Adventures in Mombasa

Mombasa is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital city status. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is known as "the white and blue city" in Kenya. It is the country's oldest (circa 900 AD) and second-largest city after the capital Nairobi, with a population of about 1,208,333 people according to the 2019 census. Its metropolitan region is the second-largest in the country, and has a population of 3,528,940 people. (wikipedia) Today I would like to write about my experience and adventures in Mombasa and Kilifi. I arrived in Mombasa, not really prepared for this city and this district. My friends just said go there, Mombasa is beautiful. So I wanted to see this beautiful city. Most of all, I was curious about the sea. With 1,208,333 inhabitants, Mombasa is the second largest city in Kenya and the most important port city in East Africa. The city is located on Mombasa Island on the Indian Ocean and is the capital of the county of the same name. What should I tell you, everyone knows Mombasa. As soon as I got out all hell broke loose on me. Matatu drivers, even female drivers, stormed me, harassed me, didn't let me breathe. That was scary. "Where are you going, Mzugu?" "Mtwapa," I replied. "Long way, 5000!" As soon as the number was mentioned, someone else shouted: "4500!" "4000!" And so it continues. I was surrounded by these boars. The last offer was in 2000. I didn't know where Mtwapa is, how far away it is, I booked a hotel over the internet. That got too much for me. "If it is not possible to get a normal price, I will walk!" I took my backpack and slowly walked down the street. The parking lot where the matatus stood emptied, soon there were only a few left. Someone ran after me. "Mzungu, wait, I have an offer for you!" I waited. It was a shared taxi that wasn't quite full. The price was acceptable so I went back and got in. It took another half an hour, then we drove off. I can't say where we were going, I have no idea. I can only remember one bridge. One by one got out, I was the last. I had never seen the hotel before, only on the picture on the Internet. But whatever. Mtwapa I'm here! Mtwapa is a city in Kilifi County in Kenya. The city is located about 16 kilometers northeast of Mombasa on the Mombasa – Malindi road. Mtwapa Creek is an inlet of the Indian Ocean near Mtwapa, which forms the border between Mombasa and Mtwapa. Mtwapa is a satellite city and it is part of the metropolitan area of ​​Mombasa. It's warm and humid; I sweat. I come from the highlands and I am warmly dressed. The hotel is closed! What bad luck too! What can I do? It's not nice here, I don't like the area. Doesn't look good here, I imagined it differently. There can be no talk of a beautiful city here. It's dirty, dusty and dirty here. A tuck-tuck is coming. He stops. "Can I help?" It is a young man. Who in this country is older than me? Everyone is younger and more beautiful. But whatever? "Yes," I said, "I'm looking for a hotel, if possible open and not too expensive." "How much do you want to spend?" "2000, about" "Get in, I'll take you there." "What does this cost?" I have become cautious, I learned in Kenya. Caution is the mother of the porcelain box, as we say. "200" I got in, couldn't be far. And really, after a few street corners we stop. "Here it is! Check it out, if you don't like it there are several other hotels." I stayed. Wasn't the best but acceptable, located on a side street, far away from the crowd, the bars, ... But more about that later. As I said, I was very interested in the sea, I wasn't interested in the city of Mtwapa at all. And in retrospect, that wasn't wrong either. I asked for the way to the sea. They showed me the direction and I started walking. Down a narrow street, dusty. I noticed the houses, everywhere signs saying "rooms available". So many houses, everyone is looking for guests. Several people were sitting at a table, a white woman with three black men. She smokes, looks at me with interest, and so do I. She looks old, it's not the wrinkled skin that makes her old. I go around the corner, there is a bar, people are sitting at a table in the shade, this time the other way around, a white man with some black women. “Hello, Mzungu!” One of them calls out and waves. I wave back, move on. Soon I'll be at the sea. What a sight! Mangroves, swamps, flies, a lot of people, one bar at a time. Everyone screams: "Come here, have a beer" A huge German flag is there. Maybe 5 meters long. Some whites are sitting around. I ended up in "Little Munich". I don't like that. There is nothing here that would impress me positively. As a white man, I have no peace here. It's time to eat. I'm going back to town, looking for a bar. Massage parlors along the street. Signs in German. "Leberkäse" Where am I here? Everywhere