Headline News

2, December 2019

Southern Cameroons War: UN Secretary General is no better than Biya ⁰

The result of UN Secretary General, Guterres’ sold out diplomacy – a Potemkin Village of fake dialogue accompanied by violence and censorship. Guterres is no better than Biya. At least Biya is officially senile. What is Guterres’ excuse?

Now on December 1 Guterres’ resident coordinator in Yaoundé has issued a statement about a death — it’s good she does this, but she has remained silent on many, many killings by Biya’s forces, like Guterres has: “Yaounde, 1 December 2019 – The Humanitarian Coordinator in Cameroon, Ms. Allegra Baiocchi, strongly condemns the killing of an aid worker in north-west Cameroon. “I am deeply saddened by the news of the horrific execution of an aid worker last night. On behalf of the United Nations and the wider humanitarian community, our deepest condolences go to his family, friends and colleagues,” said Ms. Baiocchi. On 30 November, Mr. Pascal Ngwayi, of COMINSUD, a local NGO and UN partner, was abducted and later killed by armed men in Donga Mantung Division of the North West Region.” We’ll have more on this.

On November 28 Guterres was silent again about Cameroon, the continued lock up of a sick journalist (Guterres in his sick away enjoys and continues his retaliation against investigative journalism which asks how he spends public money, today in Lisbon) – while “Yaoundé Special Criminal Court decision to reject a request for Amadou Vamoulké’s provisional release although two medical reports say this journalist needs treatment abroad and his continuing detention violates Cameroonian law.

On November 5 before 8 am Inner City Press in writing asked Guterres, Stephane Dujarric, Melissa Fleming and of course Amina J. Mohammed, “November 5-2: On Cameroon and press freedom, what are the belated comments and actions of SG Guterres on that the South West Chapter of Cameroon Journalists Trade Union have showed up in court for their detained colleague, Samuel Wazizi.

Five days later, nothing at all. Nor on Cameroon peacekeepers’ sexual abuse. Guterres and the other three are entirely corrupt. And see their partners in censorship. US President Trump has written to the U.S. Congress, cutting off trade benefits to Biya’s Cameroon: “I am taking this step because I have determined that the Government of Cameroon currently engages in gross violations of internationally recognized human rights, contravening the eligibility requirements of section 104 of the (African Growth and Opportunity Act).”

Trump took this action while Guterres covers up Cameroon “peacekeepers” rapes of children in CAR, and torching of villages in SW and NW. The dialogue of which Guterres made so much, while banning all Press questions about it, is dead.

Culled from Inner City Press

2, December 2019

Boko Haram: Nigerian govt explains donation of vehicles to Cameroonian vigilantes ⁰

The Borno State Government said it had donated patrol vehicles to members of Cameroonian vigilante to enhance fight against insurgents in border communities of the state.

Mr Isa Gusau, the Special Adviser on Public Relation and Media Strategy to Gov. Babagana Zulum, made the disclosure in a statement on Monday in Maiduguri.

Gusau dismissed as misleading reports indicating that the vehicles donated by the state government to 150 members of the Cameroonian vigilante violated Nigeria’s sovereignty and military protocols.

He explained that representatives of the government presented vehicles to the Cameroonian vigilante in concert with the Headquarters, 5 Brigade Nigerian Army Cell of the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF), Damasak, Mobbar Local Government Area of the state.

Gusau noted that Zulum was a member of the Lake Chad Basin Governors’ Forum established with support of the Federal Government and UN Security Council Committee on counter-terrorism.

He added that the gesture was in line with the forum spirit to enhance cooperation on cross border security among member states.

Gusau said: “Gov. Zulum operational arrangements with the 150 Cameroonian vigilante ‎happened with full involvement of the Nigerian Army’s component in the MNJTF currently fighting Boko Haram in eight regions affected by the insurgents’ attacks in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger Republics.

“The Cameroonian vigilantes are operating in parts of northern Borno; located in the shores of the Lake Chad, and they are operating under the coordination and command of the Nigerian Army Cell of the MNJTF.

“One of the key benefits of having these vigilantes is the latitude to generate and pass on intelligence from border communities in Cameroon and to also pursue insurgents who occasionally flee from Nigerian territories to border communities in Cameroon where Nigerian troops may be constrained to engage them.

“The main objective of the Lake Chad Basin Governor’s Forum is to ease cross border cooperation in the fight against Boko Haram insurgents in the affected countries.”

