The Revolutionary Socialist Movement Nigeria has condemned the arrest of at least 12 pan-African activists and international delegates by Kenyan police during anti-imperialist protests held in Nairobi on Tuesday, May 12, 2026.
In a strongly worded statement, the organisation described the crackdown as a “brutal repression” aimed at silencing activists who gathered to protest against the Africa Forward Summit, which it accused of advancing the interests of imperialist powers, multinational corporations and African political elites at the expense of ordinary Africans.
According to the group, the summit represents a platform where foreign powers and allied African leaders “discuss how to intensify privatisation, debt dependency, austerity and the looting of Africa’s wealth,” while millions of Africans continue to suffer from poverty, unemployment and economic hardship.
RSM Nigeria accused security agencies in Nairobi of targeting progressive voices and suppressing democratic dissent through intimidation and arrests. The organisation insisted that the detained activists committed no crime other than demanding economic justice, political freedom and liberation from neo-colonial domination across the African continent.
The movement further accused the governments of the United States, France and United Kingdom of continuing to exploit Africa’s resources through allied African leaders whom it described as “puppets of imperialism.”
“We have always stood against the puppet African leaders aligned with imperialism,” the statement read. “We call on African working people to build an anti-imperialist movement to sweep away the neo-colonial bandits and fight for a socialist confederation of Africa.”
The organisation reiterated its call for what it described as a socialist transformation of Africa through collective struggle by workers, students, farmers and poor people.
“RSM Nigeria reiterates that the future of Africa lies in the collective struggle of workers, students, farmers and the poor to build a socialist society based on public ownership, democratic control of resources and genuine liberation from capitalist exploitation,” the statement added.
The group also called on trade unions, socialist organisations, student unions and democratic movements across Africa and internationally to condemn the arrests and demand the immediate release of the detained protesters.
“We urge trade unions, socialist organisations, student groups and all democratic forces across Africa and internationally to speak out against this repression and demand justice for the arrested activists,” the statement said.
The statement ended with the slogans: “Free the Nairobi 12 Now!”, “No to Imperialist Domination of Africa!” and “For a Socialist Africa Built by Workers and the Poor!”