girls, women all look at me. Waiting for customers, they are prostitutes. Men sit around, apparently having nothing to do, are perhaps the beneficiaries of these ladies. What do I know. I ask for an acceptable beach, they tell me. I drive there. Call the tuck-tuck driver, he'll drive me. "Lots of white people here?" I ask him. "Not as many as before." The poor prostitutes, I imagine, no business, no food! No whites, no life! After a few kilometers we arrived. The beach. One hotel after another. One luxury house after another. The sea is shallow, the surf far out, here on the beach the water is calm. I go to the beach. Get dismayed by some, buy this, buy this, the old lyre. You have to get used to that. Kenya is full of it. I would be arrested. Here Read the story: I am on holiday in Kenya. I have to wonder why I'm being arrested here for nothing. Here is the whole story. I went to Mombasa because everyone here raves about this city. My first impression was not very positive. I saw a lot of sex tourists, old white men with young black women. I was ashamed, I have to say. OK, I went to the beach to have fun in the Indian Ocean. So I went to a public beach. At the beginning of this beach there were young men and they all wanted something. I ignored them and wanted to go to the sea, which was about 100m away. On the way there, the police called me to come to them. I went there. They were sitting at a small house and talking. A lady said to me that I was under arrest. Why, I asked. She said because I tried to go on a closed beach. How was I to know that? I was told that it would be written on a board. I didn't see one. I meant, yesterday I was also on the beach and there were a lot of people. That was another state, kilifi and now I am in Mombasa. I meant that it is strange that the police are sitting here, watching me enter a closed beach and just let it happen without warning or informing me. The police's actions must be seen as premeditated because if the beach is closed, then it is their job to guard that no one enters that ground. I remarked on this, apparently the chief said they were only carrying out orders issued by the governor. I can't believe, and I don't accept, that the governor gave such an order, that was an excuse and nothing else. What the police did was simply rubbish. After two hours in prison I wanted to know what would happen next. You must be patient, said the lady. I replied that my question was about the time and not how I should be. She had called and a car was on its way to take me to prison. That was too much. I am sick, I need my medication, I cannot get involved in a maybe. I called the embassy, that's when they got nervous. Threat after threat. The lady and 4 other policemen wielding their guns. Maybe they wanted to scare me. Maybe they were trying to scare me. I said to the lady, are you going to shoot me? Why do I say that? I'm not walking around with a gun, and in a cell. Finally, my companion was asked for 2000 kshs. It was a bargain, because normally they ask for 5000 kshs. I would be released, now I was allowed to walk across the closed beach! The private beaches were open. A little further away, I went swimming after all. However, I did not like it. The behaviour of the police raises many questions. No one can or wants to answer them. You should do something, not everybody is a sextourist. Actually im a doctor in philosophy, writing a book about Africa. I came here to see life of Kenyans. The following message arrives me: Hi! Very sorry for your bad experience. I just want to tell you that what happend to you happens also to Kenyans many times. Once my underaged son was arrestet at the same beach together with his friend, because of loitering around. He was there with the whole family of his friend and the parents tried to explain the officers that the boys weren't alone but they packed them in the lorry and drove them to the police station Bamburi. The father had to pay 5000.- to get them released. Bamburi police station is one of the corruptest on the cost. Police harassment and killings are a big problem here. Here a few words about Kenya's police. Corruption is widespread among Kenya's police. Kenya's National Police Service is considered the country's most corrupt institution, and bribery is reportedly the only way to speed up access to police and services (HRR 2016). What I would like to add here are my thoughts on Mtwapa, Mombasa and Kenya in general. On the beach, which is public, there is a large board. This board shows what is and what is not allowed on the beach. I noticed one thing. There is forbidden topless without, i.e. not covering the breasts. And that got me thinking. Bare breasts are forbidden, prostitution is - although not allowed - but accepted. The church preaches, but keeps silent before prostitution. It is