Source: Pmnews

2, December 2019

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Commonwealth, AU, OIF Call for Peace and Unity ⁰

Three international organizations have ended an official visit to Cameroon with a call for efforts to restore security, justice and the conditions for the resumption of normal life in English-speaking northwest and southwest regions of the country hit by the separatist crisis that has killed over 3,000 people. The Commonwealth, African Union, and International Organization of La Francophonie delegation says it is convinced dialogue remains the preferred path for peace to return, but that the government should start implementing the recommendations of the last major national dialogue it organized. Some, however, have been critical of government efforts.

Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairperson of the African Union Commission, says after exchanging views with Cameroonian President Paul Biya, Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute, representatives of the main political parties, religious leaders, youth representatives and a cross-section of Cameroonians, the organizations are convinced that there is a yearning for peace to return to the restive English-speaking regions.

He says they noted that a majority of Cameroonians welcomed the convening of the Grand National Dialogue from September 30 to October 4, in which Cameroon’s government consulted with political party leaders, activists, opinion leaders, traditional rulers, lawmakers and clergy, and are anxiously waiting for the government to implement its recommendations. Those recommendations include establishing some sort of special status for the minority English-speaking regions, to be considered by the country’s parliament. It also backed enforcement of the constitutional language giving English and French equal status and saying they must be used in all public offices and documents. It also backed continuing the process of decentralization by giving more powers and resources to local councils.

Mahamat participated in the tripartite mission with International Organization of La Francophonie Secretary General Louise Mushikiwabo and Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland to encourage national peace efforts.

Mahamat said after their meetings in Yaounde, they observed that a large majority of Cameroonians supported the convening of the major national dialogue and believe it aided their quest for peace. He said they were convinced that dialogue remains the only path to peace, and asked the government to implement the recommendations of the national dialogue.

After the national dialogue, hundreds of prisoners were freed when Biya ordered a halt to court proceedings against them, saying he was implementing the recommendations of the dialogue.

However, Albert Mvomo, an official of the opposition Cameroon United Party, says Biya’s government has not been doing enough to solve the crisis. He says the AU, OIF and Commonwealth delegation should have proposed sanctions to force Biya to solve the crisis.

He says the three organizations, like any international organization, should force the government in Yaounde to solve the crisis in the English-speaking regions through economic and diplomatic sanctions. He says Cameroon’s government shows no serious sign of wanting to stop the crisis.

Mvomo said the growing number of displaced people in towns and villages in the French-speaking regions showed the government has not been doing much to stop the separatist conflicts.

Simon Munzo, an Anglophone leader who took part at the national dialogue, says while some recommendations would require legislation, Cameroon should have started showing serious signs that it wants peace to return by restoring public infrastructure and villages and towns destroyed by the fighting for the population to return.

“We expect the government to maintain the momentum through the implementation of the recommendations of the dialogue,” said Munzo. “Some of them require legislation. Others do not, for example rebuilding schools and bridges and all of that. You do not need legislation for that except in terms of budgeting. Now, there are other aspects that will require modifying the constitution.”

Separatists have insisted on social media that they do not recognize the outcome of the national dialogue and will be ready to negotiate with the Yaounde government only on the terms of the separation of the English-speaking and French-speaking parts of Cameroon.

Source: VOA

1, December 2019

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Amba fighters fire at Camairco plane ⁰

Southern Cameroonian fighters have fired at a Camairco plane in Bamenda, as the airliner was about to land at the Bamenda airport.

The airliner, which has been grounded in Bamenda, took some bullets and will not be flying for sometime.

The incident that occurred today December 1st 2109 is a clear indication that the Southern Cameroons crisis is far from over despite the optimism generated by the Major National Dialogue held in Yaounde in October 2019.

Camairco is now among other state corporations which have been affected by the crisis.

PAMOL, CDC, and SONARA have been hit hard by the crisis and this is a severe blow to the cash-strapped Yaounde government that is still hoping that time will help solve a problem that has become a millstone around its neck.

Since the commencement of the crisis, the government of Cameroon has lost more than USD 50 billion due to the war and the country’s economy is in a free fall.

Unemployment has reached unbearable levels and insecurity is heading for the sky, especially in Yaounde and Douala which are the country’s most economically active cities.

According to a source at the Unity Palace, government officials are really concerned by the declining economy and they fear that the country’s increasing isolation at the international level may make things worse.

