France

At least 19 civilians were killed in a French airstrike in central Mali in January, according to a UN report on Tuesday by Agence France-Presse (AFP), which added that the victims were protected under international law. On January 3, French warplanes crashed near the remote village of Bounti in circumstances that sparked controversy in the war-torn Sahel state. Residents of the village said the strike hit a wedding party and killed civilians. But the French military denied the allegations, saying it…

The first day of negotiations is Monday, March 29, in Paris during the Bouaké bombing. On November 6, 2004, two Ivorian army aircraft landed on a French base in this city in Côte d'Ivoire, killing 10 and wounding 38. The aircraft was piloted by Belarusian mercenaries and aided by Ivorian co-pilots. This day was devoted to the call of witnesses, the reminder of the facts and the first hearings.…

France resumed its embassy in the Libyan capital Tripoli on Monday after a seven-year closure. "The embassy reopened in Tripoli on March 29, 2021," said a tweet from the diplomatic mission. Last week, Mohammad Menfi, head of the Libyan Presidency, announced during a press conference during his visit to Paris that the French embassy in Tripoli would be resumed. In July 2014, amid unrest following the 2011 ouster of strongman Moammar Gadhafi, the embassy closed its doors in Tripoli, but continued its work from Paris.…

On November 6, 2004, two Soukhoï Su-25s from the Ivorian army bombed the French base in Bouaké. Results: 9 French soldiers and one American civilian killed and 38 French soldiers wounded. The aircraft was piloted by Belarusian mercenaries and was assisted by Ivorian co-pilots. Defendants who will be absent from this trial. More than 16 years after the events, the victims especially want to understand why France ordered the alleged perpetrators of this murderous attack to go away after the Togolese authorities arrested…

On November 6, 2004, two Ivorian planes bombed a French camp for the Licorne force in Bouaké, Ivory Coast: nine French soldiers and one American civilian were killed, 38 people wounded. In retaliation, the French army destroyed the Ivorian air force. Tensions are rising between Paris and Abidjan. More than 16 years later, the trial of the persecuted pilots for murder, attempted murder and destruction of property will begin on Monday before the Assize Court in Paris, without the accused. The box will be empty. Of the…

In Rwanda, observers close to Paul Kagame's government welcome progress on the conclusions of the Duclert report on the Tutsi genocide in Rwanda. But they emphasize that this is not necessarily enough. Jean-Paul Kimonyo is a researcher and former adviser to President Paul Kagame. He believes that the Duclert report clarifies the dynamics between the French decision-makers at the time and what happened in Rwanda. However, he emphasizes a gap between the content of the report and its conclusion, which excludes the idea of…

No involvement but "heavy and overwhelming responsibility" in the genocide of the Tutsis. This is the conclusion of the Duclert report on France's role in Rwanda between 1990 and 1994. A document delivered on Friday 26 March to Emmanuel Macron. This report, written by a commission of historians led by Vincent Duclert, points to Paris' "blindness" to the genocide of the "racist, corrupt and violent" regime of Hutu President Juvénal…

While Paris has decided to facilitate access to the archives of the Algerian war in France, Algerian historians are demanding access to the archives for this period in Algeria. They have just sent an open letter on Thursday, March 25, to the President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, condemning the bureaucratic obstacles to their research.…

Following the presentation of the Duclert report on Friday, March 26, France hopes to strengthen its diplomatic relations with Rwanda. An approach that is in line with Paris' desire to rebuild France's relations with the countries of the African continent. For Kigali, who received the report at the same time as the Élysée, it is an "important step towards a common understanding of France's role in the genocide of the Tutsis". France bears "heavy and overwhelming responsibility" in the events leading up to the genocide in…

A commission that spent almost two years exposing France's role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide concluded that it reacted too slowly to estimate the scale of the terror that left more than 800,000 dead but cleared the country of involvement in the massacre. The report said France was carrying "heavy and overwhelming responsibility" in the operation that led to the killings, which mainly claimed victims of Rwanda's ethnic minority in Tutsi. Persistent claims that France under then-President Francois Mitterrand did not do…