easy. Bare breasts don't bring you anything, no tired shilling, prostitution brings a fair amount of money. And money denies life! Just like the government, which is also keeping quiet as if the problem doesn't exist. The white people I saw in Mtwapa, of course not all, there will be others too, are old. They just take advantage of people's plight. Old men, young women! And the whites are not ashamed! The blacks make fun of these impossible whites on the one hand, and on the other hand they pull the money out of their pockets. Don't bother me at all. They didn't deserve it any other way. Here I would like to mention an article from a Kenyan newspaper. Sex tourists prey on minors pimped by own parents in Mtwapa. Let me copy this small aericle here. When her father started building a new house in their homestead in Kilifi, Esha* (not her real name) did not know she was the “commodity” to be exchanged for the house. Her father had placed his dowry demand even before Esha met her “husband to be”. Her wide smile slowly turns to a sad face filled with bitterness, as she recalls how her enforced marriage to a 65-year-old Westerner shuttered her dreams of salvaging her family from poverty. She was just 14 years old when her father introduced her to a white man. The white man would visit Esha’s home, where she lived with her father and grandmother. Her mother left years ago to work in the Gulf, never to be heard from again. “I had just been sent home from school over a fee balance and my father said he does not have any money. Two months later, I was still at home,” she said. Esha narrated how her father informed her that the mzungu friend he had been bringing to their home for weeks was to be her husband. “Even before I could completely absorb what was going on, we got married in accordance to Islamic rites,” she said. Amid tears, Esha said: “Yule mzungu alinivunja ubikra. Ilikuwa uchungu na nilipokuwa napiga nduru aniwache aliniambia amenilipia kwa babangu, kwa hivyo hakuna mahali ningeweza kuenda ama kufanya.” Which loosely translates to: “That man broke my virginity. It was too painful and when I screamed for him to let me go, he said he had paid for me so there was nothing I could do.” As if that was not cruel enough, the “husband” would go on to sodomise her, as well as use her for other unnatural sex acts. “I do not understand why my own father gave me away to an old man. If he did not have money to take me to school, he should have told me so,” Esha said. Here are some facts about Mombasa. Mombasa has a tropical wet and dry climate (Köppen: As). The amount of rainfall essentially depends on the season. The rainiest months are April and May, while rainfall is minimal between January and February. the general area had long been the site of settlements inhabited by Bantu-speaking peoples who engaged in farming, fishing, and local trading. It was visited in 1331 by the Arab traveler Ibn Baṭṭūṭah and in 1498 by the Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama. Because of its strategic position, it was continually fought over, passing among the Arabs, Persians, Portuguese, and Turks until 1840, when the sultan of Zanzibar finally gained control. It came under British administration in 1895 and was the capital of the East Africa Protectorate until 1907. Mombasa became a municipality in 1928 and assumed council status in 1959. (britanica) On March 2 the fleet reached the Island of Mozambique, the inhabitants of which believed the Portuguese to be Muslims like themselves. Da Gama learned that they traded with Arab merchants and that four Arab vessels laden with gold, jewels, silver, and spices were then in port; he was also told that Prester John, the long-sought Christian ruler, lived in the interior but held many coastal cities. The Sultan of Mozambique supplied da Gama with two pilots, one of whom deserted when he discovered that the Portuguese were Christians. The expedition reached Mombasa (now in Kenya) on April 7 and dropped anchor at Malindi (also now in Kenya) on April 14, where a Gujarati pilot who knew the route to Calicut, on the southwest coast of India, was taken aboard. After a 23-day run across the Indian Ocean, the Ghats Mountains of India were sighted, and Calicut was reached on May 20. There da Gama erected a padrão to prove he had reached India. The welcome of the Zamorin, the Hindu ruler, of Calicut (then the most important trading centre of southern India), was dispelled by da Gama’s insignificant gifts and rude behaviour. Da Gama failed to conclude a treaty—partly because of the hostility of Muslim merchants and partly because the trumpery presents and cheap trade goods that he had brought, while suited to the West African trade, were hardly in demand in India. The Portuguese had mistakenly believed the Hindus to be Christians. Sent from my phone