The source, which elected anonymity, said that there was fear among government officials, especially those who still hold that the government should not negotiate with Southern Cameroonians because in their view, negotiating with people who have taken up weapons against their country will be like promoting terrorism.

As the economy continues its race to the bottom, many analysts hold that the government might finally come to its senses.

Many state corporations are already having huge liquidity issues, and a corporation like ENEO, the country’s inefficient power utility, has not paid its workers for more than three months.

SONARA is down and what is left of it is not really delivering the revenue the government needs to pay some of its bills.

This explains why a huge chunk of next year’s budget has been allocated to the repairs of the units of the national oil refinery that were heavily damaged in a fire whose origin remains a mystery.

Meanwhile, to cushion the impact of the economic crisis the country is dealing with, the government last week surreptitiously rushed a high-level delegation to Washington to negotiate with the Trump Administration on the country’s readmission into AGOA, an economic program that gives poor African countries like Cameroon access to the huge and lucrative American market.

After having made a lot of noise about the country’s sovereignty and insisting that Cameroon’s dismissal from AGOA will not hurt the country, the government had to eat its words.

America is Cameroon’s ally in the war against terrorism on the continent and American economic assistance to the Central African country has been helping it to stave off some of the social and economic pressure that could help bring down the corrupt and ineffective Yaounde government.

It was on this grounds that a high-level delegation headed to Washington to plead for clemency after having insulted Americans.

However, the mission to Washington has not gone very well as Washington is insisting that the Yaounde govern must stop conducting itself as a rogue regime.

The delegation met with U.S. under-secretary of State for African Affairs, Tibor Nagy, who advised the government delegation that there would be conditions to be met if the country would continue to enjoy free and unfettered access to the U.S. market.

Among the conditions are a release of all political prisoners in the country, a release of all Southern Cameroonians arrested due to the crisis, the holding of an inclusive dialogue as requested by the international community and the cessation of military operations in the two English-speaking regions of the country.

Yaounde is therefore looking at ways of complying with the conditions without losing face. Its politicians have already begun admitting that the government had made mistakes and that Southern Cameroonians should forgive and forget.

In this regard, there is a flurry of activities taking place in Yaounde to find lasting solutions to the crisis that has put the country in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

With the arrival last week of the heads of the AU, Commonwealth and the Francophonie in Yaounde, it is clear that the noose around the government’s neck is getting tighter.

The pressure is mounting and the country’s low energy prime minister has been busy all weekend holding meetings on how to find sustainable solutions to the issues that triggered the Southern Cameroons crisis.

The weeks ahead will be producing some good news, but the news might be coming too late as Southern Cameroonians have been radicalized and many simply want a total disconnection from East Cameroon because of the long years of pain and suffering inflicted on them by the country’s military.

The world needs a solution from the Yaounde government and some of the government’s allies are already running out patience with a government that has been at best ineffective throughout this conflict.

If it needs to regain the confidence of its allies, it must swallow its pride and approve the Canadian-sponsored, American-supported Swiss initiative that has also been approved by the European Union.

Time is of the essence. The government has been cornered and it must act fast and effectively if genuine peace and confidence have to return to Cameroon.

By Kingsley Betek and Joyce Ekinde in Yaounde

1, December 2019

Football: Euro 2020 draw puts Portugal, France and Germany in same group ⁰

Reigning European champions Portugal will come up against World Cup winners France and Germany in the standout group at Euro 2020 following Saturday’s draw for the tournament in Bucharest, as England came out alongside Croatia.

Neither France nor Portugal were in Pot One for the 24-team competition being held in 12 cities across Europe, making them the dangerous teams to avoid for the top seeds.

In the event, they came out together in an incredibly tough Group F alongside Germany, who will play group games at home in Munich. That is where Joachim Loew’s team will face France in their first match on June 16.

Group F will be completed by one of the winners of the play-offs to be played next March, leaving open several possibilities including Hungary, who will play at home in Budapest should they make it.

France beat Germany in the semi-finals of Euro 2016 on home soil, before losing in the final to a Portugal side who claimed the title for the first time.

Meanwhile, England were drawn with Croatia and the Czech Republic in Group D, with Gareth Southgate’s team to play home group games at Wembley, which will also be the venue for the semi-finals and final.

That section will be completed by the team to emerge victorious from Path C in the play-offs, between Serbia, Norway, Israel and Scotland. The latter have the added incentive of knowing they will play home games in Glasgow in the group stage should they qualify.

