and as for a u. s. support for the t b, l f. sure, the usa to bomb and say people in to grey, continue to suffer human rights violations, abuse and atrocities and urgently needed humanitarian relief is being blocked by the therapy nurture and military's. but i mean, if you're asked to congressman a congresswoman in washington d. c. and where there's no money or weapons where the, what proof do you have that their money and weapons going to this organization? the t p i left, which we had up until recently was on the outskirts of the capital view, bratislava ready to overthrow its government for a freedom. well, i like to say to people that don't believe anything you read or hear in the

mainstream media on the corner. it's all complete tribe or cations, as stories that have been planted on that end. i'm pressing that loose by the cia, you know, the national security establishment in united states. so all of these propaganda, they put out there. i mean, the united states didn't have to give the t p off any weapons because they were stop to the gills with weapons. they've got all these caches of weapons all over the country. they had over $100.00 heavy, medium range cruise missiles that were aimed at a retail which were one of the 1st things that got knocked out in this fighting, started back and end of november in 2020. so they don't have to give them weapons a lot of stolen billions and billions of dollars, which they stash outside, almost assuredly in the city of london backs because we haven't been able to find any of it in switzerland. so they don't need any money. they don't need any but to, well, you know, i mean, we'll oversee us. the cia they once responded to us about allegations made on this

program. i doubt they'll respond to your allegations. i mean, are you saying that's a i m f world bank money destined for the one of africa is disappeared to the city of london. oh, not only i. m f, world bank, billions and billions. u. s. a. i d, them will program all these european aid. it's been just massively siphoned off. i mean, obviously has been trying to get some reckoning from the city of london banks for since he came back to talk, since he came to power in 2018 and they were stonewalling him. so as you would deny that, i mean obviously the nobel prize winning leader ave ethiopia. and the i met with bank usa aid, and she mentioned usa them and they denial this guy who runs usaid now and do you see the grave danger ahead because of the bite and administration as regards the horn of africa? well, if you se id was like one point headed by gal smith, who was a person that she i agent who recruited noah sonali to the see i way back in 1980.

he was the head of there. he was a for congress school for the t p. i left in the field on a fight in the war. and 3 years later he was headed a g p l. now powerful of the forces against the kind of arguments you're making. i have to, i was, you should remind us, your knowledge does not come from being in virginia. you're there for personal reasons. it may be one way of, of our audience understanding your allegations is the fact that you were in eritrea . when babs, international headlines of eritrea were coming out and what you saw on the ground was very different to what you saw in the media. well, my background, the 100 router, it goes back about 40 years and i'm in the united states. i've actually taught african history of the graduate level. so, you know, i live in a researcher from 2006 to 2021. you know that amnesty international on its website saying you are basically an apologist for eritrea and presumably the

o b another they've made peace. i don't know whether you think the nato countries are happy about them being at peace. what about you being an apologist for the or a train regime is a goal it well that was originally the amnesty articles, originally an anonymous article and they would not respond to anything. i say, i guess it's kind of a mark of honor to be signed by amnesty because they've got so much to hide about their own corrupt practices and horn of africa and allies. they put off for many years, especially about to reach you. some of their, they had a bunch of their cadre got busted in osmotic china infiltrate the country and stir up regime change way back many years ago. so obviously he's got a very sorted record in, in general, but especially when it comes to the horn of africa, especially when it comes to recheck. and now when it comes to the opium, they didn't expose their true colors. and i think of me being attacked by them, a sort of a mark of honor, really because a deny that they come on this show. i mean, you've got to hear and say human rights watch. every trans government is

extraordinarily repressed and subjecting its population to widespread, forced labor and conscription imposing restrictions of freedom of expression, opinion, and faith. they have no legislature in their interest. there are no independent civil society organizations. there are no media outlets in eritrea. what is this focus on eritrea and why is it being cool, the de facto and its pejorative? north career of africa, what is there a tread doing that is so i mean it's irritating those in power in nature countries but also clearly i'm annoying and angering human rights groups west and human rights groups. well, you know, i wrote an article i titled to reach iraq, cuba of africa. mean cuba is the only country in latin america came to power by their external resources. the only country in africa they came to part of the armstrong. so, you know, just like you must been targeted by the human rights watch and all these people and

