Stories about French
Decoding the ‘Saakashvili effect’ with two experts in Georgian politics
As Georgia prepares for municipal elections on October 30, and Saakashvili remains on hunger strike, stability seems but an empty dream in a country deeply divided over political and economic...
The decline of Occitan: A failure of cultural initiatives, or abandonment by the state?
A setback for Occitan, spoken by more than half a million people in France, due to failed cultural initiatives or to the policy of the French State?
The French government’s U-turn on regional languages
A new law passed in May 2021 has reignited the debate around France's regional languages
To save its economy, can Tunisia reform its oversized public sector?
“These past 10 post-revolution years, romanticised by the West, have solidified for us as more misery and living with the failing of state’s institutions."
Can smartphone users really protect themselves from privacy violations?
For technology companies, user data is a massive source of income, but this business model includes a security risk for users. Is there a credible solution for strengthening their privacy?
Cameroon's Francis Ngannou: The UFC champion's fight from grass to grace
As he entered the ring, Ngannou carried the expectations of his country, and indeed of the continent of Africa.
Increasing restrictions by Morocco against activists of Western Sahara
After decades of peace between Sahrawis and Morocco, November clashes ended Polisario's commitment to the 1991 agreement and spurred Morocco's clampdown on the region, encouraged by Washington's recognition of Rabat's...
In Guinea, President Alpha Condé takes his third term despite long-running controversy
Guinean president Alpha Condé succeeded in getting reelected for a third time by imposing a constitutional reform obtained in poll criticized by opposition and organizations.
Collusion accusations grow between Haitian government and organised crime groups
"[...] The gang leaders are seemingly free from persecution so long as they help keep the peace in the neighborhoods they control."
Black Lives Matter forces an IBM U-turn on facial recognition
Under pressure from Black Lives Matter movement activists, the company IBM has announced its withdrawal from the facial recognition software market
Mauritania: A racial pyramid seemingly resistant to change
"This is not the Africa of Lumumba, Nyobe, Cabral and Sankara."
French police arrest Félicien Kabuga, alleged financier of genocide in Rwanda
After 26 years on the run, Rwanda genocide suspect Félicien Kabuga was arrested in a Parisian suburb on May 16 and transferred to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda on...
Between Kolkata, Saint-Petersburg and Paris: An interview with novelist Shumona Sinha
"Literature does not pretend it can change the world, but it can unveil the human condition, plant seeds of hope, of dreams of a better world...."
In Guinea, COVID-19 roadblocks result in bloody protests
On May 12, Guinea was rocked by bloody violence between security forces and citizens exasperated by power cuts and COVID-19 prevention roadblocks.
Israel appoints its first Ethiopian-born minister, Pnina Tamano-Shata
Israel has just appointed its first black minister from the Ethiopian Jewish community. Despite this encouraging gesture, the community still faces discrimination and racism in Israel.
Côte d'Ivoire withdraws from African Court on Human and People's Rights
On April 29, the spokesperson of the Ivorian Government, Sidi Touré, announced Côte d'Ivoire's decision to remove its recognition of the competence of African human rights court.
Mali holds elections despite COVID-19 pandemic and terrorist threats
Mali's elections were held under unique circumstances: the ongoing threat of Islamist terrorism and governmental restrictions to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Amid COVID-19 pandemic in Niger, government violates whistleblowers’ freedom of speech
Today in Niger, freedom of demonstration, assembly and speech are endangered, flouted by the unelected administrative authorities of various municipalities in the country.
Benin's partial withdrawal from African Charter of Human Rights is a retreat from democracy
Benin drops 17 places in the 2020 World Press Freedom Index, following the withdrawal from a key document of the African Charter of Human and People's Rights.
COVID-19 in the Middle East: Is this pandemic a health crisis or a war?
War-like rhetoric around COVID-19 has allowed governments in the Middle East and North Africa to execute emergency powers and impose draconian measures that would otherwise be unacceptable.