Egypt Inaugurates Solar Energy Technology Complex

Egypt Inaugurates $116 Million Solar Energy Technology Complex

Egypt recently inaugurated the "Elite Solar" solar energy technology complex, representing an investment of $116 million. Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly inaugurated the facility on January 11, 2026, in the TEDA-Egypt Zone of the Ain Sokhna Industrial Estate, part of the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZONE). This "Elite Solar" factory complex in the Ain Sokhna Industrial Estate is part of the Sino-Egyptian joint venture "TEDA-Egypt." The Cabinet announced that the complex consists of two state-of-the-art factories: Elite Solar Suez Technology and Elite Solar Green Energy. Elite Solar Suez Technology Specialization: Solar cells and electronic modules Site area: 41,835 m² Investment: US$40 million Annual capacity: 2 GW Jobs created: 400 direct, 40 indirect Elite Solar Green Energy Specialization: Solar modules and components Area: 35,479 m² Investment: US$76 million Annual capacity: 3 GW Jobs created: 460 direct, 130 indirect Promoting technology transfer and strengthening renewable energy value chains in the Suez Canal Zone The opening of this complex is an important step toward localizing the renewable energy industry in Egypt and underscores the country's ability to attract advanced technology investments in future-oriented sectors, according to Madbouly. The facilities will create approximately 860 direct and 170 indirect jobs and localize renewable energy production with a local share of over 50%. They strengthen Egypt's position as a regional center for solar manufacturing and support exports. The project aligns with Egypt Vision 2030, which aims to increase the share of renewable energy to 42%, and promotes technology transfer and the green transformation. It reflects the confidence of international investors in Egypt's economic climate.

Kenya's Building Problem Update

Kenya's Building Problem

The most recent house or building collapse in Kenya occurred on January 10, 2026, in the Karen district of Nairobi. A building under construction opposite the Karen Community Church on Ngong Road collapsed. Two people died, and seven others were injured and taken to hospital. The Kenyan Red Cross rescued six injured people, cleared the rubble, and confirmed that all those trapped were safe. The latest building to collapse was a 14-story structure under construction in Nairobi's South C district on January 2, 2026. At least two people were killed, and the collapse sparked intense criticism of county-level oversight. Nairobi City County has been under particular scrutiny for past failures in enforcing regulations. The incident highlights the fundamental problems within Kenya's decentralized county system. Professional organizations are therefore calling for systemic reforms in all counties to prevent similar tragedies in the future. The Nairobi City Council admitted to issuing multiple warnings about the building in May, July, and December 2025 for violations such as exceeding the permitted number of stories, yet construction continued. In light of allegations of bribery amounting to 25 million Kenyan shillings for illegal permits, Governor Johnson Sakaja called for county authorities to be empowered to prosecute unscrupulous developers. Minister of Land Affairs Alice Wahome accused the City Hall of "gross negligence" in approving additional stories. Shammah Kiteme, president of the Kenyan Engineers Association, issued a statement saying that more than 200 buildings have collapsed in Kenya since 1996. One reason for this is likely the culture of impunity, which has made such disasters a recurring national tragedy. Construction professionals in Kenya have expressed concern that the lessons learned from past disasters have not been implemented, given the repeated building collapses in the country. The Architects Association (TAA) and the Institution of Engineers of Kenya (IEK) criticized county permitting systems nationwide for corruption, inadequate enforcement, and profit-driven decisions that disregard safety. The National Construction Authority (NCA) acknowledged non-compliance and promised a comprehensive investigation. It called for greater accountability across the construction sector. Calls are growing louder for cooperation between national regulators and all 47 counties to end impunity in the construction industry. In a joint statement, representatives from more than ten professional associations, including engineers, architects, urban planners, civil engineers, project managers, surveyors, and appraisers, called for a thorough review of the construction sector following the collapse of a multi-story building under construction in South C. The collapse in South C was preventable. It highlights deep-seated systemic deficiencies in planning, permitting, construction, building supervision, and enforcement. https://www.the-star.co.ke/business/2026-01-09-experts-raise-alarm-as-200-buildings-collapse

