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BARKHANE – France and its allies to withdraw from Mali

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France, its European partners and Canada have confirmed Mali’s withdrawal from the anti-jihadist military operations Barkhane and Takuba. The announcement was made on Thursday 17 February by French President Emmanuel Macron during a press conference at the Élysée. This imminent departure is justified by the deterioration of relations with the military in power in this country of West Africa. 

It is official, it is the end of the antidjihadist military operations Barkhane and Takuba in Mali. That is what France and its European partners and Canada decided. It should be noted that relations between France and the new Malian authorities continue to deteriorate.  
“We cannot remain militarily involved with de facto authorities whose strategy and hidden objectives we do not share,” Emmanuel Macron said at a press conference in the Élysée. 

In terms of the withdrawal schedule, the French President said, “We have started to close bases in the north (of Mali) we will gradually close everything, in an exercise that will take 4 to 6 months.” Some 25,000 men are currently deployed in the Sahel, including approximately 4,300 French (2,400 in Mali as part of Barkhane. The country is also home to 15,000 UN soldiers in MINUSMA, whose future is now in limbo as it relied on Barkhane’s broad support.

Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara said in an interview on Wednesday with RFI and France 24: We consider that the fight against terrorism is something essential for Mali, for Burkina, for Niger and for coastal countries (…) The departure of Barkhane and Takuba creates a vacuum. We will have to buy weapons, we will have to become more professional, but that is our duty as well. The national armies must solve the problems in our national territories and that is our philosophy.”

Joint Statement on Countering the Terrorist Threat and Supporting Peace and Security in the Sahel and West Africa .It should also be emphasized that in a joint statement on the fight against the terrorist threat and support for peace and security in the Sahel and West Africa published on the Elysée website and signed by the European Council; the European Commission; the High Representative of the Coalition for the Sahel and the African Union Commission, among others, it reads that Because of the many obstructions of the Malian transitional authorities, Canada and the European States operating alongside Operation Barkhane and within the Takuba Task Force believe that the political conditions, operational and legal forces are no longer united to effectively pursue their current military engagement in the fight against terrorism in Mali and have therefore decided to begin the coordinated withdrawal of their respective military resources dedicated to these operations. In close coordination with neighbouring States, they also expressed their willingness to remain engaged in the region, while respecting their respective constitutional procedures.” The same communiqué also states that at the request of their African partners, and on the basis of discussions on the future modalities of their joint action, they have nevertheless agreed to continue their joint action against terrorism in the Sahel region, In particular, in Niger and the Gulf of Guinea, and have launched political and military consultations with them with the aim of defining the parameters of this joint action by June 2022. 

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Recall that the Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has imposed an embargo on trade and financial transactions in Bamako since January 9, 2022, in order to sanction the military project in power to continue to rule the country for several years before organizing elections.

Anti-French Speech  
Finally, Emmanuel Macron spoke on Thursday, February 17, 2022 on the anti-French sentiment that is spreading in some African countries, including Mali during a joint press conference at the Elysée Palace with the President of the African Union, Macky Sall, President of Ghana Nana Akufo-Ado and President of the European Council. For him, the anti-French discourse that is spreading more and more on Social Networks in Africa is the fact that Russia pays activists for it: I find that many people who spread anti-French discourse in Social Networks are people who are funded. These are activists who are funded by Russia and other powers who have installed this discourse, this language»

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CULTURE

NINETEENTH FRANCOPHONIE SUMMIT – La Francophonie, un espace d’influence

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On 4 and 5 October 2024, France became the world’s cultural epicenter. It hosted the 19th Francophonie Summit, an event that had not been held in France for 33 years. With the theme “Créer, innover, entreprendre en français”, more than a hundred delegations, including several heads of African states, arrived in Villers-Cotterêts and Paris to promote the French language and address major contemporary issues such as politics, the economy, digital and especially culture.

Under the sign of linguistic and cultural diversity
On 4 October, French President Emmanuel Macron, his wife and Louise Mushikiwabo, Secretary General of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), received several personalities at the Village de la Francophonie at CENTQUATRE-PARIS, from various parts of the world and sharing the French language. It was a unique immersion in the Francophone cultural diversity. More than 30 countries and regions of the world were represented through pavilions, shows and performances, illustrating the creativity and richness of living arts from five continents as well as the vitality and plurality of francophone cultures.

Major diplomatic and political issues
The summit was not only a cultural event. It was also a major political platform, as more than 321 million people around the world share this language. Emmanuel Macron, accompanied by Louise Mushikiwabo, opened the event with a fiery speech in Villers-Cotterêts. He highlighted the resilience and reinvention of the French language. “La Francophonie is a space of diplomatic influence that allows us to embrace the challenges of the century,” said the French president, stressing that the French language is a tool for “resistance” and “combat”. True to his style, he used strong language while emphasizing the role of the Francophonie in defending sovereignty and territorial integrity, referring to the conflict in Ukraine and the crises in the Middle East.

