The geopolitical dynamics of the Horn of Africa are always volatile, but more so now than ever. The world’s attention is most drawn to the region by Ansar Allah’s disruption of crucial maritime routes in the Red Sea in support of Palestine and Donald Trump’s proposal to remove and dump the entire population of Gaza in war-torn Sudan, Somalia, and/or Somaliland, the unrecognized Somali secessionist state.
Both the US and Israel have considered recognizing secessionist Somaliland as a state in order to turn it into a US/Israeli military enclave on the Gulf of Aden, near the mouth of the Red Sea and just across from Houthi-controlled Yemen. However, on April 14, when the Somali federal government recognized SSC-Khaatumo as Somalia’s sixth Federal Member State, the formal boundaries of the secessionist state radically shrank. What will Israel and/or the US recognize now? A shrunken state with contested borders? There is also nationalist resistance in northwestern Somaliland, where the people of Awdal region want to be part of the Somali nation.
Host Ann Garrison spoke to Dr. Abdirahman M. Abdi Hashi, senior advisor to Abdiqadir Ahmed Aw-Ali, the leader of the new regional state of SSC-Khaatumo, about the implications of Somalia’s recognition of SSC-Khaatumo.
***
Trump’s tariffs are hitting South Africa hard. At the same time, billionaires like Elon Musk and David Sacks, both with deep South African roots, are helping to drive privatization and cryptocurrency schemes that threaten workers’ rights.
Pacifica’s Steve Zeltzer spoke with Johannesburg-based political economist Patrick Bond about the impact of these tariffs on South Africa’s economy and what they mean for the working class.
Find more from Steve at Laborvideo on YouTube.
***
Filmmaker Oliver Stone and JFK researcher James DiEugenio joined The Katie Halper Show to discuss new revelations from JFK assassination files recently released by the Trump administration. They also argue that, despite the new documents, conclusive evidence of a conspiracy has been available for years.
***
We thank all of Pacifica’s sister stations and affiliates who contribute to the production of this show. Today’s program was produced by the Capitalism, Race & Democracy collective, with contributions from Steve Zeltzer, Thomas O’Rourke, Polina Vasiliev and Ann Garrison.
You can find this and all previous episodes at our website “capitalism race and democracy dot ORG”. Make sure you click the subscribe button. Follow us on X, formerly Twitter, @PacificaCRD.
Thanks for listening!
Music:
Miriam Makeba, Meadowlands