the cia interest faced the same sort of hostility. because for one thing, richard doesn't know the i m f and the world bank, any money they will fuse to take these predatory loans that the only africa that hasn't taken these predatory loan from the world bank. and i'm so that right off to you off the fact that, hey, rita is unusual in africa, they're going to stand on their own 2 feet and they're not going to sell or sold the short term money offered them by these i called the western banks. there's these predatory financial institutions and you know, when you go to a risha, they say it's a police they, you can only find a policeman on the street out there. i mean, the people are happy there. i mean, life is hard. i'm not saying everything's fine because they have the underground sanctions for 9 years. it is a sanctions and an official sanction still punishing the country now. you know, they're trying to make it reach and kneeled down and to reach as motto is never nailed down. and now i'll be off in ethiopia, and people are starting say,

will never deal down. and this is what's got all these organizations up in arms because, whoa, you get an independent voice in africa. a lot of people reaches a small country, easy to ignore, but ethiopia is one of the 3 largest countries in africa. and ethiopia follows the reaching footsteps of independence, nationalizing the land getting away from these predatory loan, starting to work more with china. this is going to be a role model for the rest of africa. now the reality is for especially for the europeans, because united states doesn't have that much economic influence in africa. but the, you, the standard of living in the you is the, of the people is dependent on the super exploitation of africa. you could not maintain is people's high standard living education and, and how can all these other things if they couldn't continue to rip off africa because europe can no longer super exploit south south america or asia, africa is the only place left where they can plunder to their hearts content and

ethiopia standing up and sitting a role model for the rest of africa is a major threat to the u dominance of their own population. so of course, the gonna have to hate, obviously because he's moving towards the reacher and that means that they're going to be independent and eventually a socialist country like to reach years. well, i should admit to having been to our address, i can see those similarities in terms of fighting blockades and sanctions as regards eritrea under and of course cuba thomas may, i have not stopped you them more from the most widely distributed independent journalist in the whole of africa after this break. bless is ukraine, the world's worst humanitarian crisis, because the un says it is yemen where british u. s. on warplanes bomb this week, we investigate all of them all coming up about to have going on the ground. these people learned from their own experience, how vulnerable of business is to the bank. so he pushed my business over the age,

pushes me right to the edge, bankruptcy now i realize we were good. this isn't just the back that may be involved in this is the concept. see, funds is, is the lawyers. these people have got you want on their stories and it was kind of whistleblower. tell people's marriages have broken up, lost their family homes. it is spectacularly devastating. for people's lives, they have committed suicide, but left behind, nor the explicitly state that it was the constant intimidation and billing by bank officers that late them to i talked to spy. it's obscene. these people up nor sold. join me every thursday on the alex simon show and i'll be speaking to guess what the world of politics,

sport business, i'm show business, i'll see you then. mm. with welcome back. i'm still here with the renown to most widely distributed independent journalists in the whole of africa, thomas mountain. i've got to ask since oxfam is there a boarding drought conditions affecting food security right across africa, and then the club will south. how is there a tram managed to retain food security amidst, amidst the drought, amidst the climate change conditions? well reach you the, the president reaches very far sighted guy quickly and he, you, back in 2003, 2004 richer. have 1st 2 year drop in history back to back. and then in 2008, 2009,

we are hammered again with a 2 year drug. so the president took most of reachers resources and put them into water and soil conservation and has constructed 9 massive dams and over 700 smaller dams. you know, to store water, so they can begin irrigating and not dependent upon rainfall for their very survival. so reach has been able to overcome this rainfall dependence and now is basically pulled south sufficient, which is what the reach us pushing ethiopia and the rest of the horn of african to start doing as well. way to say you're saying all the agencies, all the ngos, all the people across the global south who administer regions where there is grave food insecurity, let alone places like yemen, the world's worst humanitarian crisis, which causes being bombed by u. s. u k. arms. no one understands that there is a relatively, i'm not saying it's easy. i think you said the hard work of the air trained people are responsible. some would say it's coercion. there is an answer to this. that is

not some kind of magic. and it's africa is poor for a reason, not because it's africa. that's right. you know, want you to be independent self sufficient. they want africa to be biggers. they want to be able to control the african leadership so that they can continue to exploit super, exploit the resources of the country. i mean, you know, what are the oil companies paying 80 percent royalty on their well, i mean, nigeria supposed to be a rich, rich country, but the poor people are, are hungry. why? because they're being ripped off for their oil. i mean, this is what the threat of a good example of originally has now spread easy, ok. and the you and all their lackeys, whether they're in their human rights organizations or in the media or their people in the u. n. are all very concerned about africa standing up and say, we're not going to be dominated by the you anymore. that up with new colonialism. mean that's become a big thing. any job, you know, new colonialism. why?

