(MENAFN)
Booker Omole, General Secretary of the Communist Party Marxist – Kenya, has warned that US President Donald Trump’s proposed 10% tariff on imports from BRICS nations will likely backfire, accelerating global efforts to reduce reliance on the US dollar. Speaking to RT, Omole said the tariffs are part of a broader attempt to halt what he called the “strategic decline of US imperialism.”

Omole argued that these measures will push BRICS nations to strengthen trade in their national currencies and speed up the creation of an alternative financial system that challenges the dollar’s dominance. “If the tariffs are aimed at isolating China, Russia, and other BRICS members, they will only encourage more trade in local currencies and deepen moves to replace the dollar,” he stated.

Earlier this week, Trump confirmed plans to impose tariffs on BRICS countries, declaring, “If they’re a member of BRICS, they’re going to have to pay a 10% tariff – and they won’t be a member long,” according to Reuters.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa recently defended BRICS, stating the group is not intended to target any nation. Omole acknowledged Ramaphosa’s diplomatic tone but insisted BRICS is driving the “permanent decline of the US empire.”

Mashood Jacob Ajene, a researcher with the Africa-Russia Research Centre in Ghana, echoed these views, saying that Africa’s reliance on the dollar stifles its economic potential. “The US’s global power comes from the dollar, and it’s just paper,” he said, advocating for Africa to embrace alternative financial systems.

Established in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India, and China, with South Africa joining in 2010, BRICS has recently expanded to include Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, the UAE, and Indonesia. Its partner countries now include Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan.

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