#anon_candanga : ⚡️ Russia closes skies to #Germany, #Spain, #Italy, #France and 23 other countries in response - Rosaviatsia
#anon_candanga : #France announces the neutralization in #Mali of a major player of AQIM, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
The Algerian Yahia Djouadi was a historic member of the organization who had a high position
The Algerian Yahia Djouadi was a historic member of the organization who had a high position
#anon_candanga : 3/4 #Protesters are demanding autonomy for the island of Corsica, which is currently part of #France, and the transfer of Yvan Colonna to a Corsican prison.
#France: General Jacques Langlade de Montgro new head of French Military Intelligence to lead its restructuring
Following the dismissal of its previous director, Eric Vidaud, who was accused of acting insufficiently in the face of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, Le Figaro reports.
The new chief will have to take charge of the transformation of the DRM, undertaken more than a year ago, and which is aimed at adapting the country's Military Intelligence to the escalation of crises at the international level and the growing number of data that must be process, details the French press.
Following the dismissal of its previous director, Eric Vidaud, who was accused of acting insufficiently in the face of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, Le Figaro reports.
The new chief will have to take charge of the transformation of the DRM, undertaken more than a year ago, and which is aimed at adapting the country's Military Intelligence to the escalation of crises at the international level and the growing number of data that must be process, details the French press.
Rights groups accuse French arms makers of #war crimes complicity
Three NGOs are suing #France over supplying arms to the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen
Three human rights organizations have sued French arms manufacturers Dassault Aviation, Thales, and MBDA France for selling weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, charging that the sales amount to complicity in alleged war crimes committed by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.
The lawsuit, initiated by the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), the Mwatana for Human Rights, and Sherpa International, focuses on 27 airstrikes targeting four hospitals, three schools, and several refugee camps. All were said to be far from military targets and involved the use of weapons manufactured by the three companies.
Dassault is specifically being sued for making possible attacks “against civilians and civilian infrastructure” by selling to the UAE and providing maintenance for some 59 Mirage fighter planes and “encouraging” violations of international human rights law by selling 80 Rafale planes to the country. MBDA France’s sale of Storm Shadow and Scalp air-to-ground missiles and Thales’ sale of Damocles guidance pods and Scales missile guidance systems are also condemned in the suit.
“Companies have their own responsibility to do their risk assessment and they have been trading with Saudi Arabia and the UAE for years,” the ECCHR’s Canelle Lavite told Reuters on Thursday, explaining that after five years of war in Yemen the arms dealers were certain to have encountered “these abundant and consistent international reports that document the coalition’s violations” in Yemen. “If we provide weapons to an alleged perpetrator of recurring crimes, we facilitate the commission of these crimes,” she continued.
They should no longer be unaware that their exports can lead to possible criminal liability.
“The coalition’s airstrikes have caused terrible destruction in Yemen. Weapons produced and exported by European countries, and in particular France, have enabled these crimes,” the executive director of Mwatana for Human Rights, Abdulrasheed al-Faqih, told Reuters, arguing that “seven years into this war, the countless Yemeni victims deserve credible investigations into all perpetrators of crimes, including those potentially complicit.”
Al-Faqih claimed his organization has documented over 1,000 attacks on civilians that left 3,000 dead and 4,000 injured.
The three NGOs are not the first to sue leading figures in the coalition. French courts are already hearing complaints against Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan of Abu Dhabi, Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and even France’s customs authority.
Amnesty International France and the ECCHR sued the customs authority in September in an effort to force them to release records of exports of weapons to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, calling their refusal to do so up to that point a “disproportionate interference with the fundamental right of the public to receive information.” France, the NGOs argued, had continued to ship weapons and provide maintenance and training to the belligerents despite “overwhelming evidence of attacks committed by the Saudi Arabian-UAE military coalition…against civilian populations and infrastructure” in Yemen.
The UN confirmed in 2020 that military equipment provided by Western nations was fueling the conflict in Yemen, which has been raging since 2015, leaving upwards of 150,000 dead and driving millions to the brink of famine.