because i'm asking the world bank or the way they control their economies and by controlling their economies, they control their governments and they're trying to these african countries in the barriers and interesting, know we cannot be there's, we have to be self sufficient. we have to have food security 1st and foremost, that's a question of national security. because with our phone security, you're going to be a bigger and then your people are going to start when they decide they don't want our to be in the west. besides that, you are not telling the line, well, i'm having well bank say they've chained change to we invite the t v f on the program. and obviously those human rights organizations are continue to condemn what they see as human rights abuses. by the, if you can return government against the people to take away from his mom. thank you. a now, while later nation media has been focused on a war in europe. ongoing was in the horn of africa in the middle east are arguably being ignored this week. the saudi led coalition in yemen, on by the u. s. u. k,

and france bombed a civilian ministry for the very 1st time. we're millions face starvation in displacement. this is the financial winners and losers from the grown of ours when demick are becoming clearer will joining me now from newton in england is ox firm, intellectuals, global programs director, lydia goma. thank you so much. lydia, for coming on the i thought the worst humanitarian crisis is the ukraine. if you watch the news, and apparently it isn't as global programs director. and as the rich nations arguably recover from the pandemic. why do you think the u. n claims yemen is the worst humanitarian crisis, not ukraine, which is dominating the media because the, the humanitarian crisis are in. and in fact the conflict in yemen has been going on since 2015. so we're talking about a 7 year conflict, which has had an immense impact on the people of him and has to some extent been

forgotten with the many crisis that have come up in the last few years. yet this is one where we see millions of people affected. 9 of the population of young men has been in a constant state of war for a very long time, ab, sorry, lydia were having to sound issues were gone. one of the sad stories i was looking at was of a little boy called alma, in one of the displacement and camps. and he was in his, the under 10 years old. so most of his life has now been displayed, spent in displacement capital. and his wish, his biggest wish was to return back to his village and play football in the park. and his father selim, i was talking about the fact that the situation is now so bad that he has to choose whether he buys his children, o winter clothes as winter approaches over the needs of his wife's sick wife for medicine. and is making the choice to pay for the medicine for his wife,

rather than to buy a walmart clothes for his, for his children. i already read an order for that kind of story is repeated. i have to say in the united states, which is supplying the weapons for this conflict, arguably. and we have food bags here in britain and what is the impact of british and american arms sales? i mean, what, ok firm is saying that there were bloss 143 strikes of hid civilian targets, just in the marine area in yemen. can you understand why joe biden, after initial attempts, he said that he might pause on the arms export. why the united states is exporting weaponry, and while there was one report of a civil servant claiming the boards, johnson joked about weapons exposed to yemen for you had me. amen. i can't comment on the quote you just mentioned from barbara johnson, but i can say that from what we see and since the escalation particularly of conflict. and since last year, january, particularly married,

the air strikes have been doing quite a significant amount of damage. but it is important that in this conflict to we understand that all parties have contributed. so it strikes is definitely one of the issues, but they've also been missiles this ground fighting their land mines, which are also killing people. and in the problem with this type of fighting is and that this type of weaponry is indiscriminate in terms of its targeting. so we're seeing an increased amount of a civilian casualties and also damage to public infrastructure that should actually be for the benefit of the development of human these people. and so in terms of the arms race, yes, it is important that you know, we look at the way in which arms sales to saudi arabia, from our own governments here that you can and like the u. s. a fuel such conflicts and we look to and these governments looking at their policies and they are now sort of strategies that they've got in place to understand that part of the reason

the conflict is continuing is because of the way in which we're doing this type of her arm straight, and therefore there needs to be some accountability by all parties, add to the situation and, and conflict in yemen. and the fact that is the result international humanitarian law and human rights laws are not being respected. and that being violated by all sides, the people of the m, and really require a lasting solution, a peaceful solution. well, obviously britain in the united states they, they are definitely not fueling the conflict whatsoever. and you said all sides, every 11. so peace obviously is it also does that include journalist feeling the conflict. there wasn't much coverage of the air strike this week on the ministry of telecommunications by war planes, presumably armed by britain in the united states. why do you think journalists are no more interested in the story? the rocks firm goes on and on about? i guess you are you, i would have to pose that question. well, we cover that,