Remember Joe Slovo

Joe Slovo, South African communist and anti-apartheid icon, died on January 6, 1995. Slovo, who came to South Africa as a Lithuanian-Jewish immigrant, dedicated his life to overcoming apartheid and to a non-racist, socialist future for South Africa. His theoretical work, such as the concept of the "Southern Route Strategy," shaped discussions within the liberation movement. Today marks the anniversary of the death of Joe Slovo, an icon in the fight against apartheid in South Africa. Slovo joined the South African Communist Party (SACP) in 1942 at the age of 16, inspired by the Soviet Red Army's fight against Nazism. He served with South African forces in North Africa and Italy during World War II and, upon his return, co-founded the multiracial Springbok Legion, an association of veteran soldiers. Slovo co-authored the Freedom Charter in 1955 and was arrested during the treason trial in 1956 and the Sharpeville State of Emergency in 1960. In 1961, he helped Nelson Mandela found uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), the armed wing of the ANC, and from exile, he directed sabotage operations against the infrastructure of the apartheid regime from the 1960s to the 1980s. In 1989, Slovo was elected Secretary-General of the SACP and in 1992 proposed the so-called "Sunset Clauses" to facilitate the end of apartheid through transitional guarantees. In 1990, he returned from exile, negotiated with the regime, and served as Minister of Housing in Mandela's 1994 government until his death on January 6, 1995. Slovo was Secretary General of the South African Communist Party (SACP) from 1984 to 1995, Chief of Staff of Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), and served until his death from cancer in 1995. The SACP honors Slovo and his life every year on this day. SACP Statement from 2022: "While the history of the South African liberation and social struggle is a shared history of intertwined struggles for class, national, and gender transformation, the outstanding role of dedicated individuals deserves special recognition. Slovo was one of the great thinkers, strategists, tacticians, and leaders of this struggle. He contributed both intellectually and practically to the realization of democracy in South Africa and, within the framework of a socialist transition, spearheaded a broader social transformation that followed the aims of the Freedom Charter and beyond." His legacy continues to be recognized in South Africa, even though his staunchly communist ideology evokes both admiration and controversy. Slovo embodied the connection between the fight against apartheid and the pursuit of social and economic justice. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/359143905_A_Gendered_Approach_to_the_Yu_Chi_Chan_Club_and_National_Liberation_Front_during_South_Africa's_Transition_to_Armed_Struggle

M23 Rebels Establish Parallel State in Eastern Congo

M23 Rebels Establish Parallel State in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo: UN Report

According to a new interim report by UN experts, the M23 rebel group is establishing parallel tax, judicial, and security authorities and seizing strategically important territories. The Tutsi-dominated M23, named after an incomplete 2009 peace agreement, is supported by Rwanda—an accusation Kigali denies, but which UN evidence supports. Both sides are accused of atrocities. M23 Seeks a Federal or Autonomous East, Deepening the Conflict The M23 rebels, supported by the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC), have effectively established parallel state structures (administration parallèle) in the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This process has accelerated since the massive offensive in early 2025, when the M23/AFC captured Goma (the capital of North Kivu) in January 2025 and Bukavu (the capital of South Kivu) in February – followed by other cities such as Masisi, Minova, Sake, Walikale, and, for a time, Uvira. The group has systematically assumed state functions and is establishing an alternative form of governance. According to a UN expert report (interim report, published in early January 2026), the goal is a long-term autonomous entity in the east – often described as "federalism," not outright secession. The current situation (January 2026) is as follows: Large parts of North Kivu (Rutshuru, Masisi, Nyiragongo, Walikale) and South Kivu (including Bukavu and parts of Walungu) remain under M23/AFC control. Despite several ceasefire agreements (Washington with Rwanda in 2025, Doha with the M23/AFC under Qatari mediation), fighting continues – primarily against Wazalendo militias (pro-government) and the FARDC in areas such as Walungu, Rutshuru, and Walikale. The situation is catastrophic: hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced since January 2025 alone, and there are widespread cases of sexual violence (UNICEF: tens of thousands of cases in 2025), forced recruitment, executions, and looting. The UN Security Council, in Resolution 2773 (2025), demanded the immediate withdrawal of the M23 and the dismantling of the parallel administrations. The AU and many states condemn Rwandan support. The M23/AFC positions itself as an "alternative to the failed state" in Kinshasa – particularly in Tutsi-dominated areas and mine-ridden regions. Critics speak of de facto Balkanization and resource theft under Rwandan protection. The situation remains highly dynamic: Diplomacy (the Doha Process, the Luanda Process) and military reality are far apart. Genuine peace depends on the implementation of the agreements – so far without any visible success. Despite a US-brokered peace agreement signed last month between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda – Rwanda is accused of supporting the M23 – and a separate Qatari-mediated process, the rebels are continuing to expand their control with Rwandan support, the report states. The group has consolidated control over key mineral resources, including vital resources such as the Twangiza gold mine, and controls significant portions of tin, tantalum, and wolframite production to finance its operations amidst the stalled diplomacy, according to experts. At the same time, the Congolese army continues to ally itself with the FDLR militia—linked to the Rwandan genocide—against the M23, despite promises of its neutralization, according to the UN report. The escalating conflict has led to numerous reports of atrocities against civilians and the displacement of millions of people. UN experts have identified a severe humanitarian crisis and the lack of effective enforcement mechanisms for implementing peace agreements.

