In the first call to Sharaa from a western leader, Macron on Wednesday congratulated the leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) Islamist group, which lead the overthrow of former president Bashar al-Assad, for his appointment at the end of last month as interim president of the transition period in Syria.

Macron spoke of France’s commitment to a transition process that meets “the aspirations of the Syrian people,” as well as the “full integration” of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the process, according to the Elysée, in a statement.

The Kurdish-lead SDF has worked with European and US forces to fight against the Islamic State armed group.

Macron spoke with Sharaa of the need to continue “the fight against terrorism”, which he said is “for the benefit of the Syrian people as well as for the security of the French nation”.

The power vacuum caused by the fall of Assad has raised fears of a resurgence of the Islamic State. France is concerned about several dozen radicalised French nationals who are in Syria, held in Syrian prisons overseen by Kurdish forces.

France welcomes fall of Syria’s Assad, calls for peaceful transition

Sanctions

For Syria, the heart of the discussions involved economic sanctions imposed by the European Union and other western countries.

Macron spoke to Al-Sharaa about “the efforts of his country to lift the sanctions on Syria and open the path towards growth and recovery,” according to the Syrian presidency.

The European Union has already agreed to begin easing some sanctions on Syria.

On a visit to Damascus in early January, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock indicated that some sanctions “could be lifted quickly”.

The Syrian president’s office also said that Macron invited Sharaa to visit France in the coming weeks.

An international conference on Syria is to be held in Paris on 13 February.

(with AFP, Reuters)

“Our positions have been attacked,” the spokesperson for the Congolese government, Patrick Muyaya, told RFI, adding that the M23 has broken the ceasefire it had unilaterally declared on 3 February 2025.

The latest clashes began in the early hours of the morning on Wednesday in the Kalehe territory, near Nyabibwe, in South Kivu province, a commercial hub and home mines producing gold, coltan and other metals.

According to the Congolese government, Rwandan reinforcements are said to have crossed the border at Goma during the night to support this offensive against government FARDC positions.

Goma is the capital of North Kivu province, fell into rebel hands last week.

The capture of Nyabibwe on Lake Kivu brings the rebels a step closer to the provincial capital Bukavu some 70 kms south, a city the rebels said last week they had no intention of capturing.

Corneille Nangaa, leader of the Congo River Alliance rebel coalition that includes M23, confirmed the group moved into Nyabibwe. “They attacked us and we defended ourselves,” he said.

A Congolese military court issued an international arrest warrant for Nangaa on Tuesday accusing him of war crimes and treason.

M23 rebels advance as efforts to contain DRC crisis intensify

‘Staggering’ human toll   

Meanwhile, the scale of the civilian toll was still emerging in the city of Goma where people last week were caught in the crossfire and fighting destroyed buildings, overwhelmed hospitals and left bodies strewn in the streets.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Wednesday estimated at least 2,800 people died in Goma.

“The human toll is staggering. We and our partners are struggling to assess the full extent of the situation,” spokesperson Jens Laerke said via email.

International Criminal Court prosecutors said they were closely monitoring events after reports of possible war crimes in the battle for Goma.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said its medical warehouse in Goma was looted last week and would take months to restore.

The city’s bishop, Willy Ngumbi, on Wednesday deplored damage to a maternity ward from explosives and called for talks with neighbouring countires to prevent an escalation of the conflict.

Regional summit

In Congo’s capital Kinshasa, lawmakers in the National Assembly held a lengthy closed-door extraordinary session to discuss the crisis ahead of a weekend meeting.

Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame and his DRC counterpart Felix Tshisekedi are due to attend the summit of the eight-country East African Community (EAC) and 16-member Southern African Development Community (SADC) in the Tanzanian city of Dar es Salaam on Saturday.

Congo accuses Rwanda of using the M23 to pillage valuable mineral deposits. Rwanda says it is acting in self-defence and to protect ethnic Tutsis.

Kagame, who denies backing the M23, has called for a “de-escalation” in the region.

On Friday, the UN Human Rights Council will convene a special session on the crisis, at Kinshasa’s request.

 (With newswires)

Events in anticipation of the 2025 AI Action Summit kick off in Paris this week – ahead of what is being billed as a landmark meeting of world leaders and tech giants on Monday and Tuesday, aimed at positioning France as a central hub for AI partnerships.

The gathering is designed to catalyse a “European awakening” in artificial intelligence, following a recent declaration from the United States that it will channel some $500 billion worth of investment into artificial intelligence. 

Co-chaired by India, the Paris summit aims to ensure that AI development aligns with ethical values, accessibility and sustainability, while also fostering global cooperation in governance.

It marks a pivotal moment for France, as the country looks to put itself at the forefront of global AI governance and raise some €2.5 billion for AI development over the next five years.

India to co-chair Paris AI summit in February

Following on from UK and South Korean AI Summits – in 2023 and 2024 respectively – the Paris showcase aims to take the conversation further, by expanding the focus beyond safety to innovation, inclusivity and practical implementation.

The goal is to foster “trustworthy AI” through the development of artificial intelligence as a force for good.

Rémi Rostan, editor-in-chief of LHC magazine, told RFI that if AI is to be truly useful, it must be accessible to everyone.

“AI must not be a toy for experts or a black box that decides for us… As long as a part of the population sees AI as something vague or threatening, it will remain a subject of mistrust, rather than a lever for emancipation,” he said.

The summit will bring together leaders from nearly 100 countries, as well as major figures from the tech industry, including Elon Musk, Sam Altman of OpenAI, Sundar Pichai of Google, and Demis Hassabis of DeepMind.

EU regulations kick-in

France’s push for AI leadership comes as the European Union has positioned itself as the vanguard of AI regulation.

The first provisions of the European AI Act came into effect on the even of the summit, marking a significant milestone in global AI governance.

Initial measures include banning unacceptable uses such as social scoring, predictive policing based on profiling, and emotion recognition in workplaces and schools.

By August, transparency obligations for AI models like ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini will come into force across the EU, requiring greater disclosure about training data and technical specifications.

The broader framework of the regulations will be implemented in phases, with full enforcement expected by 2027.

However, these regulations face a major pushback from tech companies, and ongoing debates about intellectual property and data transparency put a question mark over the use of the large language models the new generation of AI is built with.

One key objective of this week’s gathering is to explore European perspectives on the sovereignty of AI and its autonomy, with a view to countering the hegemony of US developers with very deep pockets, and Chinese innovators who are slashing the cost of hosting data centres, a key element of AI development.

At present, only seven countries in the world are “stakeholders” in AI initiatives, meaning that some 119 states have no direct involvement in the AI revolution. 

Clashing with creativity

Over the next six days, AI workshops and seminars have been structured to balance policy discussions with public engagement and technical exploration.

Running from 6 to11 February, AI Week features a series of events, beginning with a scientific conference at the Polytechnique engineering school, where Nobel laureates and leading AI researchers will discuss the latest developments.

Cultural discussions on AI’s impact on arts and media will take place at the Bibliothèque nationale de France and the Conciergerie, showcasing AI’s potential beyond just business and governance.

AI steals spotlight from Nobel winners who highlight Its power and risks

As the impact of AI becomes apparent, the question arises as to what happens to humans in the world of work and arts.

For Rostan, the answer is clear: “It’s another brush in the box, not the hand that paints… It’s the human being who provides the breath, the intention, the subversion. 

“Innovation and tradition are not opposites. They must dance together, with AI serving as a catalyst for new forms of expression, without ever replacing the human voice.”

Only a few days ago, the US Copyright Office issued a ruling that AI-assisted work can be protected, provided that it contains a sufficient amount of human creativity.

“Clearly, the tool does not make the artist,” Rostan says. “It is the intention and human intervention that count.” 

The main summit on 11 February will gather global policymakers, business leaders, and experts at the Grand Palais, where discussions will focus on investment, infrastructure, and the strategic direction of AI.

Prime Minister François Bayrou conceded MPs had adopted an imperfect budget but added: “It is an urgent step because our country cannot live without a budget.”

Bayrou’s administration, which has no overall majority in the 578-seat Assemblée Nationale, used the 49.3 constitutional power to ram the budget bill through the chamber without a vote by lawmakers.

The move triggered the no-confidence motion.

Only 128 lawmakers approved the motion, far from the 289 votes needed for it to pass.

Both the Socialists and far-right National Rally lawmakers refused to support it.

Under France’s constitution, the motion’s failure automatically turns the 2025 budget into law.

Disputes

French politics have been in disarray since President Emmanuel Macron called snap elections last year that left no party with a parliamentary majority.

Bayrou, a veteran centrist, was appointed in December amid a political crisis prompted by budget disputes that led to the collapse of Michel Barnier’s rule as prime minister.

French lawmakers oust Prime Minister Barnier after just three months in office

France has been under pressure from the European Union to reduce its huge debt and deficit, which in 2024 reached 6.1 percent of GDP.

The government has argued the country needs an operational budget at a time when the American President Donald Trump is threatening to impose new tariffs on the EU.

The budget is meant to reduce France’s deficit to 5.4 percent of gross domestic product this year via spending cuts and tax increases worth a total of €50 billion.

Talks

During discussions meant to seek a compromise in parliament, Bayrou agreed to provide an additional €1 billion for hospitals and agreed not to cut 4,000 jobs in national education.

He also said last month he was open to renegotiating a plan to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.

French PM Bayrou saves 4,000 teaching jobs in budget cuts reversal

The government said it intends to use its special powers next week to pass the social security budget, allowing key financial measures to be implemented by the end of the month.

In December, a no-confidence motion forced Barnier to step down after only three months in power as parties across the political spectrum joined forces to derail the veteran statesman’s proposals.

Barnier, 74, had been drafted in to solve the political impasse created by last year’s elections. But his proposed austerity budget deepened divisions.

The Foreign Affairs ministry asked the ICRC to leave the country after denouncing certain agreements, a civil society source in Niger told RFI.

Some foreigners working with the NGO in Niger have already begun to leave the country, and the delegation’s office has been closed since Tuesday, according to the AFP news agency.

No official reason was given for the decision to shut down the ICRC. The French NGO ACTED and its Nigeran partner APBE had a similar experience in November.

Red Cross in Niger for 35 years

The ICRC, which published a report on its activities in Niger during the first half of 2024 on Tuesday, the day its expulsion was announced, has not yet reacted publicly,

In the report, the ICRC says it has been present in Niger since 1990, and highlights its provision of healthcare to over 120,000 victims of armed conflict last year.

Niger’s current regime, which came to power in July 2023 through a military coup, has made national sovereignty one of its priorities, and it has notably expelled French and American soldiers engaged in anti-terrorism operations, and it joined other Sahel countries in withdrawing from the Ecowas regional bloc. 

Threats to sovereignty

At the end of January, Interior Minister General Mohamed Toumba said he was taking “important measures to monitor and supervise NGOs and development organisations”.

He added that the junta has found that “many NGOs are involved with these partners who are waging war against us… through the support they often give to terrorists”.

(With newswires)

Heat has lingered since the warming El Nino event peaked in January 2024, and January 2025 hit a record at 1.75 degrees Celsius hotter than pre-industrial times, the Copernicus Climate Change Service said Thursday.

Climate scientists had expected the historical high temperatures in 2024 to drop as the cooling La Nina took over from El Nino, so there is now debate about what other factors could be driving the rising temperatures.

La Nina is expected to be weak and Copernicus said temperatures in parts of the equatorial Pacific Ocean suggested “a slowing or stalling of the move towards” the cooling phenomenon.

Why is the heat persistent?

Scientists are unanimous that burning fossil fuels have largely driven long-term global warming, but there are questions about which human activities are impacting year-to-year natural variability.

One theory about the current continuing heat is that a global shift to cleaner shipping fuels in 2020 accelerated warming by reducing sulphur emissions that make clouds more reflect more sunlight.

Last month, Copernicus said that global temperatures averaged across 2023 and 2024 had exceeded the warming target set by the Paris climate accord of 1.5C for the first time.

While not a permanent breach of the limit, persistent high temperatures are a clear sign that it is being tested.

Focus on oceans

Scientists warn that every fraction of a degree of warming above 1.5C increases the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events like heat waves, droughts and heavy rainfall.

Copernicus said it would be closely monitoring ocean temperatures throughout 2025 for hints about how the climate might behave.

