Mitterrand's African

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AT THE beginning of the year the capitalist press blamed the Libyan regime of Colonel Gadaffi for the rapid development of mass struggle in West Africa.

Skillfully using the media Tested anti-Libyan hyster. ine imperialisi nations and iner: agents have been intervening forcefully against 70* growing layers of markers and peasants who have continued in their life ah! death struggle against capitalist oppression.

The "socialist" Mitterand evernment has played à ¿tarial role in this aggressive approach in West Africa.

Last month, Mitterand's Minister for Cooperation, V. Jean-Pierre Cot said in Nigeria:

"As long • as we have Cuban troops in Angola and Libyan troops in Chad and while the Americans and Russians are selling high technology weapons …fo African countries, we can hardly refuse to answer the demands of our friends who are afraid for their security."

But who are these "riends" of the Stalinists and reformists in the Mitterand government?

lOt the Gambian *kes and peasants now .:ing under the jackboot of French-trained and Frenchaled Senegalese army of Mitterand occupation!

Not the mass oppressed of the Central African Republic who now live under the martial law of the French-paid, trained and supplied soldiers of General Kolinga (ex-henchman of Emperor Bokassa)!

Not the 250,000 members of the Sierra Leone Labour Congress who staged a general strike against the appalling living conditions and 200% inflation of the Stevens regime; a regime that survives with the backing of the imperialists and of its neighbouring and fellow neocolonial regimes.

The 14,000 troops stationed in Africa are there today, as they were Fa in Giscard's yesterday, to prop up the agents of imperialism who rule Africa's neocolonial states.

They are there to protect a system of profits that tramples on the needs of the workers and peasants, throwing- millions into starvation =d disease when there is 250ten wealth in che world to prevent ines.

L300E in Wes: Airca most elementar demarEn rights or provide enough ior people to eat.

The resuli is thai even partial struggles io: the improvemeni of the living standard of the workers and peasants, immediately challenge capitalist profitability and the entire system of imperialist control in the region.

The threat to the livelihood of West Africa's mass oppressed is posed by the continued existence of the capitalist system - and no French soldier can ever help them against that threat until such time that there exists a Red Army of a revolutionary workers' government in France!

For • all Mitterand's hollow "socialist" rhetoric at home and his strong words against, the South Afriean ivasion of Angola, he was still able to agree with the class the West Thatcher on the need for pumping in money as well as guns, as part of a new 'Aid' package with which to prop up the client governments of neo-colonial Africa.

When Mitterand argues that increased 'aid' will create "new cutlets, new partners and new worlds to work with" . he is not talking ibou: helping the mass oppressed to build workers and peasanis governments -he is talking to Thatcher and Reagan about how to cae new markeis. nes prets or imperialism.

Organians Fench working das must mobilite agains: Mitterano s imperialist polices in Wes: Africa.

With the organisations or international working they must help to build class mobilisation of brothers and sisters in Africa. IN BRid