Nick Wambugu, one of the filmmakers of BBC documentary "Blood Parliament", has passed away.

Nick Wambugu, one of the filmmakers behind the viral BBC documentary "Blood Parliament" (2025), has passed away.

Nick Wambugu was an award-winning Kenyan filmmaker, director, producer, and cinematographer from Nairobi. He gained recognition for his documentaries that chronicled social and political events in Kenya, including work on the Gen Z protests of 2024. Wambugu co-founded Folklore Films and specialized in human-centered narratives about culture, identity, and resilience. His notable projects include "The People Shall" (2025), a documentary about the youth uprising in Kenya that premiered at the NBO Film Festival, and "Street Dreams" for BBC Africa Eye, where he lived among Nairobi's street dancers for five years. He also worked as a drone pilot on the Oscar-nominated film "Watu Wote" (2017) and the Sundance-winning "Softie" (2020), for which he received the Kalasha and Cinemadamare Awards. His BBC documentary "Blood Parliament" (2025) led to his arrest, over 15 court appearances, and pressure from the authorities, highlighting the tensions surrounding reporting on protests in Kenya. Despite these challenges, his work was praised for giving a voice to marginalized individuals. He passed away in early January 2026 at the age of only 34. Wambugu's death was confirmed by his lawyer, Ian Mutiso, who announced that the filmmaker succumbed to a rare illness on Wednesday morning, December 7. In the months leading up to Wambugu's death, it was revealed that he suffered from a rare disease, hypocellular myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). This condition causes the bone marrow to produce insufficient amounts of healthy blood cells. Following his death, numerous tributes poured in, celebrating his courage, his anthropological approach to filmmaking, and his role in Kenya's cultural revival. His films bridged the gap between history and humanity, establishing him as a key figure in African storytelling. https://www.instagram.com/nickwambugu/?hl=en https://top40.businessdailyafrica.com/candidates/nick-wambugu/ https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10109889/ https://nation.africa/kenya/news/nick-wambugu-filmmaker-behind-the-people-shall-documentary-dies-at-34-5319226 https://ke.linkedin.com/in/nick-wambugu-75448861 https://x.com/JamesKWaNjeri/status/2008848560926912765

Plot To Assassinate Captain Ibrahim Traoré

As reported by the BBC, a plot to assassinate Burkinabe's interim president, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, has been foiled. The elaborate plan originated with Lieutenant Colonel Paul Henri Damiba, the officer who was dismissed by Traoré in September 2022, the security minister said in a late-night televised address. What happened? On the night of January 3-4, 2026, authorities announced that a plot had been uncovered. According to Security Minister Mahamadou Sana, the aim was to assassinate Traoré and other high-ranking civilian and military figures. The plan was to either attack Traoré directly or plant explosives at his residence. The government identified Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba (the former leader whom Traoré himself ousted in 2022) as the mastermind. He is believed to have coordinated and financed the operation from Ivory Coast. Security forces stated that they have the situation under control. Several suspects have already been arrested, and the investigation is ongoing. This is not the first time Traoré has reported such plans. Since taking power in September 2022, there have been numerous reports of foiled attacks (some sources speak of over 20 attempts). A larger plot involving soldiers and foreign actors was also reported in the spring of 2025. Traoré regularly accuses Ivory Coast of harboring masterminds and destabilizing the region, severely straining diplomatic relations. And who has an interest in overthrowing Ibrahim Traoré? Damiba is just a pawn; the French and the US are behind him. Damiba is just a puppet. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyz4dzyq7po