Oceans are key to regulate the climate and they are a carbon sink, with cooler able to absorb greater amounts of heat from the atmosphere, helping to lower air temperatures.

They also store 90 percent of the excess heat trapped by humanity’s release of greenhouse gases.

(with AFP)

US President Donald Trump’s proposal to transform the war-ravaged Gaza Strip into a luxurious “Riviera of the Middle East” has sent shockwaves through the diplomatic world, drawing swift and fierce criticism from European leaders.

Trump’s plan involves the resettlement of Palestinians across the Middle East marks a dramatic departure from long-standing US policy, which has traditionally supported a two-state solution.

Unveiling his proposal at a White House press conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, Trump painted a picture of Gaza as a thriving coastal paradise, where international communities could live in peace.

He insisted that regional powers such as Jordan and Egypt would ultimately support resettling Gaza’s two million residents elsewhere, despite their initial refusals.

“We’re going to help people live in harmony,” Trump stated, though he provided no concrete details on how such a massive relocation would unfold.

‘Violation of international law’

However, Trump’s ambitious and controversial idea has been met with widespread rejection, particularly in France and across Europe.

French officials were among the first to respond, slamming the proposal as reckless and legally indefensible.

France’s foreign ministry emphasised that the forced displacement of Palestinians would violate international law and undermine peace efforts.

French Foreign ministry says forced displacement of Gazans would be ‘unacceptable’

“The legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people must be respected,” a spokesperson stated, warning that Trump’s plan would further destabilise an already volatile region.

“The future of Gaza lies in a future Palestinian state, not in the control of a third country”.

Europe stands firm

Other European nations quickly echoed France’s concerns.

Germany, Spain, Ireland, and the UK reaffirmed their commitment to the two-state solution, underlining that Gaza’s future must be tied to a sovereign Palestinian state.

Spain’s foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, was unequivocal: “Gaza belongs to the Palestinians. They must remain in their land.”

The reaction from the Middle East was equally severe.

Saudi Arabia – a key US ally – flatly rejected the idea, reaffirming that it would not establish ties with Israel without the creation of a Palestinian state.

Turkey dismissed the plan as “unacceptable,” while China condemned any forced displacement of Palestinians.

Macron says ‘Palestinian governance’ needed in Gaza as ceasefire enacted

‘We are going nowhere”

Hamas – the group that has ruled Gaza since 2007 – called Trump’s idea “ridiculous and absurd,” warning that such proposals could ignite further conflict.

Palestinian civilians also expressed outrage, with one Gaza resident declaring, “Trump can go to hell with his money and his ideas. We are going nowhere”.

Whether Trump intends to pursue this reimagining of Gaza or is staking out an extreme position as a negotiating tactic remains unclear.

The former president has offered no specific timeline or actionable steps for the implementation of his vision.

(With newswires)

The Parisian exhibition, titled Dennis Morris – Music + Life, offers a glimpse into Morris’s black-and-white photographs, capturing the Jamaican and Sikh communities in London’s Hackney during the 1970s, as well as the white working-class, “The Happy Breed”.

Morris’s passion for photography began at an early age – his first photograph was published on the front page of the Daily Mirror when he was just 11. He met Bob Marley in the early 1970s at the age of 16 and went on to capture some of the most iconic images of the reggae legend, both on and off stage.

The photographer who describes himself as always “sharp, stylish and cool” didn’t just capture images, he worked as a stylist for various Jamaican musicians and played a role in transforming Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols into John Lydon for his next venture, Public Image Limited (PiL).

More recently, Morris worked with the band Oasis, drawing comparisons to the Sex Pistols, describing it as “absolute chaos”.

RFI: You had an exhibition at La Fab in Paris last year, and now at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie. What is your connection to Paris?

Dennis Morris: I’ve been and worked in Paris many times. I used to do a lot of work for Rock&folk magazine and I have many connections here. I’ve worked with quite a few French bands such as The Rita Mitsouko, Telephone, FFF.

Paris is a very creative place. It’s a place where I think artists can come to find themselves. You know, sometimes artists reach a point in their career where they are looking for something, a new direction or they feel stagnated.  

Artists will come to Paris to find themselves and then to recreate themselves in that sense.  

And Paris is a beautiful city, architecturally, spiritually in that way.

RFI: At the MEP, there is a dedicated space showcasing your photographs of Bob Marley, both on and off stage. When did you first meet him?

Dennis Morris: The first time I met Bob Marley, it was my last year at school and I was very much into photography and music.

I had read in one of the music papers that he was coming over to do his first tour of England. I decided I wanted to meet him and take some photos of him.

So I went to the first venue he was to play on the tour in London, a place called the Speakeasy Club.

I didn’t go to school that day and went to the club, maybe at 10am in the morning. I didn’t know anything really about the music, how bands operated. I was there at 10am and they didn’t turn up till around 3 or 4pm to do their sound check.

I just waited and waited and eventually he arrived, and I walked up to him and said: “Can I take your picture? He said: “Yeah man, come in.” I went into the club with him, and while they were doing their sound check when they had a break, he was asking me what it was like to be a young black kid in England. And I was asking him about Jamaica.

He really liked me and said: “Would I like to come on the tour?” And I said, yes. So the next day I packed my bag as if I was doing sports and went to the hotel.

In those days, there wasn’t a tour bus. It was a van. And the very famous picture, one of my most iconic images of Bob. I was sitting in the row of seats behind, and he turned round and said: “You ready, Dennis?” And I said, yeah. And took the shot.

It’s become one of my most iconic images.

RFI: Are you a musician yourself? 

Dennis Morris: Yes, I had a stage in my career as a photographer where I decided I wanted to make my own music. A band was formed with Basement Five. 

I was the lead vocalist and very funny story was basically we were like a black punk band. But it was basically my influences from photography was punk and reggae, and I sort of fused the two together. 

It was very difficult for us because no one really understood us… Because we were black, people expected us to play reggae or to play funk or soul, and we weren’t like that at all. 

And so what was really strange about it was at the time our support was U2, we went on to bigger things. But we had a very big following, but we had very bad management. U2 had a brilliant manager. 

RFI: You’ve mentioned overcoming significant challenges in your life to become a photographer.How important is this achievement for you?

Dennis Morris: My ambition as a photographer was to be seen or recognised as one of the great photographers. If I have achieved that, I’m not sure. That’s not for me to say. That’s for the public to say. 

I’m also very grateful for what photography has given me in terms of it’s opened many doors for me. I’ve travelled the world through my photography and my work is recognised worldwide.  

For instance, in Japan, they call me “living legend”. Dennis Morris is a living legend, you know… So I am very proud of what I’ve been able to achieve.  

RFI: What does ‘punk’ mean for you? Are you a punk? 

Dennis Morris: I am a punk. Punk is a state of mind, a way of thinking. It’s not really about the way you dress. 

What punk really means is the ability, the desire to achieve what you want against all the odds, to go against the grain in that sense.

Working with Bob Marley…I learned how to be positive within myself, to recognise myself as a as a black man, as being equal to anyone. I learned my history. And more importantly, it gave me a sense to ground myself. 

With punk, I learned how to kick down the door to take what I want. And through Bob Marley, I learned how to ground myself through spirituality in that sense and positivity. 

► The exhibition Dennis Morris – Music + Life runs until 18 May, 2025 at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris.

France’s international solidarity mechanism helps finance development projects around the world on everything from health, food, education, water, to human rights and the fight against inequality. Many programmes are angled in favour of women and girls.

While global warming and conflict mean needs are greater than ever, France’s austerity budget for 2025, if passed,  would reduce public development assistance (PDA) by more than €2 billion – close to 40 percent of its annual funding. 

Rolling back development aid

Coordination Sud – a collective representing some 180 French non-profits working on international solidarity programmes – gathered outside the National Assembly last week to protest the cuts.

“We understand everyone has to make an effort” says Elodie Barralon, the group’s advocacy officer, but the cuts are “huge compared to compared to any other public service budget.”

The cuts follow a growing trend worldwide to roll back development aid.

American president Donald Trump has announced that the US  – the world’s largest international aid donor  – is freezing almost all foreign aid.

“We’re in a very difficult context because all countries are stepping back on their commitments, especially at the UN level,” Barralon says. “And now we have very strong opposition, especially over the Atlantic.

“So France stepping back on the budget will create more crises and send the wrong message internationally. In terms of political commitments, we’re tapping into the wrong budget.”

Global aid in chaos as Trump proposes to slash funds and dismantle USAID

Listen to a conversation with Elodie Barralon in the Spotlight on France podcast episode #123

Reneging on France’s commitments

Critics say the cuts fly in the face of France’s commitments to international solidarity.

In 2021, France signed into law a pledge to reach the UN’s target of spending 0.7 percent of gross national income (GNI) on aid by 2025.

Only Denmark, Germany, Luxembourg and Sweden achieved that goal in 2023, but France was heading in the right direction devoting 0.55 percent of its GNI in that year.

By 2023, France had become the fifth largest international donor behind the US, Germany, Japan, and the UK, according to the OECD. 

If the proposed cuts go through, France’s contribution will slump to 0.45 percent of GNI. “We’ll go back seven years,” Barralon says.

It would be a blow to France’s image internationally,  Coordination Sud’s president Olivier Bruyeron adds.

“The proposed policy shows France withdrawing into itself, [it’s] an irresponsible abandonment of international solidarity.” 

It’s all the more surprising, he notes, given that during the 2023 global climate finance summit in Paris, “France brought together a whole host of heads of state and high-level leaders to do exactly the opposite, saying public and private funding for international solidarity needed to be stepped up”.

The cuts will also have a major impact on France’s Development Agency (AFD) – a public funded body that grants loans to low income countries. As well as being forced to drop some existing projects, loans will be diverted away from the neediest countries.

“We won’t be able to lend at preferential rates, only to countries capable of taking on debt at certain rates, and therefore probably those that need it least,” says Gilles Maduit, AFD’s Asia coordinator.

“So we’ll certainly have to redirect loans towards emerging countries rather than the least developed countries – those with the least infrastructure and who need the most help to achieve sustainable development objectives.”

He cites the examples of Haiti, countries in the Sahel and small island nations in the Pacific.

France halts development aid to Mali

Development aid to curb migration?

France’s Senate voted the cuts on 16 January, and the 2025 budget was approved in a joint parliamentary committee last Friday.

While the foreign ministry argues that hefty increases to the development aid budget between 2017 and 2022 will allow the cuts to be offset, Max Brisson, a senator with the conservative right Republicans (LR) says savings can be made by choosing beneficiaries more carefully.

“In friendly countries, development aid is essential,” he told RFI, citing Cote d’Ivoire and Benin. “But we should question whether development aid should continue to be directed toward countries that have become adversaries of France, such as China and Algeria.”

Socialist Senator Rachid Temal regrets the impact on all beneficiaries, but also points to “fewer opportunities for French companies operating in these regions”.

Others argue that France’s solidarity policy has to be maintained to help curb migration.

“On the one hand, we want to prevent people from coming, to restrict asylum and migration. On the other, we don’t want to help them stay in their countries and develop their own economies,” noted Green Party Senator Akli Mellouli. “It’s contradictory.”

He cited the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, which is struggling to cope with a large number of undocumented migrant families from neighbouring Comoros.

“Some political figures talk a lot about reducing illegal immigration to Mayotte. But the Comoros must be developed,” Mellouli argued. “When people want to leave their country, they will.”

Unicef sounds alarm over child poverty in French overseas departments

Shrinking civic space

Coordination Sud is wary of the political debate linking development aid to migration, preferring to find a way out of the financing conundrum.

“We have the solution,” says Barralon, referring to solidarity taxes on airline tickets and financial transactions introduced under rightwing presidents Jacques Chirac and Nicolas Sarkozy in 2006 and 2012 respectively.

“”They were put in place to support and fund development assistance but [their use] was not specified. According to our estimations, the taxes could raise up to €1.6 billion this year – that’s nearly want they want to cut in the development aid yearly budget.”

NGOs are also concerned over what the budget cuts mean for France’s non-profit sector, which employs around 50,000 staff and many thousands more as volunteers.

“Some of the member organisations of Coordination Sud are already considering redundancy plans in 2025 and perhaps closing down if it goes that far,” Barralon says.

For her, the cuts are “very political”, with the government under pressure from the far-right, anti-immigration National Rally –  the largest single party in parliament.

