Organised Labour in Africa, through the African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa), has raised concerns over what it calls a renewed threat to the continent’s sovereignty following US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s speech at the Munich Security Conference in February 2026.
In a statement, ITUC-Africa General Secretary Akhator Joel Odigie condemned Rubio’s remarks, in which the US official reportedly praised Western power and spoke of an intention to “reinvigorate the West,” referencing the legacy of the “great Western empires.” Rubio also encouraged allies to move past what he described as “guilt and shame” over colonial history.
“The United States’ call to revive Western influence is not charity. The 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 organisation cited historical and recent examples of US interventionism in countries such as Venezuela, Cuba, Palestine, Syria, and South Africa, noting that sanctions, regime change efforts, and coercive diplomacy have often caused severe economic and social disruption. It warned that such strategies are part of a broader pattern of imperial control exercised through economic pressure, 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.
ITUC-Africa called on African workers to remain vigilant, organised, and united. It urged trade unions to strengthen solidarity, resist division based on ethnicity, religion, or politics, engage governments through constructive dialogue, and support policies promoting decent jobs, industrial growth, economic independence, and transparent 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,” the statement concluded.
The organisation stressed that Africa must not be used as a stage for geopolitical rivalry and emphasised that defending the continent’s sovereignty requires political, economic, and social vigilance.