Africa must first “ensure its own security” so it can realize its “destiny”, asserted French President François Hollande when addressing some 40 African leaders as a key Franco-African security summit opened Friday in Paris. French President Hollande also pledged to help with the creation of a special African rapid-reaction force that would train as many […]
Tag: Francois Hollande
President Hollande : France ‘Must Double’ Trade with Africa
“France must double its trade with Africa,” Hollande called on French business leaders during a major conference of French and African business leaders in Paris on Wednesday (4 December). If France can manage to achieve this, some 200,000 jobs will be created in France over the next five years. Hollande’s comments came ahead of a […]
Paris Honors African Soldiers Supporting France during WWI
France has launched the commemorations for next year’s 100-year anniversary of the start of World War I. In his solemn speech, French President François Hollande said that he wanted the program of commemorative events to unfold in a spirit of national unity, as well as friendship between all the countries involved in the conflict that […]
France’s Persistent Role in Africa: The Other ‘Indispensable Nation’?
While recently attending a conference in Benin, the crisis in Mali still loomed large. The conflict in Mali had threatened to unravel the entire security situation in the Sahel and Western African nations spent much of the last year bickering whether a military intervention to save Bamako from approaching Islamist militias was feasible. In the […]
Morocco’s King, a driving force in promoting African development
King Mohammed VI of Morocco participated Thursday in the inauguration ceremony of the new president of Mali Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, along a number of other heads of state, including France’s François Hollande. The presence of the Moroccan King at this ceremony did not go unnoticed because it was the first time that the king attended […]
Tunisia follows Egypt and launches Tamarud
After Egypt’s Tamarud campaign was made a succes with the intervention of the military, Tunisia’s opposition activists have decided to begin a similar move against the coalition government led by Ennahda. They have vowed to start collecting signatures to end the government’s mandate. The spokesman of Tamarud Tunisia, Mohamed Bennour told reporters at a press […]
French Embassy Attack in Tripoli, Challenges Libya’s Security
The terrorist bombing that hit lately French embassy in Tripoli has tested the Libyan security apparatus and showed its vulnerability as the North African country is experiencing a turbulent and shaky transition after years of autocratic rule under Gadhafi regime. The attack comes as the new Libyan government is battling to disarm the militias which […]
Morocco-France, an enduring win-win partnership
President François Hollande of France is paying as of Wednesday a two-day state visit to Morocco, his first since his election in May last year. The aims of this visit are both political and economic, Morocco being France’s major partner in the Maghreb and France being Morocco’s closest friend in Europe. “The relationship between the […]
Intervening in Mali – Securing the Sahel?
Last December, the U.N. Security Council passed a cautious resolution that outlined steps to be taken before an international military intervention into Mali to deal with the deteriorating security situation in the country. But in a surprise move on 11 January, French President Francois Hollande authorized airstrikes in Mali to stop a sudden southward push […]
PM Ayrault in Morocco to Seal Special French-Moroccan Partnership
French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault started Wednesday a two day visit to Morocco, his first to a Maghreban country, to seal the special and unique partnership existing between the two nations. In this time of crisis, the French official pleaded from the start for the revival of his country’s economic relations with Morocco, where President […]