“These cuts are also in a wider context of shrinking civic space and far-right populist movements having more of a say”, notably pushing for more France-centered politics. Civil society, she says, is no longer seen as “a counter-power and a partner in implementing development aid, but more of a burden and something we have to keep quiet.

“One way of keeping us quiet is to cut the funding.” 

“We were caught off guard. This is a big, big blow for us. No funds from the United States government means 40 percent of our budget gone,” said Donald Makwakwa, executive director of the Family Planning Association of Malawi (FPAM).

“It means that a quarter of our staff had to stop work immediately, thousands of people seeking health care had to be sent back.”

Malawi is one of the numerous countries hard hit by Trump’s decision to slash foreign aid when he took office in January.

The United States is the world’s largest donor, contributing $63 billion (60 billion euros) in 2023. An amount which represents around one percent of its federal budget.

African healthcare at a crossroads after United States pulls WHO funding

“President Trump is no longer going to dole out money with no return for the American people,” the State Department outlined.

Trump ordered all foreign assistance to be paused for 90 days while being reviewed to ensure they align with his America First agenda.

“Every dollar we spend, every program we fund, and every policy we pursue must make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous.”

An immediate stop-work order fell on 24 January for all recipients of US foreign aid. Exceptions include “life saving humanitarian aid”, emergency food aid and military funding for Israel and Egypt.

“The order said stop everything you are doing globally right now. No matter the human consequences,” former USAID administrator, Samantha Power, told Stephen Colbert on the Late Show in Washington.

“We have stories of kids who were going in for their TB medicine. The first three kids in a long, long line waiting in the hot sun got the TB medicine. Everybody else was told to go home.”

USAID vilified

Last Sunday, Trump said that USAID, the US agency for international development, is “run by radical lunatics and we’re getting them out”.

The Trump administration argues that USAID programmes are “illegal, immoral and wasteful”.

South African tech billionaire, Elon Musk, who heads the department of government efficiency (Doge) – created by Trump to streamline the government – described USAID as “a criminal organisation”, “a viper’s nest of radical left-marxists who hate America”, adding that it is “time for it to die”.

Musk said on 3 February on a live X spaces conversation with US Senator Joni Ernst and Republican politician, Vivek Ramaswamy that USAID has got to go.

“In regard with the USAID, he [Trump] agreed that we should shut it down. I actually checked with him a few times: are you sure?” Musk said on X, adding that the president replied: “Yes!”

Nearly 60 senior executives at USAID were placed on administrative leave effective immediately, on 27 January. They were instructed not to enter USAID premises or access its systems. Hundreds of contractors for agency were fired at the end of January, hundreds more are being furloughed

The administration’s objective is to move what is left of USAID – until recently, an independent agency – into the Department of State so that it is answerable to elected representatives of the public.

On Monday, during a visit to San Salvador, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that he is now the acting director of USAID.

“USAID is involved in programs that run counter to what we’re trying to do in our national strategy with that country or with that region. That cannot continue,” Rubio said.

Pete Marocco, the Department of State’s head of foreign assistance, has been placed in charge and will review all the work done by the agency.

Democrats fight back

Meanwhile, in Washington, Democrats from both Senate and Congress were denied entry to the USAID headquarters. They addressed a crowd of employees and public protesting outside the building on Monday.

“Musk and his acolytes at Doge have thrown the agency into chaos through a concerted campaign of harassment and intimidation of its employees. This is a case of the very worst amongst us attacking the very best of us,” said Congressman Don Beyer.

“What Trump and Musk have done is not only wrong, it is illegal. USAID was established by an act of Congress and can only be disbanded by an act of Congress.”

Established by President John Kennedy in 1961, USAID employs 10,000 people with two thirds stationed outside the US.

In 2023, according to the Congressional Research Service, the agency managed over $40 billion (38 billion euros), providing assistance to some 130 countries, much of it spent on health programmes. The top five recipients were Ukraine, Ethiopia, Jordan, Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia.

USAID’s website has been pulled down and its X account no longer exists.

“There is now so many inventions about USAID. The people doing the distortion have taken down the website where we list all of our programmes and projects. So, it’s not even possible for people to fact-check against this misinformation that is being put out,” Power said.

Effects on the ground

“In many countries where we operate, the US is our only support. In Afghanistan, over nine million people will no longer receive health and protection services,” said Klaus Simoni Pedersen, chief of public funding and financing for the UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency.

“We will have to suspend 600 mobile clinics and immediately terminate the contracts of 1,700 female health workers,” he told RFI.

Funding for UNFPA comes from the US State Department and USAID. In 2024, the US provided an estimated $285 million (272 million euros) to UNFPA, which is17 percent of its total budget.

“We do not have the money to cover the expenses borne by US funds. Very little we can actually do for the women and girls depending on these programmes,” Simoni Pedersen added.

USAID having been reduced to a skeleton agency, it is very challenging for the various organisations to get answers.

“There are few people to talk to, most of them have left or have been sacked,” declared Simoni Pedersen. “So, we don’t clearly know what, for example, the waiver for life saving humanitarian assistance entails. We are, however, sending waiver requests because we consider that our work in preventing maternal deaths is life saving.”

In Malawi, the FPAM family planning had no time to look for alternative solutions because the US decision was so sudden.

“Nobody anticipated the immediate stop-work order or the 90-day foreign aid freeze.,” Makwakwa told RFI.

With no clarity on what the aid suspension entails, he does not know whether the staff currently at home are to be sacked or not, how they are going to be paid while at the same time having to observe the labour laws of Malawi.

Wake-up call for Africa

Kenya’s former president, Uhurru Kenyatta reacted to the American aid freeze while attending the East Africa region global health security summit in Mombasa last week.

“I saw some people the other day crying [because] Trump is not giving us anymore money. Why are you crying? It is not your government, it is not your country! He has no reason to give you anything. You don’t pay taxes in America. This is a wake-up call to say what are we going to do to help ourselves,” Kenyatta said.

He insisted that Trump’s stance was an opportunity for African leaders to support their population and use the continent’s resources for the right things instead of the wrong things.

Serah Melaba, chief impact officer at Nairobi-based NGO, Tiko, said that African governments must and can step in to fill in the gap left by US aid withdrawal.

“They owe it to their citizens,” she told RFI. “This crisis gives us an opportunity to work with our governments and rethink co-financing. We need to think outside the box.

“Either we put the money together and re-think how we can finance domestically or risk millions of girls becoming pregnant before the age of 18, continuous rise in HIV infection and rampant sexual violence.”

Tiko is not impacted by Trump’s foreign aid policy as it is does not receive funds from the US government.

Tiko works in Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, South Africa, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia and Nigeria in providing sexual and reproductive health services to more than one million marginalised girls.

Europe’s response

“We are happy to note that France has been a champion of our work and we hope that we can continue to rely on its support,” Simoni Pedersen said.

“The United Nations member states attending UNFPA’s executive board meeting, last Friday, came out in full force to express their support.”

However, Europe’s political and economic landscape has changed since Trump’s first mandate in 2017.

Last year, the right-wing government in the Netherlands announced that it will cut development aid by more than two thirds. Germany will cut its humanitarian aid budget. France said it will reduce its global development assistance.

France’s proposed budget cuts set to slash overseas development aid

“We expect the US to enact a legislation to defund us. We don’t know when it will happen exactly, maybe in three months. This is when we think other governments and partners might step up but not before,” Simoni Pedersen added.

The European Union, another major supplier of foreign aid, is closely watching what is unfolding in the aid sector.

“Our position remains firm. We will not retreat from our humanitarian commitments as we believe that our aid saves lives and alleviates suffering around the world,” a European Commission spokesperson told RFI.

“In the face of increasingly severe and widespread crises, we have allocated this year a budget of 1,9 billion euros for humanitarian aid.”

The decisions of the Trump administration during its opening days should come as no surprise since they are detailed in Project 2025, a conservative blueprint – its latest version released in 2023 – detailing the agenda of the next Republican president.

Project 2025’s Mandate for Leadership calls, for example, for “an immediate freeze on all … foreign assistance … pending a review to ensure that such efforts comport with the new administration’s policies”.

Since its launch in 2013, and even more so since 2018, the 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair has grown into one of the most significant cultural events for African art, drawing gallery owners and artists from across the continent and beyond.

The galleries represent artists from all over the continent, from Ghana to South Africa, Tunisia to Angola.

The fair took place in the iconic events’ venue La Mamounia, in the heart of Marrakesh.

Since 2024, the art fair has also had exhibition spaces for younger artists in Dada, a gathering space for art, food and music near La Medina.

This year’s fair was held from 30 January to 2 February, during which the entire city hosted various art events, including exhibitions at the El Badi Palace and MACAAL, a museum dedicated to contemporary African art and artists from the African diaspora.

To understand how the fair built a platform for African art, RFI spoke to the fair’s founder and director, Touria El Glaoui on the opening day in Marrakesh.

El Glaoui shared how she frequently travels to African countries to discover new artists, events, and galleries. She also noted that new participants from across the African continent—and now even from Japan and Korea—are coming to the fair seeking representation.

We also visited other sites that make the event special, including art galleries, like Loft. 

“We opened the gallery sixteen years ago and we are a Moroccan gallery based in Morocco but with a real openness to the international scene,” Yasmine Berrada, co-founder of the gallery, told RFI.

“We’re open to Africa. We represent African artists from its diaspora. We’ve also worked with European artists,” she added. “We’re not closed off at all because, for me, there shouldn’t be any separation in art. I think that, on the contrary, we need to open up perspectives and integrate the Moroccan art market into the international stage.”

Our guests this week:

–Touria El Glaoui, founder and director of the 1:54 contemporary African art fair;

–Mous Lamrabat, Moroccan-Belgian artist;

-Yasmine Berrada, co-founder of the Loft art gallery.  

Episode mixed by Melissa Chemam.

Spotlight on Africa is produced by Radio France Internationale’s English language service.

“At 15, I told my parents I wanted to be an architect. They thought it was a good idea, and I had to leave my girls’ school to attend a technical college in Bamako,” Sy tells RFI.

That decision set her on a path from Mali to Belgium, where she earned her architecture degree, and then to France’s prestigious Craterre research centre in Grenoble.

It was there she mastered the art of building with the earth, a material at the core of her sustainable designs. Today, Sy’s firm Architerre is at the forefront of eco-friendly architecture in West Africa.

Building with nature

Through projects ranging from homes and medical centres to mosque renovations in Timbuktu, Sy demonstrates how traditional materials can meet modern needs while respecting the environment.

“Whether it’s soil, stone or whatever we can find locally, the idea is really to use as little energy as possible in construction and to use materials suited to the local temperature,” she says.

“As it happens, in Mali, soil is one of the most widespread and well-known local materials, and for us Sahelians, the advantage is that these materials truly adapt to our climate.”

Sy’s work has gained attention beyond Mali, inspiring clients across Africa to embrace eco-friendly construction methods.

She co-founded Fact Sahel, a network of architects, masons, engineers, researchers and writers united by a shared vision of environmentally responsible building practices.

“This question of eco-responsible architecture affects everyone. Even though we know we’re not the biggest energy consumers in the Sahel, we still suffer the consequences,” she says.

“So it’s important to also take into account new technologies and questions that affect everyone and apply them to ourselves. We consider ourselves activists. For us, our work truly is activism.”

Rediscovering African identity

The revival of traditional construction techniques is part of a larger movement across Africa.

French architect Jean-Marc Lalo, who organises exchange seminars between African and European architects, sees it as a significant shift in the continent’s architectural landscape.

“There’s both a question of African architectural identity, an enthusiasm for rediscovering traditional earth construction techniques,” he says.

“Secondly, it’s also one of Africa’s future prospects: making a direct leap to construction with bio-sourced, local materials. Earth is perfectly adapted for this, in fact.”

From Senegal to Morocco, countries are increasingly embracing sustainable practices. In Benin, the government has commissioned high-profile earth-based projects, including works by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Francis Kéré.

Similar innovations are taking root in Burkina Faso and beyond, with compressed earth bricks becoming a cornerstone of modern African architecture.

Burkina Faso-born architect Francis Diebedo Kéré wins prestigious Pritzker Prize

From tradition to innovation

Sy’s next project – a school in Bamako built entirely with earth-based techniques – encapsulates her philosophy of blending tradition with innovation.