we cover it. we've covered this story for years as part of the media, but i think the reality of the media is often generated also affected by, you know, whatever the interests of the media houses that they work for and put on the table for them to, to consider. but i think it's also because we've become a society which has to some extent been immunized from understanding and appreciating at the depths of the human suffering around us. and may be, we've been a little bit more concerned about issues like cove it and which we should be concerned about. and the public health and prices that cove it presented for for many of our countries and have lost sight of the fact that in many parts of the world such as the men, there is an actual relationship between conflict, climate crisis and cove. it okay, hold on a 2nd, i want to get to this the 2nd just just on him. and lastly wise,

all swam alone would save the children in loads of other engineers attacking the by ministration over the designation of losing community in yemen. why? why are you attacking the, why those? well we're, we're trying to point out that, that bite. and when he came into powered prison by didn't, did actually do something very useful, which was to reverse and revoke the previous designation by the previous regime of anti ela. and it's important that you know, he, as in the attempts to try to find a way of resolving the conflicts, they don't put in place measures that are actually going accelerate, and exacerbated the suffering of the, of the, of the many people. so it's understanding that the impact of such a designation is actually worse on the citizens of the country, already ravaged by this conflict, but also by the humanitarian crisis, that the conflict has actually, and they created exacerbated,

also by climate change. and the fact that also with all of this, you know, the banking system, the financial systems of, you know, have been impacted. and you know, a lot of the emotions people rely on. and i think it's about 90 percent imports. human relies on imports and inputs of fuel of food and medical supplies. so all of these things are affected when we do these abraham, i should say burton with united states of behavior donors. i know i'm also has been talking about intellectual property rights on cobra. vaccines are building bio intake, but you mentioned climate change or there, and obviously a bite was trying to sell gas to do you. great. i don't know where that fits in with climate change. what is going on in the autumn africa right now, which is another story, completely ignored, and it's being impacted by climate change. yeah, i mean the horn of africa is exactly the perfect storm of an extent,

conflicts as well in, of course, in not in if european that is a particular concern. and still an issue in parts of somalia. but also climate change is having a devastating impact on this region. and together with also the fallout from cove it. so yes, this is a situation where i, we want to make sure that the world doesn't lose sight of the fact that there are parts of the world which are truly and experiencing more of the very things that we're talking about when it came to cop 266 cetera. and that we do need to change. sure that hunger does not continue to result in the dates of so many people in these communities. what we're seeing is, of course, continue loss of livelihood as they lose their main assets, which is their life stock. inability to a to do with their farming activities in terms of cropping. so they can't sustain and feed them. and, and we need to find

a way to enable these communities to become more resilient, but also to provide them with the means by which they not only have food for to day, but can actually feed themselves for the future. and this is where the focus has to be on the drought and dried assistance, but it generally under humanitarian response plants across the horn of africa, countries, apologies to v, as in sound call. he will live years ago. thank you so much. thank you. and that's over the show, but before we go, i should say that on monday's show, we mistakenly said the barbados was leaving the commonwealth. we should of course have said that the terrible nations removing quinlan with the 2nd is its head of state. therefore, becoming a republic, or we have still in the commonwealth where we back on saturday when german chancellor left shore to set to speak, the annual munich security conference known as diverse for defense, where russia will not have a representative. and then he would just wireless social media, and that is a view thing. major nations should be doing more to help the world's worst humanitarian crises or less

than the democratic republic of congo is among the richest countries in the world and natural resources. but he can normally it's still one of the poorest cobalt is an essential material in manufacturing batteries for modern devices like electric cars, mobile phones and computers. 60 percent of the world's cobalt reserves are in congo . but 20 percent of it comes from small scale mines. unicef figures confirm that in 2017. more than $40000.00 children, worked in cobalt mining in the republic to earn a living and pay for schooling. next time you use a fancy gadget like a smartphone camera or laptop, and just remember that there's a chance it works thanks to a child hard labor children like john michelle. andrea,

oh countless, others like them or a ball, but never was the western media is left with on its face. larry, a prediction that be an invasion of ukraine today. instead, russian troops returning to pace up wrapping up their drills at the border. but some kind of thing to stop bagging the from the, for the rest of the one who's insisting that the threat of an attack remained very real with uncertainty of ukraine pushing up energy prices, germans pay of a shortage in electricity supplies could lead to nationwide blackouts. we hear that our politicians continue to act like they do in the foreign policy with russia and other countries. blackouts may happen. the problem is politicians are afraid of not being elected. if they do something wrong, it is hard and christian about.