England faced the Czech Republic in qualifying, winning 5-0 at Wembley but suffering their only defeat of the campaign in Prague, where they went down 2-1 in October.

England will kick off at home to Croatia on June 14 in a repeat of the 2018 World Cup semi-final, which was won by the Croatians.

However, should England win their group they will have to play the runners-up from Group F, setting up a possible clash with Germany, France or Portugal in the last 16.

Elsewhere, Italy will face Turkey in Rome in the tournament’s opening game on June 12, with Switzerland and Euro 2016 semi-finalists Wales also in that section, Group A.

Spain will take on Sweden and Poland as well as a play-off winner in Group E.

The month-long tournament will conclude with the final in London on July 12.

(AFP)

1, December 2019

Iran: Official points to more open elections ⁰

A senior Iranian official has suggested in an interview with AFP that authorities may be more open than in the past in approving candidates for a looming parliamentary election.

“We don’t consider ourselves immune from criticism. We may also accept that mistakes have been made in the past,” said Guardian Council spokesman Abbas Ali Kadkhodaee.

“But for the next legislative elections we are trying to reduce our mistakes and respect the rights of candidates.”

Kadkhodaee was speaking to AFP on the eve of the opening on Sunday of the registration of candidates for the parliamentary election to be held on February 21.

The Guardian Council, which is under the control of ultra-conservatives, is responsible for organising and monitoring elections in Iran, including vetting candidates.

“If we insist on enforcing the law, we’ll be able to satisfy as many candidates as possible,” said Kadkhodaee.

In the past, the council has faced accusations in Iran, particularly by reformists, of barring candidates more on political than constitutional grounds.

In November, President Hassan Rouhani, a moderate conservative, called on the council to stick to the letter of the law in view of the forthcoming election.

At Iran’s last parliamentary election in February 2016, the Council authorised 6,229 candidates for the 290 seats at stake — just over 51 percent of those who sought to stand.

In the interview, Kadkhodaee said a higher number of successful candidates should also lead to a “higher participation rate”.

Source: AFP

1, December 2019

Israel: Thousands in Tel Aviv rally to demand Netanyahu’s resignation ⁰

Thousands of Israeli protesters have held demonstrations in Tel Aviv to demand Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s resignation over his corruption charges.

At least 6,000 people were at the gathering in the Habima Square of Tel Aviv, Israel’s Channel 12 estimated.

Netanyahu is “the most cowardly prime minister we’ve ever had,” a demonstrator told Yedioth Ahronoth (Ynet), adding that the premier “needs to resign and go plead his case in court.”

Israel is “sick of the corruption”, another protester said. “We need to send Bibi home,” she said.

A same rally had been held last Saturday in Tel Aviv, where hundreds of demonstrators urged Netanyahu to leave office.

Protesters chanted “Bibi go home,” and waved signs reading: “Netanyahu, let go already,” “Netanyahu, you should quit,” and “The corrupt should go home.”

“What you see here is absurd. We have a man who is charged with three major crimes. And he still believes he wants to be [a] prime minister. I mean this is crazy,” a protester said.

Netanyahu’s political opponents and demonstrators have moved to capitalize on the indictment on charges relating to corruption, bribery and breach of trust against him, hoping to strip the weakened 70-year-old leader of power.

Netanyahu rivals, protesters move to bring him down after corruption indictment

Netanyahu has vowed to stay in office while he fights the criminal charges, which include bribery, fraud, and breach of trust in one case, and additional fraud and breach of trust charges in another two cases.

Last Saturday, Benny Gantz, the leader of center-left Blue and White political alliance and Netanyahu’s main challenger in the two elections this year, called on the Israeli premier to step down, but still offered to form a coalition administration with his Likud political party if there are any chances.

“In light of the circumstances, I call to form a unity administration that is as broad as possible under my leadership,” Gantz said at a press conference in Tel Aviv.

He added, “I will be prime minister for the first two years while Netanyahu can work on his legal issues. If he is acquitted, he can come back and be prime minister.”

An opinion poll recently revealed that more than half of people in the occupied territories believe that Netanyahu must quit after being indicted on a series of corruption charges.

According to the survey conducted by Channel 13 and published last Friday evening, 56% said the charges leveled against Netanyahu were too much for him to continue as the Israeli leader, while 35% said he needed not step down and the remaining 9% of the respondents said they didn’t know.

Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, are suspected of wrongfully accepting $264,000 worth of jewelry, cigars, champagne and other gifts from wealthy businessmen for political favors in one case.

Is political career of Netanyahu nearing its end?

The Israeli prime minister is also accused of interfering with regulatory bodies and lawmakers on behalf of the biggest selling newspaper in the occupied territories, Ynet, in exchange for positive news coverage and favorable stories about him.

Israeli lawmakers have less than a month to organize a coalition and select a lawmaker to lead a majority administration. There are strong indications that the legislators will not succeed.

Israel will have to hold elections for the third time this year in case Knesset members fail to garner 61 seats in the 120-seat legislature.

Source: Presstv

30, November 2019

More Deaths Feared From Cholera in Southern Cameroons ⁰

Cameroonian health and emergency personnel are working to stem a cholera outbreak that has killed at least a dozen people and sickened at least 100 others in the Bakassi Peninsula that shares a maritime boundary with Nigeria.

It is feared the outbreak will claim more lives in the coastal area, which lacks health infrastructure.

Emergency medical workers, together with some civilians, are working to improve hygiene and sanitation by clearing dirt and debris from water beneath houses on the shores in the area. Among them is 31-year-old Cameroonian fisherman Lucas Emimo, who says he lost his younger sister to cholera. Emimo says he has joined the humanitarian workers because he fears many more people may die from the infectious disease that causes severe watery diarrhea, leading to dehydration and even death if untreated.

Dirty water flows underneath houses in Idabato, Cameroon, Nov. 28, 2019. (Moki Edwin Kindzeka/VOA) — Dirty water flows underneath houses in Idabato, Cameroon, Nov. 28, 2019.

“We lack toilets, potable water,” Emimo said. “There is no hospital. People defecate beside the sea, under the houses, everywhere and so it makes the place not good to stay.”

Dr. Ebongo Zakius Nandji, the area’s top health official, says humanitarian workers were deployed when news broke that people were dying and some were being rushed to hospitals. He says there is no doubt cholera is to blame.

“Upon the reception of a distress signal from our team in the Bakassi health district, we came down to [the city of] Idabato, myself and my entire emergency response team,” Nandji said. “The situation on the ground really sends a pointer to the fact that we are in an outbreak of cholera.”

Nandji said six people had been reported dead and hundreds of suspected cholera sufferers were still in villages around Idabato. Civilians said they had buried six others before the medical team’s arrival. The actual death toll could be higher, because many live in remote locations, complicating efforts to get accurate health data.

Nandji urged people to be vigilant and report any cholera symptoms.

Hospitals underused

But the government says only 20 percent of the population visits hospitals. Most of them prefer traditional African medicine. Some complain that the only government hospital in Idabato is understaffed and lacks medication.

Roland Ewane, a top Cameroonian official in Idabato, says Nigerians living in the region prefer to return to their country for health care. However, making the journey reduces chances of survival for cholera patients.

A humanitarian worker disinfects homes in Idabato, Cameroon, Nov. 28, 2019. (Moki Edwin Kindzeka/VOA) — A humanitarian worker disinfects homes in Idabato, Cameroon, Nov. 28, 2019.

“We have a population of about 40,000,” Ewane said. “They are mostly Nigerians. We have been carrying out sensitization campaigns [educating the population] on the necessity of using or the importance of using government services. One of them is the hospital. They do not come to the hospital. It is a big cry [to use hospitals].”

The Bakassi Peninsula is by the sea, but potable water is hard to find. Few have toilets and the local hospital struggles to handle epidemics.

Nigeria ceded full control of the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon in 2013, in keeping with a 2002 International Court of Justice ruling. Some 300,000 Nigerians live on the peninsula — approximately 90 percent of its population. The territory is rich in hydrocarbons and fisheries, but lacks basic social services.

Most health workers trained by Nigeria to serve in the area returned to their country when Cameroon did not continue paying their salaries. Some also fled attacks by separatists fighting for the independence of Cameroon’s English-speaking regions from the French-speaking majority. Cameroon has faced difficulties replacing departed medical staff.

Source: VOA

30, November 2019

Yaounde: Diplomats urge Biya to step down ⁰

Cameroon Intelligence Report has learnt that Moussa Faki Mahamat of the African Union, Patricia Scotland of the Commonwealth and Louise Mushikiwabo of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie met President Paul Biya privately in Yaoundé and insisted that the French Cameroun dictator should give up power.