“How do we explain to people the return to these materials which have so many advantages in many aspects of life, not just construction?” Sy wonders as she inspects a wall of compressed earth bricks.

For her, each earth-built structure is more than just a building – it’s a bridge between Mali’s architectural heritage and its sustainable future, demonstrating how ancient wisdom can help solve modern challenges.

This story has been adapted from the original version in French by Frédéric Garat

The film Haiyu – Rebel Singer Mariem Hassan and the Struggle for a Free Western Sahara, chronicles Africa’s last colony. This resource-rich territory of 266,000 square kilometres, with valuable phosphate deposits and fishing waters, is home to 600,000 inhabitants.

Since Spain ended its colonial rule in the mid-1970s, the region has remained caught between Morocco and Mauritania’s territorial claims, while Sahrawi independence fighters backed by Algeria continue their push for sovereignty.

At its premiere in Biarritz’s elegant Casino theatre, half the audience admitted they had never heard of Western Sahara. By the end, all applauded the film’s rare archival footage presenting an unprecedented Sahrawi perspective on the conflict.

RFI interviewed Mohamedsalem Werad, co-founder of the online platform Saharwi Voice and one of the film’s four directors, about the challenges of making the documentary and the story it tells.

RFI: Why is Western Sahara considered Africa’s last colony?

MW: Western Sahara remains colonised because superpowers like France and the United States provide Morocco with the support it needs to maintain occupation. Morocco does their dirty work in return for military and political protection at the UN Security Council. At the same time, they exploit the region’s natural resources for their benefit.

RFI: What was the goal of the documentary?

MW: The purpose of the documentary is to tell the story of Mariem Hassan and, through her, the story of the Sahrawi people and their fight for a free and independent Western Sahara.

RFI: Was Mariem Hassan the main symbol of Sahrawi resistance?

MW: Mariem Hassan was one of many figures in our struggle – and I insist on “one of”. There are many other legendary Sahrawis, from politicians to artists, who dedicated their lives to our cause. If we must speak of a Che Guevara for Western Sahara, it would be El Ouali Mustapha Sayed, the Polisario Front founder. He launched our revolution at 23 and was killed at 27.

RFI: How did music and culture play a role in Sahrawi resistance?

MW: We have a slogan: “Culture and music in service of liberation”. During Spain’s 90-year colonial rule, they deliberately limited Sahrawis’ access to education. Only a handful of people could read or write, so our nation relied on oral traditions like poetry and song. Music was essential for communicating messages of freedom, touching people’s hearts and strengthening their convictions.

From her refugee camp, Hassan sang against occupation, forced displacement and Morocco’s 2,700-kilometre defensive wall, built with American and Israeli expertise and known to Sahrawis as the “wall of shame”. Her song Arrabi al Arabe became an anthem for peace and unity.

Macron renews French support for Moroccan rule in disputed Western Sahara

RFI: What were the challenges of making this documentary?

MW: The film represents 10 years of work. We had no budget and faced enormous challenges. I worked from a refugee camp, another director was in Spain, and two others were in Sweden. We handled everything ourselves, from archive research to production, travelling only when we could raise funds.

RFI: Why are Sahrawi artists largely unknown outside the region?

There are so many barriers. We’re a small, divided nation, and even in the refugee camps, we only received electricity in 2015. We spent 40 years without development, making it impossible for our voices to be heard outside. Major powers have no interest in amplifying Sahrawi artists. It would expose their role in Morocco’s occupation and their exploitation of our resources.

RFI: What is Mariem Hassan’s legacy?

MW: When Sahrawis face difficult times, they find refuge and renewal in her music. She left us an extraordinary musical legacy that we must preserve.

In her final recorded message before her death in 2015, Hassan urged her people to continue to keep and develop our culture and arts. Through her music, she continues to inspire new generations to carry on the struggle.

We fight not just for her and past generations but for those to come,” Werad said, “so they won’t endure the same suffering she witnessed.

This story was adpated from the original version in French by Siegfried Forster

French prosecutors announced Tuesday that no criminal investigation will be launched regarding the numerous accusations of sexual assault against anti-poverty campaigner Abbé Pierre, as the priest passed away in 2007 and the statute of limitations applies to any failure to report these alleged crimes.

The French Bishops’ Conference (CEF)  – which had urged the Paris public prosecutor’s office to explore legal avenues – expressed disappointment at the move while acknowledging the reasoning behind the decision.

“We regret this outcome, though we understand it,” the CEF told AFP.

Despite this, the CEF reaffirmed its commitment to supporting victims and uncovering the full truth about Abbé Pierre’s actions.

French charity turns its back on founding father accused of sexual abuse

Fall from grace

Once revered for his dedication to social justice, Abbé Pierre – born Henri Grouès – has faced posthumous scrutiny, with 33 accusations of sexual violence brought against him by the end of January 2024.

The allegations came to light through three separate reports released since July 2024 by the Egaé consultancy.

Commissioned by the Emmaüs movement and the Abbé Pierre Foundation, the reports shed new light on the priest’s troubling past.

The first report, detailing instances of sexual harassment and assault, sent shockwaves through France, tarnishing the reputation of a man once hailed as a champion for the poor.

When the latest findings were made public in mid-January, Emmaüs condemned its founder as a “predator,” revealing further allegations, including the rape of a minor and misconduct involving a member of his own family. The accusations span from the 1950s to the 2000s.

Following these revelations, the Catholic Church – through CEF President Éric de Moulins-Beaufort – formally requested an inquiry in January.

The case was referred to prosecutors for potential charges related to the failure to report sexual crimes against minors and vulnerable individuals.

French charity turns its back on founding father accused of sexual abuse

Legal Dead End

However, in a letter dated 24 January, the Paris public prosecutor’s office concluded that no legal action could proceed.

Since Abbé Pierre is deceased, any case against him will be automatically dismissed.

Furthermore, any potential prosecution for failure to report crimes was deemed beyond the statute of limitations.

The prosecutor’s office emphasised that judicial investigations serve to determine whether crimes can and should be prosecuted.

While authorities occasionally investigate historical child abuse cases to identify other possible victims, no further legal steps could be taken in this instance.

“If more recent, unexpired offenses had been identified, the prosecution could have initiated proceedings,” the prosecutor explained. “But that is obviously impossible when the accused is no longer alive”.

Under French law, failure to report a crime is considered a separate offence. However, after analysing the Egaé reports, prosecutors found no case where legal action was still possible.

For Aurore Bergé, Minister for Equality between Women and Men, the Abbé Pierre case highlights how statutes of limitations prevent survivors from seeking justice.

“This is exactly why I have introduced a bill that would establish a civil statute of limitations for sexual violence against minors,” she stated on X.

Legacy Rewritten

In response to the revelations, the institutions built around Abbé Pierre’s legacy have taken decisive action.

The Abbé Pierre Foundation, originally established in 1987 to fight homelessness, officially changed its name on 25 January to the “Foundation for Housing the Disadvantaged“.

Emmaüs France – the organisation founded by the priest in 1949 – has severed links to his image, permanently shut down a memorial dedicated to him in the town of Esteville and advised affiliated groups to remove all visuals of Abbé Pierre.

(with wires)

“The Prince Aga Khan devoted his life to the promotion of peace, tolerance and development,” said Macron who in 2018 awarded him the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour – France’s highest national medal in recognition of his philanthropic work.

“His commitment to dialogue between cultures will remain a source of inspiration for us all.”

Symbol of peace

UN Secretary-General António Guterres described him as a symbol of peace, tolerance and compassion in our troubled world.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hailed him as a very good friend. “He was an extraordinarily compassionate global leader,” he added.

Prince Karim al-Husseini was regarded as a direct descendent of the Prophet Mohammed and given nearly divine status as the 49th hereditary imam of the Ismaili sect of Shia Islam.

Born in Geneva on 13 December 1936 to Prince Aly Khan and the former British socialite Joan Yarde-Buller, he was bequeathed the title of Aga Khan in 1957 at the age of 20 by his grandfather, Sultan Mahomed Shah, who wanted the honour to skip a generation. Shah said he wanted a young man as Aga Khan to cope the new age.

The prince, a student at Harvard University in the United States at the time of his elevation, traversed that landscape on a dazzling array of luxury jets and yachts.

He represented Iran in the skiing event at the 1964 Winter Olympics and five years later married the British model Sarah Croker Poole with whom he had three children.

After they divorced in 1995, he had another child with the German lawyer and equal rights campaigner Gabriele Renate Thyssen.

Leave a ‘better world’

Fuelled by his enormous wealth derived from tithes paid by Ismailis around the world, he launched an apolitical secular development foundation in 1967 credited with raising literacy levels in 18 countries across South and Central Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

“Leaders and staff of the Aga Khan Development Network offer our condolences to the family of His Highness and to the Ismaili community worldwide,” said the network on its website.

“As we honour the legacy of our founder, we continue to work with our partners to improve the quality of life for individuals and communities across the world, as he wished, irrespective of their religious affiliations or origins.”

The Aga Khan also pursued a goal of educating the world about the richness of Muslim culture.

“I was born with Islamic ethics in a Muslim family. There is nothing wrong with being well off as long as money has a social and ethical value and is not the object of one’s own greed,” he told the French news agency AFP in 2008.

“One of the principles of Islam is that on his deathbed every person must try to leave behind a better world.”

Alongside the philanthropic ventures, the Aga Khan IV also oversaw the racehorsing empire built up by his grandfather and his father.

Racing empire

“The idea of entering into an activity that was in no way central to the Ismaili Imamat, an activity in which no member of my family – neither my brother nor my sister nor I – had any understanding, in itself raised a major question mark,” he said in a book published in 2011 celebrating 50 years in the racehorse business.

But the neophyte adapted. By the time he died, his horseracing and breeding operations at the Aiglemont estate near Gouvieux in northern France along with other stud farms in the area had helped him to become one of France’s most influential owner-breeders.

Products of his stables won a record seven titles at the Prix de Diane, one of the most prestigious races on the international racing circuit.

Shergar, the 1981 winner of the Derby at Epsom, was also one of his star breeds. The horse was kidnapped on 8 February 1983 from his Ballymany Stud in Ireland.

Negotiations were conducted with the thieves who broke off all communication after four days when the syndicate of owners did not accept that the horse was still alive. 

After years of living in France, the Aga Khan moved to Portugal. He was with his family when he died.

His successor, chosen from among his male progeny or other relatives, will be revealed to his family and religious leaders in Lisbon before the name is made public.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to welcome top European Union leaders to Britain in May for the first in a series of annual summits aimed at revitalising the UK’s partnership with the bloc.

Downing Street confirmed on Tuesday that Starmer will host European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on 19 May for high-level discussions on deepening cooperation and unlocking new opportunities for both sides.

“This first UK-EU summit is a fantastic opportunity to make real progress on issues that benefit people across the UK and Europe,” a UK government spokesperson said. “It will strengthen the unique relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union.”

The announcement comes fresh off Starmer’s visit to Brussels, where he became the first UK prime minister since Brexit to attend a major gathering of all 27 EU leaders, signalling that the UK is ready for a new era of constructive and pragmatic collaboration.

Five years on, has Brexit put Britain at a disadvantage in EU talks?

No backtrack on Brexit

Determined to boost Britain’s economic prospects, Starmer is eager to strike fresh agreements with the EU while maintaining key commitments.

He has been clear that the UK will not rejoin the single market or customs union, nor will it reinstate freedom of movement.

However, he is keen to enhance the current Trade and Cooperation Agreement, set for renewal in 2026, with practical improvements.

Among the potential breakthroughs are a new veterinary pact to ease British agricultural exports and a deal on mutual recognition of professional qualifications – both seen as game-changers for businesses and workers on both sides.

The EU has floated the idea of a youth mobility scheme, though the UK government has ruled it out for now.

EU and UK clash in first post-Brexit legal battle over North Sea fishing ban

Trade and security

However, there is openness to joining a broader European-North African customs arrangement that could facilitate tariff-free trade for certain goods.

Fisheries, nevertheless, remain a bone of contention, with European access to British waters long being stumbling bloc, and negotiations on this front are expected to be challenging.

Topping the summit’s agenda is a proposed defence and security pact – an area where both sides see clear mutual benefits and a relatively straightforward path to agreement.