Institutions that are stumbling
Founded in 1970, the OIF brings together 88 states and governments and is committed to the promotion of French and international cooperation. This year’s summit sees the addition of two new members, Ghana and Cyprus, strengthening the organization’s global reach. However, the current geopolitical tensions, especially with the Sahelian countries in the grip of coups (Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger), are also at the heart of the discussions. These states, suspended from the OIF’s bodies, were not invited to the event. The summit also addresses crucial issues such as digital regulation. In response to the spread of hate speech online, the OIF launched “l’Appel de Villers-Cotterêts”, a call to digital giants to build a safer and more diverse digital space.

A booming Francophonie
The number of French speakers could grow exponentially, especially in Africa where population is expanding. By 2050, this figure could reach 715 million, placing the Francophonie at the heart of global educational and economic issues. However, this ambition requires a significant investment in French language education and support, especially in developing countries. Although the Francophonie is sometimes criticized for its lack of visibility or limited influence, Louise Mushikiwabo remains optimistic about her ability to “move things forward” despite the challenges.

A memorable international event
The year 2024 is a great year for the Francophonie. After the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the D-Day and the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, these historic moments can be said to reinforce the importance of the French language on the international stage. In order to show that the Francophonie is not limited to the French language, several English-speaking countries, such as Ghana, were invited. In a world resolutely turned towards the use of English, the French language still has good days ahead.

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EUROPE

FRANCE – A French national arrested in Niamey

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Stéphane Jullien was arrested on Friday, 08 September 2023 in Niamey. This French national has lived in Niger for eighteen years. He is the advisor of the French abroad in the country.

According to RFI, his arrest occurred while he was leaving the French Embassy. The Nigerien security forces found in his vehicle several cases including uniforms in the colors of the Burkina Faso army, says the same source.

Detained at the Niamey Prison

This import-export entrepreneur is held at the Niamey Prison. According to a French diplomatic source, Mr Jullien is accused of “complicity in the attack on the security of the territory”.

His case is managed by the Directorate General of External Security, according to RFI. This structure would be attached to the Nigerien Presidency.

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“Our embassy is mobilized to ensure consular protection for our compatriot”

Yesterday Tuesday, September 12, Paris demanded his «immediate release» via a statement made public by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. «Since the first day, our embassy has been fully mobilized to ensure consular protection for our compatriot» assures the Quai d’Orsay.

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EUROPE

FRANCE – The government formally bans Abaya at school

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The wearing of the abaya will be banned at school in France, announced the Minister of National Education Gabriel Attal, a decision made in the name of secularism and supposed to put an end to the controversies around this traditional long dress worn by some Muslim students. «I decided that we could no longer wear abaya to school,» Gabriel Attal told TF1 on Sunday, August 28, 2023.

The minister, who had since he took office this summer, wished firmness on questions of secularism, had judged that going to school in abaya was «a religious gesture, aiming to test the resistance of the Republic on the secular sanctuary that the School must constitute», promising firmness about it. «You enter a classroom, you must not be able to identify the religion of the students by watching them», he explained Sunday on TF1. The question of this traditional garment is sensitive, the French Council of Muslim Worship (CFCM) believes that the abaya, a long dress covering the female body, is not a Muslim religious sign. Its port is «more ambivalent than a veil» according to Haoues Seniguer, lecturer at the IEP of Lyon and specialist in Islamism.

In France, according to the law of 15 March 2004, «in public schools, colleges and high schools, the wearing of signs or dress by which students ostensibly manifest a religious affiliation is prohibited», a circular specifying these signs «the Islamic veil (..) the kippa or a cross of manifestly excessive dimension». The National Education had already seized the abaya in November, in a circular that considered this garment – like bandanas and long skirts, also cited – as outfits that can be prohibited if they are «worn so as to manifest ostensibly a religious affiliation».

The predecessor of Gabriel Attal, Pap Ndiaye, questioned by the unions of heads of establishment on the increase of the incidents related to these outfits, had however refused to «publish endless catalogues to specify the lengths of dresses».
increased attacks on secularism.

According to a note from the state services, of which AFP has obtained a copy, the attacks on secularism, much more numerous since the assassination in 2020 around his college of Professor Samuel Paty, increased by 120% between the academic year 2021/2022 and 2022/2023. The wearing of signs and clothing, which represents the majority of attacks, increased by more than 150% throughout the last school year.

The minister wanted to pay tribute on Sunday to the heads of schools “who are on the front line on these questions of secularism”, and promised to meet “as early as next week (…) to give them all the keys so that they can enforce this rule”. Bruno Bobkiewicz, Secretary General of the National Union of Management Personnel of the National Education Authority, responded to AFP, “The instruction was not clear now and we welcome it.” “Now that the message is out, it has to be implemented in the institutions (…) the heads of schools must not be alone against the abayas,” he added.

On the opposition side, the decision was applauded on the right, with Eric Ciotti (LR) leading on X (formerly Twitter): «We had repeatedly called for the ban of abayas in our schools. I welcome the decision of the Minister of National Education, who agrees with us.” On the left, however, Clémentine Autain (LFI) was outraged by the «clothing police», judging «unconstitutional» the announcement of Gabriel Attal, «contrary to the founding principles of secularism. Symptomatic of the obsessive rejection of Muslims.

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