Latest news with #anti-French
LeMonde
3 days ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
Romania's far right takes aim at France
Since the start of the campaign for the Romanian presidential election, which was eventually won on Sunday, May 18, by the pro-European candidate Nicusor Dan, a strong anti-French sentiment has been growing in this Eastern European country. The far right, and especially the defeated candidate, George Simion, adopted hateful rhetoric in stark contrast to the traditional alliance between Romania and France, two countries with deep cultural, linguistic, and historical ties. Although Simion had initially conceded defeat, on Tuesday, May 20, he abruptly changed course and filed complaints – so far all rejected – against alleged French interference. "Nicusor [Dan] is not the president of Romanians. Nicusor is a puppet of France," attacked the former ultra football supporter, calling on his supporters "to take to the barricades." While Simion also, without evidence, accused neighboring Moldova – a country led by a strongly pro-European government – of having spent "€100 million" to "buy votes" in favor of the winner, it was mainly the French intelligence services that he targeted, accusing them of having supposedly "manipulated social media and used algorithms to influence Romanian citizens." These were precisely the same accusations Romanian authorities had previously leveled at Moscow during the original election held in November 2024.
The Sun
02-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Traore's Propaganda Gains Support in Nigeria Amid Crisis
ABUJA: Kehinde Sanni spends his days smoothing out dents and repainting scratched bumpers in a modest autobody shop in Lagos. He has never left Nigeria, yet he speaks glowingly of Ibrahim Traore, the military leader of Burkina Faso. 'Nigeria needs someone like Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso. He's doing well for his country,' Sanni said. His admiration is shaped by a steady stream of viral videos, memes and social media posts -- many misleading or outright false -- portraying Traore as a fearless reformer who defied Western powers and reclaimed his country's dignity. The Burkinabe strongman swept into power following a coup in September 2022 amid growing anti-French sentiments in the Sahel region. He has the support of fellow ex-French colonies Mali and Niger, which have turned their backs on Paris in favour of closer ties with Moscow. The foreign ministers of the three countries were in Moscow last month for the first talks as founding members of their newly-created confederation, the Alliance of Sahel States. While critics of Traore have blamed his government for clamping down on freedom of expression, others on social media are casting him in a positive light. 'Ibrahim Traore is all the proof Nigerians need to know that a country takes the shape of its leadership,' Nigerian actress and politician Hilda Dokubo wrote on her X account. Like Sanni, her assessment underscores the growing influence of a coordinated propaganda campaign sweeping across west Africa -- one that frames Traore as a messianic figure. 'This growing admiration for Traore in Nigeria poses serious risks to national security and democratic stability,' said Malik Samuel, a senior researcher at the pan-African thinktank Good Governance Africa. 'It normalises military intervention as a viable political solution and opens the door to foreign ideological interference.' 'Russian playbook' Traore's rising appeal in Nigeria comes at a time of the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu embarked on tough economic reforms. For Nigerians weighed down by hardship, claims that Traore is transforming Burkina Faso into an economic powerhouse resonate deeply. 'Traore fits the role perfectly -- young, defiant, and open to Russian cooperation, especially through Wagner-linked security outfits now rebranded as the Africa Corps,' said Ikemesit Effiong, partner at Lagos-based consultancy firm SBM Intelligence. AFP has debunked many claims on social media aimed at burnishing Traore's image. Recent posts on Facebook purportedly show a massive low-cost high-rise residential block constructed under Traore's leadership. However, the claim is false. The construction site seen in the videos is a national building project in Tizi Ouzou, Algeria. Across Francophone Africa, similar narratives are gaining traction. In Ivory Coast, a video of Traore at the inauguration of a cement plant in Burkina Faso spread alongside false claims he had announced a drop in cement prices. Months before he was ousted in Niger, former Nigerien president Mohamed Bazoum said Russia's Wagner Group had been sponsoring 'disinformation campaigns against us'. Analysts told AFP there are signs of organised, large-scale campaigns using false information to boost the profiles of Sahelian military leaders. The content is produced by 'Russian propaganda units and then given to these influencers, through the middlemen, to post on social media,' said Philip Obaji, a Nigerian journalist who has analysed Russian influence operations. According to Effiong, this reflects a wider 'Russian strategy' in Africa of leveraging social media to influence public opinion, bolster the image of military regimes, and portray Moscow as a more respectful alternative to Western powers. Silencing critics Since the last coup in the region in July 2023 in Niger, Russian flags have become fixtures at pro-junta rallies in the region. At least 90 people flying the same flag were arrested in northern Nigeria during a protest against economic hardship in August 2024 . Unlike the stable and thriving country portrayed on social media, Burkina Faso has become caught in a spiral of violence that has spilled over from neighbouring Mali and Niger. Since 2015, regular attacks by armed jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State have claimed tens of thousands of lives in Burkina Faso. According to the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2025, Burkina Faso is the country most impacted by terrorism -- topping the chart for the second consecutive year. Dissenting voices like journalists have been regularly silenced, detained, or kidnapped in the name of the war against jihadists. Maixent Some, an exiled Burkinabe financial analyst who tracks Africa-linked disinformation on social media, has accused Traore of failing his country and was declared wanted by the junta in April.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Diplomatic tensions escalate as Algeria expels French officials