With Starmer pushing for a more cooperative and forward-looking approach, the May summit could mark the beginning of a new, more productive chapter in UK-EU relations. 

M23 is a member of the political-military coalition known as the Alliance Fleuve Congo (River Congo Alliance). In a statement released late on Monday, the group announced it would implement a ceasefire from Tuesday “for humanitarian reasons.”

It further stated that it had “no intention of taking control of Bukavu or other localities,” despite having declared last week its intention to “continue the march” towards the Congolese capital, Kinshasa.

M23 began attacking Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu, last week, with the support of some Rwandan troops.

While fighting has ceased in the city, home to over a million people, clashes have spread to the neighbouring province of South Kivu, raising concerns of an M23 advance towards its capital, Bukavu.

Over the past four years of conflict, half a dozen ceasefires and truces have been declared, all of which have been systematically violated.

M23 rebels advance towards second DR Congo regional capital

Call for truce

The DRC’s Communications Minister, Patrick Muyaya, told RFI that Rwanda’s claims of non-involvement are not credible, accusing President Paul Kagame of lying.

“Who could fail to recognise that just a few days ago, he mobilised nearly a third of his army – 10,000 men – at the gates of a city full of civilians, where crimes and massacres were then committed, with his services deployed to cover up the bodies from his own camp? His people are not allowed to know that their children have died in a senseless war,” Muyaya stated.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday morning, a UN spokesperson announced that the DRC has requested an emergency session of the UN Human Rights Council to address the situation in Goma.

Congo has requested that the session take place on 7 February in Geneva, though this is still subject to approval.

In South Africa, one of the DRC’s allies, President Cyril Ramaphosa stated, “A ceasefire is a necessary precondition for peace talks that must include all parties to the conflict, whether state or non-state actors, Congolese or non-Congolese.”

He also pledged on Monday to continue supporting President Tshisekedi.

Pretoria had sent troops to North Kivu as part of an armed force deployed to eastern DRC in 2023 by the SADC bloc, but 14 South African soldiers were killed in the recent fighting.

“Diplomacy is the most sustainable path to achieving lasting peace for the DRC and its people,” Ramaphosa added.

Difficulties setting talks

The Kenyan presidency announced on Monday that Tshisekedi and Kagame would attend a joint extraordinary summit of the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in the Tanzanian city of Dar es Salaam on Saturday.

Amid fears of a regional conflagration, the 16 member countries of the southern African regional organisation had called for “a joint summit” with the eight countries of the EAC, of which Rwanda is a member.

Nairobi currently holds the presidency of the EAC, and hopes to get the authorities of the DRC to finally talk face to face to their counterparts in Rwanda, accused of supporting the M23 rebellion.

“Given the race against time following the verbal and military escalation, the fact that it has been announced so quickly is a positive sign,” Onesphore Sematumba, an analyst for the Great Lakes region at the NGO International Crisis Group, told RFI.

Disagreements

The aim of the new talks is to “reignite diplomacy and bring an end to the cycle of clashes” in eastern DRC, Sematumba added.

Participants are expected to include regional leaders, such as the presidents of Uganda, Somalia, and South Africa.

However, the two groups hold differing views on how to resolve the conflict.

The East African Community (EAC) advocates for direct negotiations between the Congolese government and the M23, a solution that Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi has thus far refused to consider.

This disagreement led him to replace the EAC’s peacekeeping force in the DRC with that of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), which is calling for Rwanda to first withdraw from Congolese territory, as the government in Kinshasa demands.

“We should not have too high expectations,” said an analyst to RFI, adding that simply holding this summit with all the announced participants would already be “a diplomatic success” in itself.

In Kigali, Paul Kagame’s participation has already been confirmed, so he will be attending the meeting in Dar es Salaam on Saturday. However, a source close to the Congolese presidency stated that Félix Tshisekedi has yet to decide whether to attend in person or join remotely.

A UN expert report last year indicated that Rwanda had up to 4,000 troops in the DRC, seeking to profit from mineral mining, and that Kigali has “de facto” control over the M23.

Eastern DRC is rich in deposits of coltan, a crucial metal for the production of phones and laptops, as well as gold and other valuable minerals.

DRC takes on Apple: can conflict mineral mining be stopped?

Rwanda has however never admitted to military involvement in support of the M23 group. It alleges on the contrary that the DRC supports and shelters the FDLR, an armed group created by ethnic Hutus who massacred Tutsis during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

 (With newswires)

“I am not aware of these things. There is no understanding with anyone, there is no collusion with anyone,” President Emmanuel Macron told journalists on the sidelines of a trip to the Gustave Roussy cancer institute near Paris on Tuesday.

Macron was addressing the controversy surrounding new revelations in the Nestlé Waters purification scandal.

The subsidiary of the Swiss agri-food giant has been accused of using illegal processing methods on its bottled water brands to bypass stringent health regulations.

The group is the owner in France of brands like Perrier, Vittel, Hépar and Contrex mineral waters.

On Tuesday, investigative journalists from Le Monde and Radio France revealed that the services of former prime minister, Elisabeth Borne, and the French presidency allowed Nestlé to market these waters, despite the health authorities’ recommendations for a ban from 2023.

No improvement

Citing “exchanges of emails and ministerial notes”, the journalists accuse the French government of having “privileged the interests of Nestlé to the detriment of consumers” by granting exemptions for the company’s practices.

At the beginning of 2024, Nestlé Waters, admitted to having used prohibited techniques such as ultraviolet light and active carbon filters “to guarantee food safety” of its mineral waters.

Nestlé admits to treating bottled mineral water in breach of French regulations

The company said it “lost track of the importance of conforming to regulations” but stressed that all the brands concerned now fulfil French requirements.

The group also reported it alerted the French authorities of the issue in 2021. 

At the time, the government asked the national regional health agency (ARS) to organise some 32 inspections and found that a third of bottled water brands did not comply with regulations.

But the investigation by Le Monde and Radio France found evidence that the water quality of the products did not improve.

Journalists said they found a note dated 20 January, 2023 from the Director General of Health (DGS), Jérôme Salomon, who recommended “immediately suspending the authorisation” for Nestlé products from the Vosges area as well as the Perrier bottling site in Vergèze, in the Gard.

Salomon cited a report from the National Health Safety Agency (Anses) on the use of microfilters smaller than 0.8 micrometers, which concluded that the water leaving wells was “not microbiologically healthy”.

When asked for details by the French news agency AFP, the president’s office at the Élysée indicated that “the matter had been brought their attention” and that it had “referred those interested to the competent state services.”

The DGS and Nestlé did not immediately respond to the request for information.

Nestlé and Alma face renewed legal action in France over water fraud

Consumers left in the dark

French consumer rights group Foodwatch filed a complaint in February 2024, alleging unlawful practices in the purification of Nestlé’s bottled water.

Nestlé in September, reached a settlement known as a judicial public interest agreement (CJIP) which saw them pay a fine of €2 million to avoid a trial.

But Foodwatch said the multinational needed to be “held accountable” for “decades of fraudulent” actions and launched two more legal complaints, on 25 September.

One of the complaints targeted the company Sources Alma (St-Yorre, Vichy Célestins, Chateldon et Cristaline), accused of using the same illegal purification practices as Nestlé.

For Ingrid Kragl, director of information at Foodwatch France the “lack of transparency” between the companies and the French authorities surrounding the case “raises serious questions”.

“For a year and probably years, products which do not comply with water regulations have continued to be marketed in France and around the world without companies being worried. And we, consumers, are left in the dark,” she was quoted as saying on the Foodwatch website last Tuesday.

“Foodwatch demands that a trial establish responsibilities and that exemplary sanctions be imposed,” the NGO said.

The NGO was due to be heard by a Senate commission inquiry on 29 January. 

(with newswires)

Indonesia, which has some of the world’s toughest drug laws, has in recent weeks released half a dozen high-profile detainees, including a Filipina mother on death row and the last five members of the so-called “Bali Nine” drug ring.

Serge Atlaoui, 61, was driven from Salemba prison in Jakarta to the city’s main airport where he will be handed over to French police officers before boarding a commercial flight to Paris.

Due to arrive in France on Wednesday, he will be presented to prosecutors “and most likely detained while awaiting a decision on the adaptation [of his sentence]”, his lawyer Richard Sedillot told AFP.

Jakarta has left it to the French government to grant Atlaoui – the only Frenchman on death row in Indonesia – “clemency, amnesty or a reduced sentence”.

Humanitarian grounds

“Serge is happy and calm”, added Sedillot, “but he is going to need a little bit of time to reorganise himself.”

His return was made possible after an agreement between the French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin and his Indonesian counterpart Yusril Ihza Mahendra on 24 January.

In the agreement, Jakarta said they had decided not to execute Atlaoui and authorised his return on “humanitarian grounds” because he was ill.

Atlaoui has been receiving weekly medical treatment at a hospital.

Atlaoui was arrested in 2005 at a factory in a Jakarta suburb where dozens of kilos of drugs were discovered and accused of being a “chemist” by the authorities.

A welder from Metz in northeastern France, the father of four has always denied being a drug trafficker, saying that he was installing machinery in what he thought was an acrylic factory.

“I thought there was something suspicious [about the factory],” Atlaoui told AFP in 2015.

Death row

Initially sentenced to life in prison, his sentence was reviewed by the supreme court and changed to death on appeal.

He was due to be executed alongside eight others in 2015, but was granted a reprieve after Paris applied pressure and the Indonesian authorities allowed an outstanding appeal to proceed.

Global executions at highest level in almost a decade, says Amnesty

There are currently at least 530 inmates on death row in Indonesia, according to the human rights organisation Kontras, referencing official figures.

Among them are 90 foreigners, including at least one woman, according to the Ministry of Immigration and Correction.

The Indonesian government recently signalled it will resume executions, on hiatus since 2016.

In December, Filipina inmate Mary Jane Veloso, who was arrested in 2010 and also sentenced to death for drug trafficking, was returned to her home country after an agreement was reached between both countries.

(with AFP)

The 60-year-old star of films like The English Patient and Certified Copy will succeed Barbie director Greta Gerwig who served as jury president last year.

Gerwig, the first American film maker to take on the role, and the rest of the jury awarded the Palme d’Or in 2024 to the film Anora by Sean Baker.

“In 1985, I climbed the steps for the first time with the enthusiasm and uncertainty of a young actress,” Binoche said in a statement, referring to her first experience in Cannes for the film Rendez-vous by André Téchiné.

“I never imagined returning 40 years later in this honorary role as jury president,” she said, adding “I am aware of the privilege, the responsibility, and the absolute need for humility.”

International fame

Binoche has worked with filmmakers from around the globe including David Cronenberg and Abel Ferrara (USA), Amos Gitaï (Israel), Naomi Kawase and Hirokazu Kore-eda (Japan), Krzysztof Kieślowski (Poland), and Hou Hsiao-hsien (Taiwan).

She is one of the rare actresses to have won awards at Europe’s three biggest film festivals, having been honoured at Cannes, as well as the Venice Film Festival and the Berlinale.

She is also among only a handful of French actors to have won an Oscar, taking Best Supporting Actress in the epic 1996 war drama The English Patient.

Stand up for culture

Binoche is also known for her outspoken political views, which have seen her take positions on issues from women in Iran to environmental causes and undocumented migrants.

She recently signed a petition entitled “Stand Up for Culture” (Debout pour la culture) against budget cuts planned by the French government in the cultural sector.

Binoche, whose latest film Queen at Sea is set to be released this year, has also publicly backed fellow actors speaking out about sexual violence following the #MeToo scandal in Hollywood.

Pushing for power and gender parity in France’s film industry

The festival pointed out that it was only the second time in its history that two women had presided over the jury in a row.

The previous instance dates back to the 1960s when Italian cinema icon Sophia Loren succeeded Olivia de Havilland from Gone with the Wind.

The remaining Cannes jury members still need to be selected.

The announcement of the official competition lineup is expected in mid-April.

(with AFP)

In one of France’s first big MeToo cases, Haenel accused Ruggia of repeatedly touching her inappropriately when she was between 12 and 15-years-old, after they met while working on the movie The Devils in 2001.

Ruggia’s lawyer, Fanny Colin, told reporters that her client maintained his innocence and would appeal the decision – the director has denied any wrongdoing since Haenel’s first public accusations in 2019.

