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France's President Emmanuel Macron (left) and Secretary General of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie Louise Mushikiwabo, center, welcome Chad's President General Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno for the 19th Francophonie summit in Villers-Cotterets, France, October 4, 2024
FRENCH President Emmanuel Macron recognised on Thursday for the first time the killing of west African soldiers by the French army in 1944 as a massacre.
The long-awaited admission from France came in a letter addressed to the Senegalese authorities and on the eve of the 80th anniversary of the World War II killings in Thiaroye — a fishing village on the outskirts of the Senegalese capital Dakar.
It also comes as France’s influence is declining across Africa, with Paris being ousted from its former colonies.
While millions face poverty and public services are squeezed, France is committing billions to defence spending and weapons production, in a dangerous shift towards permanent preparation for war, says CONOR BOLLINS
NICHOLAS MWANGI highlights a historic turning point in Sahelian sovereignty, as Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger bolstered their regional security through a unified military force