Algeria's decision to expel 12 French consular staff members appears to have put paid to hopes of any imminent rapprochement between the two countries. The order was in response to charges filed in France on Friday against an Algerian consular official, accused with two other Algerians of taking part in the kidnap of an opposition dissident in the Paris suburbs a year ago. Algiers chose to see the arrest of the official as "a flagrant contravention of the immunities and privileges that attach to his (diplomatic) functions". According to the official Algerian state-run news agency APS: "This unprecedented judicial incident... has not come about by chance. Its purpose is to scupper the relaunch of bilateral relations agreed by the two heads of state." A phone call between French President Emmanuel Macron and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune at the end of March was a first sign of a possible reconciliation after months of crisis. Since then there was a visit to Algiers a week ago by Jean-Noël Barrot, Macron's foreign minister, which appeared to confirm a willingness on both sides to turn the page. But this dramatic escalation – the biggest expulsion of French consular staff since Algerian independence in 1962 – suggests that anti-French voices are still very much in the ascendant in Algiers' government circles. Reading between the lines, it is evident the real target of Algerian fire is not Macron but elements in his government – most notably Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau. Retailleau - a right-wing conservative with ambitions for the next presidential election in France - has won a reputation for his hardline pronouncements on immigration, law and order, and relations with Algeria. Algiers is claiming to see the hand of Retailleau in the arrest of its consular official. It is implicitly accusing the interior minister of trying to undermine Macron's more "even-handed" approach to the crisis in relations. Significantly, several of the 12 officials ordered out are from the French interior ministry – and thus subordinates of Retailleau. Algerian commentators regularly attack the French right and far-right for having undue influence in Paris, and for trying to poison relations. But they have recently become more indulgent towards Macron, even though it was him who personally precipitated the crisis last July by declaring a strategic shift towards Algeria's long-standing rival Morocco. Since then the breakdown in relations has been the worst since Algerian independence. Trade and intelligence-sharing have suffered and bitter words have been exchanged over anti-French Algerian internet influencers. France has accused Algeria of refusing to take back deported nationals and Algeria has accused France of harassment of its diplomats. The most egregious sign of the breakdown was the arrest in November of the Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal at Algiers airport. Aged 80 and suffering from cancer, he has since been sentenced to five years in jail for crimes against state security. Before the latest development, hopes were being expressed in Paris that Sansal might soon be released in a "humanitarian gesture" by Tebboune. Those hopes have now dimmed. Algeria to expel 12 French embassy officials Macron urges Algeria to free writer jailed for Morocco comments
BBC News
14-04-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Diplomatic tensions escalate as Algeria expels French officials
Algeria's decision to expel 12 French consular staff members appears to have put paid to hopes of any imminent rapprochement between the two order was in response to charges filed in France on Friday against an Algerian consular official, accused with two other Algerians of taking part in the kidnap of an opposition dissident in the Paris suburbs a year chose to see the arrest of the official as "a flagrant contravention of the immunities and privileges that attach to his (diplomatic) functions".According to the official Algerian state-run news agency APS: "This unprecedented judicial incident... has not come about by chance. Its purpose is to scupper the relaunch of bilateral relations agreed by the two heads of state." A phone call between French President Emmanuel Macron and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune at the end of March was a first sign of a possible reconciliation after months of then there was a visit to Algiers a week ago by Jean-Noël Barrot, Macron's foreign minister, which appeared to confirm a willingness on both sides to turn the this dramatic escalation – the biggest expulsion of French consular staff since Algerian independence in 1962 – suggests that anti-French voices are still very much in the ascendant in Algiers' government between the lines, it is evident the real target of Algerian fire is not Macron but elements in his government – most notably Interior Minister Bruno - a right-wing conservative with ambitions for the next presidential election in France - has won a reputation for his hardline pronouncements on immigration, law and order, and relations with is claiming to see the hand of Retailleau in the arrest of its consular official. It is implicitly accusing the interior minister of trying to undermine Macron's more "even-handed" approach to the crisis in several of the 12 officials ordered out are from the French interior ministry – and thus subordinates of commentators regularly attack the French right and far-right for having undue influence in Paris, and for trying to poison relations. But they have recently become more indulgent towards Macron, even though it was him who personally precipitated the crisis last July by declaring a strategic shift towards Algeria's long-standing rival then the breakdown in relations has been the worst since Algerian independence. Trade and intelligence-sharing have suffered and bitter words have been exchanged over anti-French Algerian internet has accused Algeria of refusing to take back deported nationals and Algeria has accused France of harassment of its most egregious sign of the breakdown was the arrest in November of the Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal at Algiers airport. Aged 80 and suffering from cancer, he has since been sentenced to five years in jail for crimes against state the latest development, hopes were being expressed in Paris that Sansal might soon be released in a "humanitarian gesture" by Tebboune. Those hopes have now dimmed.
New York Times
12-04-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Coup Leader Is Favored in Gabon Election After Ruling Family's Fall
Voters in Gabon are set to pick their next president on Saturday, and on paper they have plenty of options: anti-French firebrands, a general who staged a coup, a tax inspector and a female candidate in this oil-rich Central African country. But most candidates and experts agree that the election might be a done deal. They say the race has been rigged in favor of Brice Oligui Nguema, the general who staged a coup in 2023 and has ignored his early promises to hand power over to a civilian. 'It is not a level playing field to begin with,' said Joseph Siegle, director of research at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, a Washington-based organization that is part of the U.S. Department of Defense. Gabon is a resource-rich country of 2.5 million that was long ruled by one family. Although wealthier than other countries in sub-Saharan Africa, unemployment is widespread and poverty is high, making those key issues for voters. Here is what to know about the presidential contest. A 50-year-old general who swapped his uniform for jeans, Jordan sneakers and Michael Jackson's dance moves on the campaign trail, Mr. Nguema is widely tipped to win. Mr. Nguema served as an aide-de-camp to Gabon's long-ruling autocrat, Omar Bongo, and was head of the Republican Guard under his son, Ali Bongo Ondimba, who was deposed in 2023. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