Haenel, 35, put her career on the line when she went public with her accusations against Ruggia in 2019, a time when France had yet to embrace the MeToo movement.

She received little open support from the French film industry at the time, and she quit the industry in 2023, citing continuing complacency about sexual abuse.

The situation changed, in part due to actress Judith Godrèche’s decision to go public with allegations that directors Benoît Jacquot and Jacques Doillon sexually abused her when she was a teenager.

Godrèche was in the courtroom and hugged Haenel after the verdict. Also there was director Céline Sciamma, Haenel’s ex-partner and the director of “Portrait of a Lady On Fire”.

Ruggia, 60, is not the first man in French cinema to face charges over his behaviour on set.

Gérard Depardieu, one of France’s most famous actors, is due to go on trial in March. He is accused of sexually assaulting two women on a film set in 2021. He denies the charges.

(with newswires)

Organised by European Council President Antonio Costa, the exceptional defence retreat will involve British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

The summit comes two weeks after US President Donald Trump’s return to the White House with promises of a “quick end” to the Ukraine war.

But European leaders fear he will cut off crucial aid to Kyiv and force a ceasefire that favours Moscow.

“Europe needs to assume greater responsibility for its own defence,” Costa told leaders in his invitation to the meeting.

Ahead of Monday’s meeting, 19 of the 27 European Union members, including France and Germany, signed a letter urging the European Investment Bank (EIB) to loosen its rules on what it can fund and increase the amount of money available.

The EIB is the world’s biggest multilateral public lender and has ploughed in billions of euros to help Ukraine since the Russian invasion in 2022.

EU takes historic step in funding joint weapons purchase

Defence readiness

“In light of the ongoing security challenges facing Europe, including Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, it is crucial that we take decisive action to strengthen Europe’s overall defence readiness and capabilities,” the letter, dated Thursday, read.

Initiated by Finland, which shares a long border with Russia, the letter calls for an expansion of funding mechanisms to address defence, industrial and technological needs.

Poland, though at the forefront of calls to ramp up EU defence spending, refrained from signing, in line with its role of neutral arbiter as holder of the bloc’s rotating presidency.

A spokesperson for the EIB said the lender had doubled “financing for security and defence projects in 2024” and plans “to double it again this year to a record high” of two billion euros out of a planned total of €95 billion.

‘Europe could die’: France’s Macron urges leaders to scale up EU defences

Increase NATO funding

Costa told reporters last Wednesday that the 23 EU members who also belong to NATO are likely to agree to raise the defence spending target above the current level of two percent when they meet for a summit in June.

“There is a very reasonable consensus among member states to continue on this path,” he said in an interview with Portuguese public broadcaster RTP, as reported by Reuters news agency.

“Whether it’s five percent, whether it’s three percent, I don’t know, it’s a decision that member states will make within Nato.”

Costa, a former Portuguese prime minister, said that countries must prioritise improving air defence, anti-missile and electronic warfare systems.

Trump has in the past thrown into question whether the United States would protect NATO members who did not meet the spending threshold, which he recently suggested should be raised to five percent of GDP.

More competitive

Spending on defence technology and industry will strengthen the EU economy’s competitiveness, Costa said, adding there would eventually be a need for a discussion on “common funding” to collective defence.

France and the Baltic states are pushing for joint European Union borrowing to fund defence spending. The outcome of that debate may depend on next month’s national election in Germany, which has so far opposed the idea.

In a separate development, Finland’s government on Friday announced plans to build a new TNT factory to shore up Finnish and European ammunition production.

The new factory, valued at over €200 million, will be constructed by Finnish explosives maker Forcit in the city of Pori on the country’s west coast.

Finnish Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen said in a statement that the project would “will also enable Finland to continue its support for Ukraine in the long term”.

(with newswires)

Barely six months after his election, and staying true to his campaign promise to establish the court, Liberia’s President Joseph Nyuma Boakai endorsed a majority legislative vote in August 2024 to set up the long-awaited tribunal.

Decision welcomed

Since then, the international community, including France, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, and the United States, whose courts have already tried and sentenced some Liberian war criminals, has welcomed the decision to establish the court, as has the United Nations.

Meanwhile, President Boakai and Liberia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sara Beysolow Nyanti, are engaged in a continuous diplomatic effort worldwide to seek support for the court, which will prosecute those most responsible for gross human rights violations during the country’s two civil wars, which lasted 14 years and ended in 2003.

The conflict resulted in an estimated 250,000 deaths, countless amputations, and widespread rape of girls and women, alongside a looming ethnic crisis and immeasurable destruction of both private and public infrastructure.

The court will also prosecute those accused of plundering the country’s financial and mineral resources, primarily diamonds, over the years. Around 50 suspects, including women – nearly half of whom are living abroad – are expected to stand trial, according to a former official from the Ministry of Justice, who spoke to this reporter on the condition of anonymity.

Former Liberian rebel commander appeals life sentence for war crimes

Many governments, international organisations, and stakeholders are responding to the Liberian government’s appeal to establish the court, whose final verdict is expected to serve not only as a deterrent to war crimes and impunity, but also to promote peace, reconciliation, and reconstruction.

Funding needed

Although a date for the court’s establishment has not yet been set, an unofficial estimate suggests that around one hundred million dollars will be required to set up and operate the court.

Meanwhile, the government has provided a secretariat for the War and Economic Crimes Court (WECC) and appointed Jarla Barbu, former Dean of the Arthur Grimes School of Law at the University of Liberia, as teh courts executive director.

Recent media reports quoted Counselor Barbu as saying that, although the secretariat still needs to be staffed and equipped, he remains optimistic that the court will be established, regardless of the challenges.

Before  Barbu’s appointment, widespread opposition from human rights defenders had led President Boakai to remove Lewis Brown, a prominent Liberian, from the position due to his alleged involvement with the war.

“Lewis Brown is no stranger to the civil war in Liberia,” said  T. Dempster Brown, Chairman of Liberia’s Independent Human Rights Commission, joining a growing chorus of critics.

T. Dempster Brown alleged that Lewis Brown’s role as national security adviser to Charles Taylor during the war clearly outlined his involvement in advising and facilitating actions that led to numerous civilian casualties, as well as his participation in economic transactions during that period.

Other Liberian human rights advocates, including Tennen Tehoungue, a Liberian PhD candidate in universal jurisdiction at Dublin City University in Ireland, echoed Dempster’s views.

However, T. Dempster Brown  and his colleagues readily accepted President Boakai’s new appointment of Barbu.

UN support

Last November, when  Nicola Clase, Sweden’s Permanent Representative to the UN and Chair of the UN Peacebuilding Fund, visited Liberia to advance dialogue on the country’s peacebuilding priorities, assess progress, and explore strategies for addressing emerging challenges in sustaining peace, she reiterated the UN’s commitment to supporting the Court.

“Liberia is at a critical juncture in its peacebuilding journey. The support of the international community has been instrumental, and we look forward to deepening our collaboration to sustain peace and build a prosperous future for all Liberians,” Liberia’s foreign minister, Nyanti, told the visiting Swedish diplomat.

Funeral of former Liberian warlord Prince Johnson reopens wounds of civil war

She emphasised the need for global support in addressing Liberia’s peacebuilding priorities, particularly in areas such as transitional justice, youth empowerment, and social cohesion.

“We call on our international partners to stand with Liberia as we navigate this crucial phase in our nation’s history. Together, we can ensure that the sacrifices of our people lead to lasting peace and prosperity,” Nyanti concluded.

Clase, for her part, expressed optimism about Liberia’s progress and reaffirmed the United Nations’ commitment to supporting the country’s peacebuilding agenda.

“Our visit is an opportunity to engage with Liberia’s leadership and stakeholders, assess ongoing projects, and identify ways to further strengthen peacebuilding efforts. I commend the Liberian government’s dedication to peace,” Clase said.

Warlord’s death

Shortly after Clase’s departure, Senator Prince Y. Johnson passed away. He was second-in-command to the imprisoned Charles Taylor and one of the notorious former warlords who captured and tortured to death the then-sitting president, Samuel Doe.

The former warlord, who later became a pastor and founded a church, is widely believed to be among the key suspects responsible for some of the most egregious human rights violations during the war.

Senator Johnson was a signatory to the legislative vote in favour of establishing the Court.

“I am not afraid of the War Crimes Court…they are using the court to intimidate me. Is it me you think you can intimidate?” he said.

“Why don’t you bring it now? Bring it! You can’t fool an old woman with what you have,” he shouted after casting his vote.

Earlier, Senator Johnson had threatened the civil society-backed TRC, which had listed him as a key war crimes suspect, warning that Liberia would return to war if the Commission insisted on summoning him to testify at its public hearings.

Similarly, former President Sirleaf, whom the TRC had imposed a 25-year ban on engaging in national politics due to her alleged role in fuelling the war, dismissed the Commission’s decision.

In its statement, the TRC described the actions of the two leaders as “a threat to peace and democracy and a further entrenchment of impunity, as war victims and survivors continue to hope in vain for justice.”

Turkish and Azerbaijani foreign ministers met in January in both Baku and Istanbul as part of efforts to deepen economic and trade cooperation.

Key to those goals is the plan to create a route dubbed the Zangezur corridor that would link Azerbaijan to the autonomous region of Nakhchivan bordering Turkey.

The corridor, which would go through Armenian territory, is part of a Turkish-Azerbaijani vision to develop a trade route between China and Europe.

Iran strongly opposes the proposed 40-km corridor because, observers say, it fears it would cut a vital route it uses to circumvent sanctions.

Iran’s ally Armenia also opposes the corridor as an imposition on its territory. But with Iran weakened by setbacks in Syria and Lebanon, Baku and Ankara see an opportunity to push ahead.

“A weaker Iran is a huge opportunity for Turkey in the Caucasus,” said Atilla Yesilada, a Turkey analyst for GlobalSource Partners.

“The only reason why Armenia resists the establishment of the Zangezur corridor is because of promises by Iran to defend it militarily.”

But with Iran coming under pressure from the administration of US President Donald Trump, Azerbaijan or Turkey might be less likely to take Iran’s threats seriously, argues Yesilada.

Iran softens its stance

However, given Iran’s regional setbacks and the threat of increased pressure from Washington, Tehran needs friends in the region.

“It would be good for Iran if the Zangezur corridor is opened. It then has much better and closer relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan,” argues Huseyin Bagci, a professor of international relations at Ankara’s Middle East Technical University.

It will depends on “whether they want two countries which are not friendly or two friendly countries,” Bagci adds.

In January, Iran appeared to soften its opposition, with one senior Iranian diplomat declaring opposition to the Zangezor corridor no longer a priority. Tehran’s apparent softening coincides with its deepening ties with Moscow. 

Since Turkey and Azerbaijan don’t enforce many sanctions against Russia, Moscow supports the Zangezor corridor as a way to bypass international sanctions by creating new trade routes through countries that don’t impose them.

US position unclear 

“Russia is basically rebuilding its whole logistical network and this corridor is a potentially important part of this new network from north to south,” says Tatiana Mitrova, a research fellow at the Center on Global Energy Policy at New York’s Columbia University. 

“Therefore, Russia is saying: ‘It matters. It’s part of a new plan of diversification of our export and import routes.'”

US and Armenia launched joint military exercises last year in a sign of their closer ties. Analysts suggest that Washington has, until now, contained Turkey and Azerbaijan’s intentions.

However, the new Trump administration has not yet positioned itself on the corridor project. Armenian political consultant Eric Hacopian warns Baku and Ankara could try to exploit the uncertainty.   

“Trump creates chaos, and chaos is an opportunity for bad actors to do things that they normally wouldn’t do when there’s no one on the watch,” said Hacopian.

Turkey’s Erdogan sees new Trump presidency as opportunity

In 2023, Azerbaijan’s army, supported by Turkey, defeated Armenian-backed forces over the disputed Nagorno Karabakh enclave.

A final peace agreement has yet to be secured. But if Ankara focuses its efforts on reviving the stalled Azerbaijani-Armenian peace talks, then diplomatic gains could outweigh the economic benefits of the Zangezur corridor, says Asli Aydintasbas of the Washington-based Brookings Institution says . 

“Turkey can actually make itself a very significant partner (with Trump),” Aydintasbas argued, citing the Armenian-Azerbaijan peace deal.

If Turkey positions itself on that issue “it would be very interesting to President Trump, who wants to position himself as an international peacemaker,” said Aydintasbas. 

