Labour raises alarm over US ‘empire revival’ plan targeting Africa

2026-02-24 - 12:06

By Victor Ahiuma-Young Organised Labour in Africa, through the African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation, ITUC-Africa, has raised the alarm over what it describes as a renewed threat to the continent’s sovereignty and future following US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s speech at the Munich Security Conference in February 2026. Addressing fellow workers in a statement, ITUC-Africa General Secretary Akhator Joel Odigie condemned Rubio’s remarks, in which he nostalgically praised Western power and declared the intention to “reinvigorate the West,” citing the legacy of the “great Western empires.” Rubio also urged allies to abandon what he called “guilt and shame” over colonial history. “The United States’ call to revive Western influence is not charity. Empire was never benevolent. It was an extraction system that left Africa fractured and exploited,” ITUC-Africa said, describing the Munich statement as both insulting and dangerous. The workers’ organisation highlighted historical and contemporary examples of US interventionism, pointing to Venezuela, Cuba, Palestine, Syria, and South Africa, where sanctions, regime change, and coercive diplomacy have had devastating economic and social consequences. ITUC-Africa warned that such strategies reflect a broader doctrine of imperial control — exerted through economic pressure, sanctions, debt, and political influence. “External threats succeed where internal weaknesses prevail. Corruption, inequality, poor governance, and ethnic divisions provide openings for foreign powers to manipulate and exploit Africa,” the statement read. The organisation urged African workers to be vigilant, organised, and united. It called on trade unions across the continent to strengthen solidarity and resist division based on ethnicity, religion, or politics, engage governments through constructive social dialogue, support progressive policies that create decent jobs, industrial growth, and economic independence, and demand transparency, accountability, and fair wealth distribution. “History has shown us that when African workers stand united, Africa stands strong. We must be strategic, not manipulated; united, not divided. Africa Unite. Our future is ours to defend — and ours to build,” ITUC-Africa said. The organisation warned that Africa must not become a theatre for geopolitical games by foreign powers and emphasised that defending sovereignty requires political, economic, and social vigilance.