The “French Era” is Coming to an End, and Not Just in Africa

Vladimir Danilov During his recent four-day African tour, French President Emmanuel Macron was forced to admit that the era of the “Françafrique” is over in Gabon. It existed for more than six decades, realizing Paris’ desire to imprison its former colonies in Africa in the “arms” of enslaving economic agreements and informal arrangements with the…

France: Protests Shut Down the Country

Peoples Dispatch The controversial pension reform bill calling for an increase in the retirement age from 62 to 64 is currently being discussed in the French Senate but was passed over to the Senate before it could be voted on because of disagreements about raising the retirement age On Tuesday, March 7, the French workers…

“Partners in the Blue Pacific (PBP)”: Who Are They and What Are Their Goals?

Sofia Pale In early February 2023, Washington unveiled the US Indo-Pacific strategy. The document repeatedly emphasized the importance of the informal group “Partners in the Blue Pacific” (PBP), established in September 2022 and composed of the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the United Kingdom. The purpose of the PBP is to strengthen relations…

West African People’s Movements Call for Greater Unity as France Announces Military ‘Reorganization’

Tanupriya Singh Mass protests held in Mali against the imposition of sanctions by ECOWAS following the military coup (Photo via @abdoulayekn1/Twitter) The West Africa Peoples Organisation has welcomed the proposal for greater collaboration between Burkina Faso, Mali, and Guinea, and has called for coordinating and planning production, trade, infrastructure, economic development, and defense The prime…

Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Mali: The Eternal African Bonfire

Guadi Calvo Reports of the ambush in which ten soldiers were killed in the southwest of Niger, close to the borders with Mali and Burkina Faso, last Friday 10, are practically unnoticed. The authorities fear that the casualties will increase, since 16 other people are still missing and 13 other soldiers were wounded, some seriously….

Britain Rebuilds Ties with France

M. K. Bhadrakumar French President Emmanuel Macron (L) and the UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ahead of a historic meeting during the COP27 summit at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, 7 November, 2022 A Bloomberg report cited unnamed British ministers, diplomats and officials to the effect that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has tasked senior ministers and officials to draw up…

Terrorism is a Mechanism Used by Western Nations to Facillitate Unhindered Exploitation and Plunder

Statement by Deputy Permanent Representative Gennady Kuzmin at UNSC briefing on threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts Mme.President, We thank USG Voronkov and Executive Director Weixiong Chen for their briefings on the activity of UN mechanisms under their lead, that are focused on countering ISIL. Issues of combating terrorism must always…

Haiti: Neocolonial Model Country

Stephen SeftonHaiti’s history and current situation closely mirror the political and economic realities of the history of Latin America and the Caribbean since independence. Patterns of foreign intervention and the sell-out collaboration of national elites to impose their rule over impoverished majorities still persist. Sooner or later, popular rebellion has always arisen by those majorities,…

French Troops Will Leave Burkina Faso at the Insistence of Ouagadougou

Protesters wave a Russian flag and demand the departure of French troops in in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, January 20, 2023. © OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT / AFP France agrees to withdraw from former colony The French government announced on Wednesday that its troops will leave Burkina Faso within a month, after the Burkinabe government officially repudiated a status…

Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso

Ian Beddowes We do not know yet how good or bad the coup governments of Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso will be. But one thing for sure, they have weakened the parasitic hold of France and the USA on a large part of Africa and we must support them at this time. At the recent…

Europe: Enemies Within, Enemies Without

M. K. BHADRAKUMAR France’s President Emmanuel Macron (R) with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz as they arrive to attend a ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the Elysee Treaty, Sorbonne university’s Grand Amphitheatre, Paris, Jan. 22, 2023 The internal balances of the European Union are significantly transforming as a consequence of the US’ proxy war with…

Macron Will Not Apologize for French Colonization of Algeria

The Cradle The French president alleges that offering an apology for over a century of colonization and brutal war crimes would be ‘the worst option’ French President Emmanuel Macron has said he “will not ask for forgiveness” over his country’s 132-year-long colonization of Algeria and its role in the war of independence, which saw French…

“I Speak for the Georgian Legion – We Don’t Take Russian Soldiers Prisoner!”

Henry Kamens Reports of Georgian soldiers dying in the fight for Ukraine’s independence are at first impression heartwarming, at least for the naïve. BUT when you dig deeper into this story, you soon realise that their plight is of their own choice, and motivated by financial considerations, not solidarity or standing up for a fledgling…

Aminata Dramane Traoré: “They Want to Lead Us Into War”

Raphaël Schmeller Aminata Dramane Traoré is an author, human rights activist and former Minister of Culture of Mali. She will be a guest speaker at the upcoming “International Rosa Luxemburg Conference. (Internationale Rosa-Luxemburg-Konferenz XXVIII. 2023)” An interview with Aminata Dramane Traoré on the chaos caused by Western states in the Sahel and the interests of…

Mali’s Break with France is a Symptom of Cracks in the Transatlantic Alliance

Tricontinental SEYDOU KEÏTA (MALI), UNTITLED, 1948–1954 On 21 November 2022, Mali’s interim prime minister, Colonel Abdoulaye Maïga, issued a statement on social media announcing the government’s decision ‘to ban, with immediate effect, all activities carried out by [French] NGOs operating in Mali’. This announcement came a few days after the French government cut Official Development Aid (ODA)…

Is Russia Really the Reason Why Mali Continues to Push France Away?

Vijay Prashad A new burst of anti-colonial feeling has swept through France’s former colonies, where the debates are now centered around breaking with its stranglehold on their economies and ending the military intervention by its troops On November 21, Mali’s interim Prime Minister Colonel Abdoulaye Maïga posted a statement on social media to say that Mali has decided “to…

France and Russia Do Not Own Africa

Takudzwa Hillary Chiwanza It must still be made clear that in this day and age, Africa is not a playing ground and pawn for neocolonial battles. In recent frenetic moments of imperial panic, France has unashamedly laid bare its brazen obduracy in maintaining its neocolonial stranglehold over its former colonies in Africa. The hegemonic lamentations…

Burkina Faso Confronts a Humanitarian Catsatrophe as Jihadists Besiege Cities

The government of Burkina Faso calls for calm, restraint and not to risk plunging the country into the maelstrom of demonstrations. A political struggle at the service of jihadists On Saturday, the government of Burkina Faso called on residents to “remain calm and exercise restraint” following a demonstration against the French presence in the country…