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan is seeking to foster close ties with Trump. At the same time, the Turkish leader is committed to supporting his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev in their shared goal of turning their countries into a bridge between Europe and China.

“Recent airstrikes have led to the neutralisation of key figures within ISIS [the Islamic State armed group], marking a significant advancement as we progress into the second phase of our operation,” the regional government said Sunday.

It called the US involvement in air strikes “invaluable” and expressed “sincere gratitude”, but the statement did not provide more details on the strikes.

A Somali government statement said the operation in the Bari region was “jointly coordinated by the Somali and American governments” and had targeted “senior IS leaders”.

US President Donald Trump on Saturday announced that the army had carried out airstrikes in the Golis mountains targeting a senior Islamic State attacker and other members of the group, killing many of them.

The strikes were carried out in a region where the Puntland Defence Forces have been carrying out operations against IS since December.

The group has a relatively small presence in Somalia, compared to the Al-Qaeda linked Al-Shabaab, but the UN has warned that it is growing.

The strikes send “a clear signal that the United States always stands ready to find and eliminate terrorists who threaten the United States and our allies, even as we conduct robust border-protection and many other operations under President Trump’s leadership,” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said in a statement.

It is unclear if this operation was planned under the previous US administration of President Joe Biden.

The United States has periodically carried out airstrikes in Somalia, the last one dating back to 2024 when three members of the IS were killed.

(with Reuters)

Since its launch in 2013, and even more so since 2018, the 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair has grown into one of the most significant cultural events for African art, drawing gallery owners and artists from across the continent and beyond.

The galleries represent artists from all over the continent, from Ghana to South Africa, Tunisia to Angola.

The fair took place in the iconic events’ venue La Mamounia, in the heart of Marrakesh.

Since 2024, the art fair has also had exhibition spaces for younger artists in Dada, a gathering space for art, food and music near La Medina.

This year’s fair was held from 30 January to 2 February, during which the entire city hosted various art events, including exhibitions at the El Badi Palace and MACAAL, a museum dedicated to contemporary African art and artists from the African diaspora.

To understand how the fair built a platform for African art, RFI spoke to the fair’s founder and director, Touria El Glaoui on the opening day in Marrakesh.

El Glaoui shared how she frequently travels to African countries to discover new artists, events, and galleries. She also noted that new participants from across the African continent—and now even from Japan and Korea—are coming to the fair seeking representation.

We also visited other sites that make the event special, including art galleries, like Loft. 

“We opened the gallery sixteen years ago and we are a Moroccan gallery based in Morocco but with a real openness to the international scene,” Yasmine Berrada, co-founder of the gallery, told RFI.

“We’re open to Africa. We represent African artists from its diaspora. We’ve also worked with European artists,” she added. “We’re not closed off at all because, for me, there shouldn’t be any separation in art. I think that, on the contrary, we need to open up perspectives and integrate the Moroccan art market into the international stage.”

Our guests this week:

–Touria El Glaoui, founder and director of the 1:54 contemporary African art fair;

–Mous Lamrabat, Moroccan-Belgian artist;

-Yasmine Berrada, co-founder of the Loft art gallery.  

Episode mixed by Melissa Chemam.

Spotlight on Africa is produced by Radio France Internationale’s English language service.

Turkish and Azerbaijani foreign ministers met in January in both Baku and Istanbul as part of efforts to deepen economic and trade cooperation.

Key to those goals is the plan to create a route dubbed the Zangezur corridor that would link Azerbaijan to the autonomous region of Nakhchivan bordering Turkey.

The corridor, which would go through Armenian territory, is part of a Turkish-Azerbaijani vision to develop a trade route between China and Europe.

Iran strongly opposes the proposed 40-km corridor because, observers say, it fears it would cut a vital route it uses to circumvent sanctions.

Iran’s ally Armenia also opposes the corridor as an imposition on its territory. But with Iran weakened by setbacks in Syria and Lebanon, Baku and Ankara see an opportunity to push ahead.

“A weaker Iran is a huge opportunity for Turkey in the Caucasus,” said Atilla Yesilada, a Turkey analyst for GlobalSource Partners.

“The only reason why Armenia resists the establishment of the Zangezur corridor is because of promises by Iran to defend it militarily.”

But with Iran coming under pressure from the administration of US President Donald Trump, Azerbaijan or Turkey might be less likely to take Iran’s threats seriously, argues Yesilada.

Iran softens its stance

However, given Iran’s regional setbacks and the threat of increased pressure from Washington, Tehran needs friends in the region.

“It would be good for Iran if the Zangezur corridor is opened. It then has much better and closer relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan,” argues Huseyin Bagci, a professor of international relations at Ankara’s Middle East Technical University.

It will depends on “whether they want two countries which are not friendly or two friendly countries,” Bagci adds.

In January, Iran appeared to soften its opposition, with one senior Iranian diplomat declaring opposition to the Zangezor corridor no longer a priority. Tehran’s apparent softening coincides with its deepening ties with Moscow. 

Since Turkey and Azerbaijan don’t enforce many sanctions against Russia, Moscow supports the Zangezor corridor as a way to bypass international sanctions by creating new trade routes through countries that don’t impose them.

US position unclear 

“Russia is basically rebuilding its whole logistical network and this corridor is a potentially important part of this new network from north to south,” says Tatiana Mitrova, a research fellow at the Center on Global Energy Policy at New York’s Columbia University. 

“Therefore, Russia is saying: ‘It matters. It’s part of a new plan of diversification of our export and import routes.'”

US and Armenia launched joint military exercises last year in a sign of their closer ties. Analysts suggest that Washington has, until now, contained Turkey and Azerbaijan’s intentions.

However, the new Trump administration has not yet positioned itself on the corridor project. Armenian political consultant Eric Hacopian warns Baku and Ankara could try to exploit the uncertainty.   

“Trump creates chaos, and chaos is an opportunity for bad actors to do things that they normally wouldn’t do when there’s no one on the watch,” said Hacopian.

Turkey’s Erdogan sees new Trump presidency as opportunity

In 2023, Azerbaijan’s army, supported by Turkey, defeated Armenian-backed forces over the disputed Nagorno Karabakh enclave.

A final peace agreement has yet to be secured. But if Ankara focuses its efforts on reviving the stalled Azerbaijani-Armenian peace talks, then diplomatic gains could outweigh the economic benefits of the Zangezur corridor, says Asli Aydintasbas of the Washington-based Brookings Institution says . 

“Turkey can actually make itself a very significant partner (with Trump),” Aydintasbas argued, citing the Armenian-Azerbaijan peace deal.

If Turkey positions itself on that issue “it would be very interesting to President Trump, who wants to position himself as an international peacemaker,” said Aydintasbas. 

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan is seeking to foster close ties with Trump. At the same time, the Turkish leader is committed to supporting his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev in their shared goal of turning their countries into a bridge between Europe and China.

Hello everyone! Welcome to The Sound Kitchen weekly podcast, published every Saturday – here on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts. You’ll hear the winner’s names announced and the week’s quiz question, along with all the other ingredients you’ve grown accustomed to: your letters and essays, “On This Day”, quirky facts and news, interviews, and great music … so be sure and listen every week.

As you know, World Radio Day is coming up on 13 February, and we’ll have the annual WRD Sound Kitchen feast next Saturday, 8 February, to get you ready for your upcoming festivities.

Be sure and take a look at the RFI English Listeners Forum Facebook page – there are oodles of wonderful graphics posted by your fellow Sound Kitchen listeners – there’s even a World Radio Day quiz from Anand Mohan Bain, the president of the RFI Pariwer Bandhu SWL Club in Chhattisgarh India – so don’t miss out!

The RFI English team is pleased to announce that Saleem Akhtar Chadhar, the president of the RFI Seven Stars Listening Club in District Chiniot, Pakistan, won the RFI / Planète Radio ePOP video contest, in the RFI Clubs category. Bravo Saleem! Mubarak ho!

Erwan and I are busy cooking up special shows with your music requests, so get them in! Send your music requests to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr  Tell us why you like the piece of music, too – it makes it more interesting for us all!

Facebook: Be sure to send your photos to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr for the RFI English Listeners Forum banner!

More tech news: Did you know we have a YouTube channel? Just go to YouTube and write “RFI English” in the search bar, and there we are! Be sure to subscribe to see all our videos.

Would you like to learn French? RFI is here to help you!

Our website “Le Français facile avec RFI” has news broadcasts in slow, simple French, as well as bilingual radio dramas (with real actors!) and exercises to practice what you have heard.

Go to our website and get started! At the top of the page, click on “Test level”. According to your score, you’ll be counselled to the best-suited activities for your level.

Do not give up! As Lidwien van Dixhoorn, the head of “Le Français facile” service told me: “Bathe your ears in the sound of the language, and eventually, you’ll get it.” She should know – Lidwien is Dutch and came to France hardly able to say “bonjour” and now she heads this key RFI department – so stick with it!

Be sure you check out our wonderful podcasts!

In addition to the news articles on our site, with in-depth analysis of current affairs in France and across the globe, we have several podcasts that will leave you hungry for more.

There’s Spotlight on France, Spotlight on Africa, The International Report, and of course, The Sound Kitchen. We also have an award-winning bilingual series – an old-time radio show, with actors (!) to help you learn French, called Les voisins du 12 bis. 

Remember, podcasts are radio, too! As you see, sound is still quite present in the RFI English service. Please keep checking our website for updates on the latest from our journalists. You never know what we’ll surprise you with!

To listen to our podcasts from your PC, go to our website; you’ll see “Podcasts” at the top of the page. You can either listen directly or subscribe and receive them directly on your mobile phone.

To listen to our podcasts from your mobile phone, slide through the tabs just under the lead article (the first tab is “Headline News”) until you see “Podcasts”, and choose your show. 

Teachers take note! I save postcards and stamps from all over the world to send to you for your students. If you would like stamps and postcards for your students, just write and let me know. The address is english.service@rfi.fr  If you would like to donate stamps and postcards, feel free! Our address is listed below. 

Another idea for your students: Br. Gerald Muller, my beloved music teacher from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, has been writing books for young adults in his retirement – and they are free! There is a volume of biographies of painters and musicians called Gentle Giants, and an excellent biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., too. They are also a good way to help you improve your English – that’s how I worked on my French, reading books that were meant for young readers – and I guarantee you, it’s a good method for improving your language skills. To get Br. Gerald’s free books, click here.

Independent RFI English Clubs: Be sure to always include Audrey Iattoni (audrey.iattoni@rfi.fr) from our Listener Relations department in your RFI Club correspondence. Remember to copy me (thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr) when you write to her so that I know what is going on, too. N.B.: You do not need to send her your quiz answers! Email overload!

This week’s quiz: On 21 December, I asked you a question about that week’s International Report podcast, produced by RFI English journalist Melissa Chemam. It was really interesting – Melissa reported on a series of 22 short films produced by Gazan filmmakers.

As Melissa noted: “The films aim to share the voices of people living through the conflict in Gaza, offering a glimpse into their fears, dreams, and hopes.”

Entitled From Ground Zero, the 112-minute collection is presented as a feature film in two parts and has been selected to represent Palestine at the Oscars in March 2025.

The project was made possible by the Masharawi Fund for Gaza Filmmakers, created in 2023 by Palestinian filmmaker Rashid Masharawi.

You were to listen to Melissa’s 15 December International Report podcast – “Gaza’s powerful war narratives make their way to the Oscars” – and answer me this: What are the names of three of Masharawi’s films, and in which years were they produced? 

The answer is, to quote Melissa: “Masharawi, who is from Gaza, is one of the first Palestinian filmmakers to have directed cinema projects in the occupied Palestinian territories.

His first film, Travel Document, was released in 1986, followed by The Shelter in 1989 and Long Days in Gaza in 1991.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: What would your fantasy road trip be like?

Do you have a bonus question idea? Send it to us!

The winners are: Ali Shahzad, a member of the RFI Seven Stars Listening Club in District Chiniot, Pakistan. Ali is also this week’s bonus question winner – congratulations on your double win, Ali!  