Saudi Arabia has repeatedly denied targeting civilian infrastructure, insisting instead it has pursued military targets in response to perceived threats. The UAE has responded to UN accusations of war crimes by accusing the organization of overlooking Houthi culpability in civilian suffering.
A truce between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthi rebels, the first since 2016, has been in effect since April 2.
Three NGOs are suing #France over supplying arms to the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen
Three human rights organizations have sued French arms manufacturers Dassault Aviation, Thales, and MBDA France for selling weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, charging that the sales amount to complicity in alleged war crimes committed by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.
The lawsuit, initiated by the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), the Mwatana for Human Rights, and Sherpa International, focuses on 27 airstrikes targeting four hospitals, three schools, and several refugee camps. All were said to be far from military targets and involved the use of weapons manufactured by the three companies.
Dassault is specifically being sued for making possible attacks “against civilians and civilian infrastructure” by selling to the UAE and providing maintenance for some 59 Mirage fighter planes and “encouraging” violations of international human rights law by selling 80 Rafale planes to the country. MBDA France’s sale of Storm Shadow and Scalp air-to-ground missiles and Thales’ sale of Damocles guidance pods and Scales missile guidance systems are also condemned in the suit.
“Companies have their own responsibility to do their risk assessment and they have been trading with Saudi Arabia and the UAE for years,” the ECCHR’s Canelle Lavite told Reuters on Thursday, explaining that after five years of war in Yemen the arms dealers were certain to have encountered “these abundant and consistent international reports that document the coalition’s violations” in Yemen. “If we provide weapons to an alleged perpetrator of recurring crimes, we facilitate the commission of these crimes,” she continued.
They should no longer be unaware that their exports can lead to possible criminal liability.
“The coalition’s airstrikes have caused terrible destruction in Yemen. Weapons produced and exported by European countries, and in particular France, have enabled these crimes,” the executive director of Mwatana for Human Rights, Abdulrasheed al-Faqih, told Reuters, arguing that “seven years into this war, the countless Yemeni victims deserve credible investigations into all perpetrators of crimes, including those potentially complicit.”
Al-Faqih claimed his organization has documented over 1,000 attacks on civilians that left 3,000 dead and 4,000 injured.
The three NGOs are not the first to sue leading figures in the coalition. French courts are already hearing complaints against Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan of Abu Dhabi, Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and even France’s customs authority.
Amnesty International France and the ECCHR sued the customs authority in September in an effort to force them to release records of exports of weapons to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, calling their refusal to do so up to that point a “disproportionate interference with the fundamental right of the public to receive information.” France, the NGOs argued, had continued to ship weapons and provide maintenance and training to the belligerents despite “overwhelming evidence of attacks committed by the Saudi Arabian-UAE military coalition…against civilian populations and infrastructure” in Yemen.
The UN confirmed in 2020 that military equipment provided by Western nations was fueling the conflict in Yemen, which has been raging since 2015, leaving upwards of 150,000 dead and driving millions to the brink of famine.
Saudi Arabia has repeatedly denied targeting civilian infrastructure, insisting instead it has pursued military targets in response to perceived threats. The UAE has responded to UN accusations of war crimes by accusing the organization of overlooking Houthi culpability in civilian suffering.
A truce between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthi rebels, the first since 2016, has been in effect since April 2.
The new Suffren class (barracuda) nuclear submarine is expected to enter service with the French navy (Marine Nationale) today. That will bring #France's SSNs closer to their British and American allies boats in overall capabilities
Forwarded from Mango Press 🥭🗝
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An Algerian soldier was martyred during a counter terrorism operation in Ain Defla, 🇩🇿 #Algeria.
The operation was most likely against 🇫🇷 #France and 🇲🇦 #Morocco backed #MAK terrorist separatists.
🥭 @mangopress
An Algerian soldier was martyred during a counter terrorism operation in Ain Defla, 🇩🇿 #Algeria.
The operation was most likely against 🇫🇷 #France and 🇲🇦 #Morocco backed #MAK terrorist separatists.
