On Africa Liberation Day, we commit ourselves to the emancipatory project of revolutionary Pan-Africanism

Today, 25 May 2025, we celebrate one of the most historic reference points in our shared struggle: Africa Liberation Day.

Thomas Sankara once said, ‘When the people stand up, imperialism trembles.’ For the first time in decades, imperialism is trembling. Today, a tangible hope is revived through the roar of anti-imperialist sentiment across the Sahel. In particular, the formation of the Alliance of Sahel States is forging a new path for post-colonial African nations and the world. 

Now, more than ever, we must defend and advance these concrete gains and commit ourselves to the project of revolutionary Pan Africanism.

Since the first meeting of the Organisation of African Unity in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 25 May 1963, this day has represented more than a simple commemoration. Instead, it embodies the aspirations of 1.5 billion African people on the continent and in the diaspora, the Sixth Region of Africa, to claim full emancipation from all forms of oppression and exploitation.

Over six decades ago, visionary leaders established the principle that African unity and self-determination are the indispensable foundations of our freedom. Yet, the dream of “Africa for Africans” remains unfulfilled.

Our people continue to bear the scars of colonial borders, neocolonial economic shackles, and the predatory nature of global capital. Imperialist wars threaten the Sahel while they rage on in the Congo and Sudan, where imperialists and their proxies are vying for control of our resources.

Structural adjustment programs imposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank have shackled our economies, deepening inequality and forcing entire communities into poverty. Meanwhile, corrupted local elites have too often betrayed the revolutionary promise, sacrificing popular sovereignty for personal gain.

On this Africa Liberation Day, we make these resolute and concrete calls:

• Ending Imperialist Aggression
  We demand the immediate withdrawal of all imperialist forces and military bases from our territories. The revolutionary Alliance of Sahel States must be allowed to exercise full sovereignty, free from external interference. The wars in the Congo and Sudan must end immediately, and the profiteers—both local and foreign—must be held accountable. We also reiterate our demand for an immediate end to the genocide in Palestine, perpetrated by the Zionist, colonial project of Israel and its imperialist backers.
• Supporting National and Popular Liberation
  We stand in unwavering solidarity with the peoples of Western Sahara and Swaziland who, like the Palestinians, Cubans, and Venezuelans, defy hybrid warfare and blockades to assert their right to self-determination. We salute their courage and pledge to amplify their voices until genuine liberation is achieved.
• Overthrowing Economic Subjugation
  We reject the racist assumption that Africa’s position at the bottom rung of the global food chain is preordained. We call for the dismantling of debt-servitude mechanisms that siphon wealth from our communities and for creating just, people-centred development models that prioritise humans and nature over profits.

The forces of imperialism and capitalism seek to fragment us by ethnicity, culture, language, or geography. Yet our strength lies in unity. From Cape to Cairo, from the Cape Verde Islands to the Horn of Africa, our collective power is embodied in trade unions, peasant movements, youth networks, women’s collectives, and political formations that span our continent. Through our determined organising—on the factory floor, in rural villages, and on urban streets—we will break the chains of exploitation and build a truly liberated Africa.

Just as “from the river to the sea” captures the unshakable conviction of the peoples of the world that historic Palestine and its people will be free, so too does “from Cape to Cairo” encapsulate our common aspiration: an Africa united, sovereign, and for the masses of our people. This is not simply a slogan but a pledge: the protagonists of history are our peoples, and our destiny is to shatter the status quo of repression. Together, we aim to create an Africa where human dignity, peace, and love are the pillars of our collective existence.

To all activists and leaders of progressive movements and organisations, we join more than 70 movements and organisations in the Pan Africanism Today (PAT) process to call for renewed courage and commitment as we continue to build our Pan African Project. We must strengthen alliances across borders and forge new pathways of cooperation among workers, peasants, youth, women, and the urban poor. We must embrace revolutionary political education that connects past victories and defeats to today’s struggles to address the concrete problems faced by our people in a practical way. 

On this Africa Liberation Day, we salute every fighter who stands against oppression. We honour our martyrs, uplift our prisoners, and commit ourselves anew to the emancipatory project of revolutionary Pan-Africanism. Let us march undeterred until this beautiful continent is truly liberated for the many and by the many.

In solidarity,
Pan Africanism Today Secretariat