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are RFI Listeners Club members Father Steven Wara, who lives in the Cistercian Abbey in Bamenda, Cameroon, and Zenon Teles, the president of the Christian – Marxist – Leninist – Maoist Association of Listening DX-ers in Goa, India. There’s Bithi Begum, a member of the Shetu RFI Listeners Club in Naogaon, Bangladesh, and RFI English listener Amara, who belongs to the International Radio Fan and Youth Club in Khanewal, Pakistan.

Congratulations, winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: “The Courtly Dances” from Gloriana by Benjamin Britten, performed by Julian Bream and the Julian Bream Consort; “Bulbul Al-Afrah” by Dede Effendi Bayati Husseini-Muhayyer Maqam, performed by Nidaa Abou Mrad and the Classical Arabic Music Ensemble; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer; “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, and “Green Chimneys” by Thelonious Monk, performed by Thelonius Monk with the Thelonius Monk Quartet.  

Do you have a music request? Send it to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

This week’s question … you must listen to the show to participate. After you’ve listened to the show, re-read our article “African nations set to light up the homes of 300 million people by 2030”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 24 February to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 1 March podcast. When you enter be sure to send your postal address with your answer, and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.

Send your answers to:

english.service@rfi.fr

or

Susan Owensby

RFI – The Sound Kitchen

80, rue Camille Desmoulins

92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux

France

Click here to learn how to win a special Sound Kitchen prize.

Click here to find out how you can become a member of the RFI Listeners Club, or form your own official RFI Club.   

The government’s budget for 2025, if passed, will see public spending slashed by €32 billion. While most ministries are impacted, funding for public development assistance (PDA) is facing cuts of more than €2 billion – 35 percent of its budget. Coordination Sud, an umbrella group for 180 French non-profit organisations working internationally, say they’re being disproportionately hit at a time when international solidarity efforts are needed more than ever. Elodie Barralon, the group’s advocacy officer, talks about the impact of such cuts and concerns that civil society is being rolled back in France. (Listen @0′)

As a three-year experiment with medical marijuana comes to an end, instead of generalising its use, as intended, authorisation has been stalled. Nadine Attal, head of the pain centre at the Ambroise-Paré hospital in Boulogne near Paris addresses the sticking points, which include France’s current government chaos and the lack of political will to move forward. She sounds the alarm over the hundreds of patients enrolled in the experiment who have benefited from medical cannabis but whose health is now being ignored. (Listen @20’20”).

French humourist Pierre Dac came to fame in the 1930s with a winning brand of absurdist humour that managed to get everyone laughing while ridiculing no one. When WWII broke out he turned his talents to fighting anti-semitism, Hitler, and the collaborationist Vichy regime, joining Free France’s Radio Londres in 1943. He also founded a political party that defended the place of laughter and flabbiness in politics.  Fifty years after his death, on 9 February 1975, he remains one of France’s most popular, and humanist of humourists. (Listen @14’20”)

Episode mixed by Cecile Pompeani. 

Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, Apple podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here) or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

Hello everyone! Welcome to The Sound Kitchen weekly podcast, published every Saturday – here on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts. You’ll hear the winner’s names announced and the week’s quiz question, along with all the other ingredients you’ve grown accustomed to: your letters and essays, “On This Day”, quirky facts and news, interviews, and great music … so be sure and listen every week.

WORLD RADIO DAY is coming up – it’s on 13 February. As we do every year, we’ll have a feast in The Sound Kitchen, filled with your voices.

Send your SHORT recorded WRD greetings to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr by 1 February. This year’s theme is “Radio and Climate Change”, but you don’t have to talk about the theme – if you just want to say “hello!”, that’s fine, too.

Be sure you include your name and where you live in your message.

Most importantly, get under a blanket to record. This will make your recording broadcast quality.

Bombard me with your greetings !!!!

The RFI English team is pleased to announce that Saleem Akhtar Chadhar, the president of the RFI Seven Stars Listening Club in District Chiniot, Pakistan, won the RFI / Planète Radio ePOP video contest, in the RFI Clubs category. Bravo Saleem! Mubarak ho!

Erwan and I are busy cooking up special shows with your music requests, so get them in! Send your music requests to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr  Tell us why you like the piece of music, too – it makes it more interesting for us all!

Facebook: Be sure to send your photos to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr for the RFI English Listeners Forum banner!

More tech news: Did you know we have a YouTube channel? Just go to YouTube and write “RFI English” in the search bar, and there we are! Be sure to subscribe to see all our videos.

Would you like to learn French? RFI is here to help you!

Our website “Le Français facile avec RFI” has news broadcasts in slow, simple French, as well as bilingual radio dramas (with real actors!) and exercises to practice what you have heard.

Go to our website and get started! At the top of the page, click on “Test level”. According to your score, you’ll be counselled to the best-suited activities for your level.

Do not give up! As Lidwien van Dixhoorn, the head of “Le Français facile” service told me: “Bathe your ears in the sound of the language, and eventually, you’ll get it.” She should know – Lidwien is Dutch and came to France hardly able to say “bonjour” and now she heads this key RFI department – so stick with it!

Be sure you check out our wonderful podcasts!

In addition to the news articles on our site, with in-depth analysis of current affairs in France and across the globe, we have several podcasts that will leave you hungry for more.

There’s Spotlight on France, Spotlight on Africa, The International Report, and of course, The Sound Kitchen. We also have an award-winning bilingual series – an old-time radio show, with actors (!) to help you learn French, called Les voisins du 12 bis. 

Remember, podcasts are radio, too! As you see, sound is still quite present in the RFI English service. Please keep checking our website for updates on the latest from our journalists. You never know what we’ll surprise you with!

To listen to our podcasts from your PC, go to our website; you’ll see “Podcasts” at the top of the page. You can either listen directly or subscribe and receive them directly on your mobile phone.

To listen to our podcasts from your mobile phone, slide through the tabs just under the lead article (the first tab is “Headline News”) until you see “Podcasts”, and choose your show. 

Teachers take note! I save postcards and stamps from all over the world to send to you for your students. If you would like stamps and postcards for your students, just write and let me know. The address is english.service@rfi.fr  If you would like to donate stamps and postcards, feel free! Our address is listed below. 

Another idea for your students: Br. Gerald Muller, my beloved music teacher from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, has been writing books for young adults in his retirement – and they are free! There is a volume of biographies of painters and musicians called Gentle Giants, and an excellent biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., too. They are also a good way to help you improve your English – that’s how I worked on my French, reading books that were meant for young readers – and I guarantee you, it’s a good method for improving your language skills. To get Br. Gerald’s free books, click here.

Independent RFI English Clubs: Be sure to always include Audrey Iattoni (audrey.iattoni@rfi.fr) from our Listener Relations department in your RFI Club correspondence. Remember to copy me (thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr) when you write to her so that I know what is going on, too. N.B.: You do not need to send her your quiz answers! Email overload!

This week’s quiz: On 14 December, I asked you a question about Syria and the end of Bashir al-Assad’s dictatorship. Rebel forces, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, seized Damascus on 8 December; Assad fled to Russia, ending his family’s six-decade- rule.

You were to re-read our article “France’s support for Syrian transition hinges on respect for minority rights” and send in the answer to this question:  France’s outgoing Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noel Barrot was quoted in the article. He noted that “Assad’s fall is a ‘clear defeat for Moscow’”. Why? Why does Jean-Noel Barrot think that Assad’s fall is a “clear defeat for Moscow”?

The answer is, to quote our article: “… Russia now could lose access to military bases in Syria which allowed it to conduct operations in the Magreb and elsewhere on the African continent.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question, suggested by Debashis Gope from West Bengal, India: “How can we have peace amongst all people?”  

Do you have a bonus question idea? Send it to us!

The winners are: RFI English listener Dia Zanib from Muzaffargarh, Pakistan. Dia is also this week’s bonus question winner. Congratulations on your double win, Dia!

Also on the list of lucky winners this week is Omar Faruk, a member of the Shetu RFI Listeners Club in Naogaon, Bangladesh, and Alok Bain, a member of the RFI Pariwer Bandhu SWL Club in Chhattisgarh, India. There’s RFI Listeners Club member Abdul Mannan Teacher from Sirajganj, Bangladesh, and last but not least, RFI English listener Nargis Akter from Dhaka, Bangladesh. 

Congratulations, winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: “Vivace” from the Piano Concerto No. 11 in D major for fortepiano and orchestra by Franz Joseph Haydn, performed by Ronald Brautigam and the Concerto Copenhagen; the first movement from the Suite for Oud Quartet by Mohammad Osman, performed by the Syrian Oud Quartet; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and “Kudzi Malaissane” by José Pires and Roberto Isaias, performed by Kapa Dêch.

Do you have a music request? Send it to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

This week’s question … you must listen to the show to participate. After you’ve listened to the show, re-read our article “French NGOs to quit social media platform X following Trump inauguration”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 17 February to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 22 February podcast. When you enter be sure to send your postal address with your answer, and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.

Send your answers to:

english.service@rfi.fr

or

Susan Owensby

RFI – The Sound Kitchen

80, rue Camille Desmoulins

92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux

France

Click here to learn how to win a special Sound Kitchen prize.

Click here to find out how you can become a member of the RFI Listeners Club, or form your own official RFI Club.   

How will 2025 shape up for African nations and their global partnerships? Will Africa secure a more central role in the global diplomatic landscape?

To understand what’s at stake on the continent, the Spotlight on Africa podcast consulted three experts in African politics and diplomacy.

Cameron Hudson from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CISC) in Washington DC discusses priorities for South Africa as it takes on the rotating presidency of the G20 group, and in particular its relationship to the United States. 

Michael Dillon from King’s College, London, UK, looks at China’s new strategy that aims to deepen its influence in Africa.

Thierry Vircoulon from IFRI in France analyses the legacy of France in Africa, notably in the Sahel where French troops have been pushed out by military juntas of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.

These countries have since established their own Alliance of Sahel States and made the decision to withdraw from the West African bloc Ecowas. Set to take effect on 29 January, security experts and members of the diaspora have voiced concern over what lies ahead.

Episode mixed by Erwan Rome.

Spotlight on Africa is produced by Radio France Internationale’s English language service.

Madhya Pradesh is often referred to as the Heart of India. Located right in the middle of the country, the Indian region shows everything India has to offer through its abundant diversity. The IFTM trade show, which took place in Paris at the end of September, presented the perfect opportunity for travel enthusiasts to discover the region.

Sheo Shekhar Shukla, Managing Director of Madhya Pradesh’s tourism board, sat down to explain his approach to sustainable tourism.

“Post-covid the whole world has known a shift in their approach when it comes to tourism. And all those discerning travelers want to have different kinds of experiences: something offbeat, something new, something which has not been explored before.”

Through its UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Shukla wants to showcase the deep history Madhya Pradesh has to offer.

“UNESCO is very actively supporting us and three of our sites are already World Heritage Sites. Sanchi is a very famous buddhist spiritual destination, Bhimbetka is a place where prehistoric rock shelters are still preserved, and Khajuraho is home to thousand year old temples with magnificent architecture.”

All in all, Shukla believes that there’s only one way forward for the industry: “Travelers must take sustainable tourism as a paradigm in order to take tourism to the next level.”

In partnership with Madhya Pradesh’s tourism board.

Also known as the Land of the Beautiful Islands, Malaysia’s landscape and cultural diversity is almost unmatched on the planet. Those qualities were all put on display at the Malaysian stand during the IFTM trade show.

Libra Hanif, director of Tourism Malaysia, explained the appeal of the country as well as the importance of promoting sustainable tourism today: “Sustainable travel is a major trend now, with the changes that are happening post-covid. People want to get close to nature, to get close to people. So Malaysia being a multicultural and diverse [country] with a lot of natural environments, we felt that it’s a good thing for us to promote Malaysia.”

Malaysia has also gained fame in recent years, through its numerous UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which include Kinabalu Park and the Archaeological Heritage of the Lenggong Valley.

Green mobility has also become an integral part of tourism in Malaysia, with an increasing number of people using bikes to discover the country: “If you are a little more adventurous, we have the mountain back trails where you can cut across gazetted trails to see the natural attractions and the wildlife that we have in Malaysia,” says Hanif. “If you are not that adventurous, you’ll be looking for relaxing cycling. We also have countryside spots, where you can see all the scenery in a relaxing session.”

With more than 25,000 visitors at this IFTM trade show this year, Malaysia’s tourism board got to showcase the best the country and its people have to offer.

In partnership with Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board. For more information about Malaysia, click here.