>>17398304 (pb)

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/malis-ex-colonizer-france-fully-withdraws

Mali's ex-colonizer, France, 'fully withdraws'

The last soldiers from France's Barkhane operation in Mali have left the African country as per the French chiefs of staff.

"Today at 13H00 Paris time (1100 GMT) the final contingent of the Barkhane force still on Malian territory crossed the border between Mali and Niger," the statement said.

The army had met the "major military logistics challenge" of the pullout "in an orderly and safe fashion," it added.

At its peak, France's Barkhane mission included 5,100 troops from five former French colonies in the Sahel region: Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger.

The forces have played critical roles in air power, troop transport, and reconnaissance. France has an air base in Niamey, Niger's capital, where drones are stationed.

Following the Malian withdrawal, the mission will have "around 2,500" troops, according to Barkhane Commander General Laurent Michon last month.

According to French sources, Paris will keep over 1,000 troops in Niger alongside local forces.

French troops are also stationed in Gabon, Ivory Coast, and Senegal, as well as in Djibouti in the east of Africa.

In June, French President Emmanuel Macron directed his government and military leaders to "rethink our overall presence on the African continent by the autumn."

Today, Macron congratulated the military on its nine-year presence in Mali, claiming it had "prevented the establishment of a territorial caliphate and fought against terrorists who attack local populations and pose a threat to Europe."

It is worth noting that France sent troops to the western African country in 2013, under the pretense of defeating jihadists in northern Mali and the Sahel, which never happened considering the increasing number of operations targeting Malian forces. The operation ended in February following the deterioration of France's ties with its ex-colony.

Malians have repeatedly taken to the streets of the capital, Bamako, in demonstrations in support of the Malian Armed Forces. The demonstrators also voiced dissatisfaction with France's actions in the country, a former colony, especially after Malian troops reportedly found bodies buried near the base in the town of Gossi, which had been under the control of French forces until they handed it over to Mali.

One of the demonstrations took place in Bamako near the Monument of Independence. Hundreds of Malians expressed dissatisfaction with France's actions, accusing the French military of the mass killings in Gossi and expressing support for Russia on the matter, considering that the French accused the Russians of staging the whole thing; a claim heavily disputed by the locals and Moscow alike.

The rally participants held posters with the slogans "Thousands of children are victims of Macron", calling Macron a white racist, "Macron, what did you need your drones for?", "Macron is the butcher of Gossi."

The demonstrations garnered many Malians' intent on getting rid of French influence in the country and holding Paris accountable for its crimes in its former colony and the largest nation in Africa.

>>17398511

DDay and Green. Interdasting.

By the way, in (pb) you posted one with Charles name in it. So that makes 3 sons of the Queen. Lacking the daughter name to make a full house. What was her name, Anne or Margaret?

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/kenyas-ruto-declared-president-elect-amid-chaos-objections

Kenya's Ruto declared president-elect amid chaos, objections

Deputy President William Ruto was declared on Monday the winner of Kenya's hard-fought presidential poll, but the announcement was mired in controversy after several members of the election commission rejected the results.

Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairman Wafula Chebukati said Ruto had won almost 7.18 million votes (50.49%) in the August 9 vote, against 6.94 million (48.85%) for his rival Raila Odinga.

"I stand before you despite intimidation and harassment. I have done my duty according to the laws of the land," Chebukati said.

"In accordance with the law, I… hereby declare that Ruto William Samoei has been duly elected as the president."

Shortly before his announcement, four out of seven IEBC commissioners said they could not recognize the results, raising rigging fears in the closely-watched poll in the East African political and economic powerhouse.

Ruto is a 55-year-old rags-to-riches businessman who had characterized the vote as a battle between ordinary "hustlers" and "dynasties" who had ruled Kenya since independence from Britain in 1963.

After the results were announced, he vowed to work with "all leaders" in Kenya.

"There is no room for vengeance," Ruto said, adding, "I am acutely aware that our country is at a stage where we need all hands on deck."

The outcome was a bitter blow for Odinga, the 77-year-old veteran opposition leader who had the weight of the ruling party behind him after forging a 2018 pact with outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta in a stunning shift of allegiances.

The days-long wait for the outcome of the race had already set the East African nation on edge.

But in a shock announcement, IEBC Vice Chair Juliana Cherera told reporters that she and three of her colleagues could not "take ownership of the result that will be announced," calling the process "opaque".

"However we have an open door that people can go to court and because of the same we urge Kenyans to be peaceful because the rule of the law is going to prevail," she added.

Although last Tuesday's poll passed off largely peacefully in the regional political and economic powerhouse, memories of vote-rigging and deadly violence in 2007-08 and 2017 still loom large.

The IEBC had been under intense pressure to deliver a clean election after it faced stinging criticism for its handling of the 2017 election.

Since 1991, when the one-party state ended, Kenya has had six multiparty elections following pressure from civil society and donors. All elections since then have been high-stakes ethnic contests.

In the 2017 elections, Kenyans witnessed violence at extreme levels. About 100 were killed in post-poll protests, and in 2007 polls more than 1,200 people were killed in riots.

Facebook's failure in detecting hate speech in Kenya ahead of elections has also sparked fears of reigniting chaos among tribes. Commissioners from Foxglove and Global Witness have criticized the social media company for blocking ads that are "dehumanizing, comparing specific tribal groups to animals and calling for rape, slaughter, and beheading."

It is not impossible that Kenya could break up along ethnic lines. Already the violence in the past has caused the flight of several hundred thousand Kenyans who belonged to ethnic minorities in their places of residence.

Although Kenya has for some time been referred to as a "model" by the imperialist West, the speed with which the entire social and political structure of what appeared to be one of the most stable countries in Africa shows the underlying fragility of bourgeois democracy everywhere.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/putin:-russia-north-korea-to-expand-relations

Putin: Russia, North Korea to expand relations

Pyongyang's state media stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin promised North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that the two countries will "expand the comprehensive and constructive bilateral relations with joint common efforts."

On North Korea's liberation day, Putin stated in a letter to Kim that closer ties would be in the interest of both countries, and would further help strengthen the security and stability of the Korean peninsula and the Northeastern Asian region, North Korea's KCNA news agency reported.

In response, Kim's letter to Putin hailed the North Korean-Russian friendship that had been forged in World War II through the victory over Japan, which had back then occupied the Korean peninsula.

The two countries' "strategic and tactical collaboration, support, and solidarity" have now achieved a new level in defying threats and provocations from hostile military forces, according to Kim's letter.

Read next: China, Russia defend their North Korea vetoes at UNSC

The North Korean leader predicted cooperation between Russia and North Korea would develop based on an agreement signed in 2019 when he met with Putin.

On April 24, Pyongyang pledged to continue strengthening and developing relations with Russia on the eve of the third anniversary of the summit between the two presidents. The summit was held for the first time in the eastern Russian city of Vladivostok on April 25, 2019.

In July, North Korea's embassy in Moscow told Sputnik that it announced its recognition of the independence of the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR) and the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR).

"We confirm [the recognition of the DPR, LPR]," the DPRK embassy stated, adding that the corresponding note was sent to the Russian embassy in Pyongyang.

Anyone interested in making Kim walk along side froggies?