🥭 @mangopress
Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees in #Paris
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NQAdZXFVsU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NQAdZXFVsU
YouTube
LIVE: Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees in Paris
French President Emmanuel Macron attends Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris.
#BastilleDay #militaryparade #France #Reuters #News #Live
#BastilleDay #militaryparade #France #Reuters #News #Live
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#France celebrated its national day on July 14, 2022 with a military parade where thousands of French troops joined their eastern European allies on parade down the famed Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris followed by fireworks later in the evening. Foreign troops from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary were assigned the front position in the parade, followed by multinational forces deployed in Romania. The traditional Bastille Day events included warplane flyovers, military vehicles and a drone in what was described as a show of French support for Ukraine’s battle against Russian invasion forces.
Former presidential candidate in #France Segolene Royal has accused Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky of using ‘war propaganda’ as a tool to obstruct the peace process. Veteran politician Segolene Royal also called on the UN and media associations to fight against such tactics.
Royal’s suggestion, that some of the “war crimes” Kiev blames on Russian troops were part of ‘propaganda,’ has made her a target for widespread criticism.
Speaking to BFMTV earlier this week, Royal said that “everyone knows that there is war propaganda by fear.”
As an example, she cited the alleged shelling of a maternity hospital in Mariupol – the story which made headlines in Western media in early March. Zelensky blamed Russia for the incident that, as local authorities claimed, killed three people, including a child. The Russian military denied targeting the medical facility and insisted the whole thing was a “completely staged provocation” by the Ukrainian side.
“You can imagine that if there had been any victim, any baby with blood, in the age of cell phones we would have seen [their photos],” Royal stressed.
The authenticity of the photos presented by Kiev as proof of the claimed Russian attack were questioned by many online. Marianna Vyshemirskaya, one of the pregnant women featured in the images that appeared on the front pages of many major outlets, later claimed that there had been no Russian airstrike on the hospital. She insisted that she told AP journalists about this, but they decided not to mention it in their reportage.
Royal, who used to be a long-term partner of France’s former president Francois Hollande, also commented on the events of April in the town of Bucha near Kiev, after which Zelensky claimed that negotiations with Russia became impossible.
Ukrainian authorities accused the Russian forces of multiple atrocities against civilians in the town, including the rape of children. Moscow firmly denied the allegations of war crimes, insisting it was “yet another provocation” by Kiev.
“The stories of child rape for seven hours under the eyes of the parents: but it’s monstrous to go and spread things like that only to interrupt the peace process,” the veteran French politician stated, without elaborating
She also claimed that Zelensky used accounts of alleged torture of Ukrainian soldiers by Russian troops – which Moscow also vehemently denies – not only to impede any peace process but also to “remobilize” troops. She argued that as “there’s been enough horror of war and casualties” and that “Ukrainian propaganda” should be stopped “under the aegis of the UN and media organizations.”
After BFMTV tweeted a fragment of her interview with a caption “Segolene Royal questions certain war crimes in Ukraine,” the politician responded that this was “false,” as she’d “never denied war crimes.”
On Saturday, Royal published the final part of her remarks which, as she said, was cut by the television network. In this fragment she says that “there is a form of one-upmanship in the description of the horror, to encourage arms deliveries and to refrain from setting up negotiation and peace processes.”
“To plead for peace is to act for the end of the suffering of the Ukrainian people and of Russian aggression,” she wrote in a caption to the video.
Royal’s interview was condemned by some politicians as well as by many social media users. The Stand With Ukraine group representing the victims and the families of victims of “Russian aggression” even announced that it was considering filing a complaint against Royal in order to defend “the honor of disappeared.”
Meanwhile, the president of the party The Patriots, Florian Philippot, criticized “the aggressive and crazy reactions” to Royal’s remarks and said that she “has every right, and an intellectual duty” to question war propaganda.
Royal’s suggestion, that some of the “war crimes” Kiev blames on Russian troops were part of ‘propaganda,’ has made her a target for widespread criticism.
Speaking to BFMTV earlier this week, Royal said that “everyone knows that there is war propaganda by fear.”
