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Togo's President Faure Gnassingbe speaks during a joint news conference with Ivory Coast's President Alassane Ouattara.
Has Francophone Africa had enough of France?
The French (dis)connection: One big theme is saying au revoir to foreign (read: French) influence. In just the past four years, a number of former French colonies where Paris still wielded power – such as Niger, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Gabon, and Chad – have experienced military coups in which the overthrown governments were cast, at least in part, as being puppets of Paris.
Lawmakers at the summit accused France of failing to contain rebel groups, pressuring local governments, and making it harder for local leaders to tackle national issues independently.
The meeting comes as France is losing ground in the region anyway. In 2023, it had to pull its troops out of Niger and Burkina Faso following military takeovers by juntas hostile to Paris. Mali has banned French media amid rising hostility to perceived French meddling. And through it all, Russia has been expanding its security influence in the region by using its Wagner Group mercenaries to provide security for local governments.
Europe needs to strengthen its defenses, says President Macron
Carl Bildt, former prime minister of Sweden, shares his perspective on European politics from Etterbeek, Brussels.
Does President Macron in France, thinks that Europe can't rely on the United States for its defense no longer?
That's not really the gist of what he’s saying. What he's saying, and I think he's entirely right, is that Europe must do more on its own for its defense. The United States remains a partner of immense value. No question about that. But he points out that the United States is a country with global responsibilities and pressures for an increased engagement elsewhere as well. So the call for Europe to do more, to coordinate, to integrate, to strengthen its own defenses from President Macron. I think that reflects a sentiment that you find all over Europe these days.
Does the resurgence of the radical right in any way impair the celebration in Portugal that is 50 years since the coup, the revolution that overturned the dictatorship?
I don't think it does. That was a joyous celebration across Lisbon and across Portugal on that day, celebrating that is 50 years, the return of democracy or the coming of democracy, to be precise. The only thing that was perhaps, discordant note was, some difficult in handling the legacy of the old colonial wars. Portugal did try to cling on the colonial empire in Africa for a very long time, and that was one of the reasons, by the way, for the revolution 50 years ago.
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An oblong repousse gold ornament with three bands of decora is displayed in this undated handout picture obtained by Reuters.
The UK finally returns looted treasures … for a limited time only
If someone takes your stuff and only returns it with conditions attached, you might be the victim of a mafia swindling. Or British imperialism.
The looted “crown jewels” of Ghana are being returned to the country by two prominent British museums on a three-year loan agreement, with an option to extend for another three years.
What was taken: 32 gold and silver items from the former Asante Empire — located in modern-day Ghana — many of which haven’t been back there in 150 years.
When they were taken: During British incursions against the Asante Empire in the 1800s, before the kingdom was fully annexed by the British in 1901. The modern Ghanaian government has sought their return for years.
Why it matters: The agreement might be seen as a blueprint for future deals in which museums return items taken from abroad under suspect or coercive circumstances. The deal was struck between the current ceremonial Asante king and the museums directly. Its terms get around British laws that prevent UK museums from unilaterally returning artifacts — like the Parthenon Marbles to Greece or the Benin Bronzes to Nigeria (and the list goes on).
But don’t expect UK museum wings to empty out anytime soon. A spokesperson for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak assured that Britain “would expect the items to be returned at the end of that loan period.”
For more on the highly charged identity politics of art, see our recent special on the 200-year-old fight over Parthenon Marbles here.