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May 16
Niger Delta Youths Declare Kaiama Accord (1998)
What happened: On May 16, 1998, a coalition of Ijaw youth leaders reaffirmed the Kaiama Declaration, demanding control of their resources and environmental justice.
How and why: Years of environmental degradation and marginalization by oil companies and the Nigerian state pushed youths to act.
Aftermath: The declaration intensified the militancy phase in the Niger Delta, which culminated in disruptions to oil exports and eventual amnesty negotiations.
ECOWAS Adopts Free Movement Protocol Implementation Plan (2000)
What happened: on may 16, 2000, ECOWAS adopted a plan to enforce its 1979 free movement protocol among member states.
How and why: although agreed upon two decades earlier, enforcement was weak due to security and border concerns.
Aftermath: Implementation improved cross-border trade and labor movement in West Africa, though enforcement remains uneven.
Mao Zedong Launches Cultural Revolution (1966)
What happened: Mao Zedong initiated the Cultural Revolution in China, aiming to preserve Chinese communism by purging remnants of capitalist and traditional elements.
How and why: Mao feared loss of control after failures like the Great Leap Forward. He mobilized youth into Red Guards to attack the “Four Olds” (customs, culture, habits, ideas).
Aftermath: The Revolution plunged China into a decade of political chaos, violence, and intellectual regression, with millions persecuted.
