In the late 2000s, Libya’s threats to nationalize foreign oil assets shook Canadian corporations deeply invested in the country. This excerpt from Owen Schalk’s new book, Targeting Libya, reveals how SNC-Lavalin and Petro-Canada became entangled in Qadhafi’s shifting alliances, Western backlash, and the larger struggle over Africa’s sovereignty and resources.

Spain has re-issued arrest warrants against a high-profile Rwandan opposition figure in exile who stands accused of committing war crimes while serving under Rwandan leader Paul Kagame, in a case that has defied the politics of international justice for nearly two decades. General Kayumba Nyamwasa fled to South Africa after falling out with Kagame’s regime in 2010.

Canada funds peacebuilding in Cameroon’s Boko Haram-affected region, but programs often prioritize ex-fighters over civilian survivors. This creates resentment, widens divides, and overlooks women’s resilience. True peace requires survivor-centred justice, and recognition of harm—not just reintegration metrics. Without this, trust and recovery remain fragile.

The issue of environmental justice is relevant today in light of Shell’s decision to sell its onshore oil and gas operations in Nigeria, the continent’s biggest oil producer. In March 2025, Shell finalized the sale of $2.4 billion in onshore and shallow-water assets in Nigeria to a consortium of Nigerian companies called Renaissance.

The international community’s failure to act on Sudan has left small diasporas to shoulder the lives of millions—exhausted and unable to set down grief, the Sudanese put their lives on the line to get people to care and open a door. Sudan’s future continues to lie with the same vultures that hold a stake in the country’s continued bloodshed.

It’s difficult to know why Kagame gambled on his troops seizing Goma now, a move surely to trigger an international outcry. The Rwandan leader may be bent on testing the Trump administration’s resolve or lack of interest in Central Africa in order to pursue Rwanda’s territorial expansion in Congo, and consolidate control over areas rich in artisanal minerals.

Congo has been wracked by more than a century of violent colonization and imperialism resulting in millions of deaths—and Canada has supported it all, or at best stayed silent while watching it happen. The federal government’s strong support for the Kagame government today contradicts Canada’s purported principles and should be seen as a stain on our global reputation.

While Barrick faces an intense challenge from the Malian government, the company is unlikely to relinquish its investments on the continent. And, as last year’s court decision shows, Canada’s government and judicial system appear committed to protecting the overseas operations of Canadian mining firms, no matter how severe the allegations against them.

In the Great Lakes region of Africa, which is ground zero in the global supply chain for Big Tech, Apple appears to have betrayed its vision. The company stands accused of deceiving consumers, laundering Congolese minerals and profiting from war crimes, according to criminal complaints filed against Apple subsidiaries in France and Belgium.

One important element in this new phase of pan-Africanist struggle is the fight against foreign mining companies. West Africa is a mineral-rich region, and leaders from Traoré to Goïta to Senegal’s Bassirou Diomaye Faye recognize that greater state control of the industry is a necessary precondition for sovereign development.