Tag: France
Niger Accuses France of Planning Third Attack
Niger's transitional leader, Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani, said in a July 26 RTN interview marking the third anniversary of the 2023 coup that the Sahel alliance plans to grow its joint force from 5,000 to 18,000 troops, and claimed French intelligence had equipped the militants behind a June 18 assault on Niamey's…
Russia Builds Toward Madagascar’s 2027 Vote
Madagascar lies near the northern mouth of the Mozambique Channel, on the sea lane connecting southern Africa to the Gulf and Asia, next to some of the largest untapped gas reserves on the continent. That position has made it a quiet prize in a contest most coverage still frames as…
France Rebuilds Influence After Sahel Retreat
Nothing about France's presence in Africa was ever going to vanish. Some twenty African states use French as an official language, fourteen share a currency pegged to the euro, and the commercial and family networks running between Paris and the continent outlast every government now in office. What collapsed in…
U.S. Weighs Military Action in Mali
The Trump administration is considering direct military action in Mali against al-Qaeda affiliate JNIM, The Washington Post reported on July 22, citing current and former U.S. officials. Officials are reportedly divided; no strike order has been announced. A former official said one administration objective last year was securing overflight rights…
France to Let Ukraine Produce Missiles Under New Defense Deal
France will license Ukraine to produce SCALP long-range cruise missiles, AASM Hammer precision-guided bombs and Aster-30 interceptor missiles, President Emmanuel Macron announced after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris on July 13. The agreement marks the first time France has authorized production of its own weapons systems on Ukrainian…