Our chief intelligence officer in Yaoundé said the meeting, which involved representatives of the US and French embassies in Yaoundé, was held at an undisclosed location. We understand that the diplomats from the US side delivered a clear and firm message that the only way to free La Republique du Cameroun from a civil war was for the 86 year old Biya to step down.

The secret meeting occurred after a televised one with Prime Minister Dion Ngute in which French Cameroun state media, CRTV reported that Biya was still in the good books of the West and his troops were winning the Ambazonia Restoration Forces for control of the oil rich Southern Cameroons.

The Southern Cameroons Interim Government announced last week the creation of the Bank of Ambazonia which was followed with the appointment of the governor of the bank by Vice President Dabney Yerima in what would be a major boost to the Southern Cameroons campaign for total and complete independence.

The French Cameroun Minister-Secretary General at the presidency of the Republic, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh was heard murmuring privately after the meeting that the Biya regime welcomed discussions but only without preconditions.

The French Cameroun military has changed tactics several times in the back-and-forth fighting in Southern Cameroons since the Ambazonia uprising began nearly four years ago.

State TV, in a bid to counter claims that the Biya regime was crumbling, has been showing images of ordinary life in Southern Cameroons with students reportedly back to school. Biya is refusing to step down despite pressure from the United States and the European Union.

We gathered that French Cameroun political elites are now calling their pro Yaoundé Southern Cameroons counterparts as traitors. Eneo, the sole electricity provider has not been able to pay salaries for the last three months.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

30, November 2019

France reviews counter-terrorism strategy in Sahel ⁰

French President Emmanuel Macron told his country military leaders to consider all options as it seeks to review its operations against Islamist militants in West Africa.

Macron’s first public remarks since 13 French soldiers died during a combat mission in Mali included an earnest plea for his international allies to do more.

France, a former colonial power, is the only Western country with a significant military presence waging counter-insurgency operations in Mali and the wider Sahel region south of the Sahara desert.

What happened?

The 13 French soldiers were killed in Mali on Monday when two helicopters collided in the dark after being called in to provide air support during a combat mission to track down a band of Islamic State fighters.

Islamic State said on Thursday that its West African branch had caused the collision, but it did not provide any evidence for the claim.

The French government has faced criticism at home that its troops are bogged down, while critical voices in the region have increasingly scorned Paris for failing to restore stability and anti-French sentiment has grown.

Thirty eight French troops have been killed in the West African Sahel since France sent troops to Mali in 2013.

Macron’s reaction

Macron invited those seeking to understand the cost of France’s mission in the Sahel should witness a ceremony to honour the dead soldiers. The country will be mourning its heaviest single loss of troops for nearly four decades.

“France is acting in the Sahel on everyone’s behalf,” an emotional Macron told a news conference with NATO General-Secretary Jens Stoltenberg.

“Our mission there is important. Nevertheless, the situation we face compels me today to examine all our strategic options.”

France’s options

Macron said he had told his government and top military leaders to look hard at France’s operations in the region, adding, “I told them all options are open”.

He gave no indication what those options were. However, French officials have ruled out withdrawing its 4,500-strong force from the region, fearing this could lead to even more chaos.

As France mourns the dead commandos, Macron wants to incorporate more European allies into operations and to ensure local troops are better trained and equipped.

French officials have also bemoaned the fact peace accords agreed in Mali in 2015 have still not been implemented and that the political will power to implement them is missing.

Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told lawmakers there was a need for more political action in Mali and a common desire to defeat terrorism, adding that was also the case for neighbouring Burkina Faso.

An unwinnable war?

Despite French troops, 15,000 U.N. peacekeepers in Mali and thousands of pan-regional forces, Islamist militants have strengthened their foothold across the arid Sahel region, making large swathes of territory ungovernable and stoking ethnic violence, especially in Mali and Burkina Faso.

On Wednesday, France’s top general acknowledged France would never achieve a total victory over al Qaeda- and Islamic State-affiliated militants.

Macron’s government denies it is bogged down in an intractable conflict. But Monday’s deaths have provoked renewed public comparisons with the United States’ drawn-out military involvement in Afghanistan.

France has complained to European allies that it is bearing the brunt of a counter-terrorism operation that benefits all Europe. It hopes to persuade them quickly to send special forces to the region to back up local troops, Le Drian said.

REUTERS