As an example, she cited the alleged shelling of a maternity hospital in Mariupol – the story which made headlines in Western media in early March. Zelensky blamed Russia for the incident that, as local authorities claimed, killed three people, including a child. The Russian military denied targeting the medical facility and insisted the whole thing was a “completely staged provocation” by the Ukrainian side.
“You can imagine that if there had been any victim, any baby with blood, in the age of cell phones we would have seen [their photos],” Royal stressed.
The authenticity of the photos presented by Kiev as proof of the claimed Russian attack were questioned by many online. Marianna Vyshemirskaya, one of the pregnant women featured in the images that appeared on the front pages of many major outlets, later claimed that there had been no Russian airstrike on the hospital. She insisted that she told AP journalists about this, but they decided not to mention it in their reportage.
Royal, who used to be a long-term partner of France’s former president Francois Hollande, also commented on the events of April in the town of Bucha near Kiev, after which Zelensky claimed that negotiations with Russia became impossible.
Ukrainian authorities accused the Russian forces of multiple atrocities against civilians in the town, including the rape of children. Moscow firmly denied the allegations of war crimes, insisting it was “yet another provocation” by Kiev.
“The stories of child rape for seven hours under the eyes of the parents: but it’s monstrous to go and spread things like that only to interrupt the peace process,” the veteran French politician stated, without elaborating
She also claimed that Zelensky used accounts of alleged torture of Ukrainian soldiers by Russian troops – which Moscow also vehemently denies – not only to impede any peace process but also to “remobilize” troops. She argued that as “there’s been enough horror of war and casualties” and that “Ukrainian propaganda” should be stopped “under the aegis of the UN and media organizations.”
After BFMTV tweeted a fragment of her interview with a caption “Segolene Royal questions certain war crimes in Ukraine,” the politician responded that this was “false,” as she’d “never denied war crimes.”
On Saturday, Royal published the final part of her remarks which, as she said, was cut by the television network. In this fragment she says that “there is a form of one-upmanship in the description of the horror, to encourage arms deliveries and to refrain from setting up negotiation and peace processes.”
“To plead for peace is to act for the end of the suffering of the Ukrainian people and of Russian aggression,” she wrote in a caption to the video.
Royal’s interview was condemned by some politicians as well as by many social media users. The Stand With Ukraine group representing the victims and the families of victims of “Russian aggression” even announced that it was considering filing a complaint against Royal in order to defend “the honor of disappeared.”
Meanwhile, the president of the party The Patriots, Florian Philippot, criticized “the aggressive and crazy reactions” to Royal’s remarks and said that she “has every right, and an intellectual duty” to question war propaganda.
#France trains Ukrainian troops in secret – Politico
The outlet cited an anonymous defense official as saying Paris is taking a “discreet” approach to supporting the country
France is providing Ukrainian service members with “specialized” training in a clandestine program, Politico reported on Friday, citing sources.
According to an unnamed adviser to the French defense minister, unlike the UK, France has decided against conducting massive training exercises with Ukrainian troops. Officially, since the start of the Russian military operation in late February, it has prepared a total of 40 Ukrainian soldiers, focusing on how to operate French CAESAR self-propelled howitzers.
Unofficially, however, the adviser hinted that Ukrainians may be receiving more in-depth instruction on French soil. “The UK has chosen to forge ahead with basic training. We are doing more specialized training,” he told Politico. “We are not going to tell you everything that we do.”
The outlet’s source also indicated that Paris has embarked on a more “discreet” strategy to support Kiev. As an example, he cited recent talks between French President Emmanuel Macron and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, during which the two leaders agreed to send a mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant. The facility was repeatedly shelled by Kiev’s forces, Moscow said.
According to retired French Colonel Michel Goya, Paris’ current stance on military training is a “political” choice. He told Politico that France could have trained Ukrainians the way the British do. “We could have welcomed Ukrainians in camps across France and turned them into soldiers. We’ve done this before with African soldiers,” he said.
Retired French General Jerome Pellistrandi, however, disagreed, telling Politico that French forces are now generally unable to support large-scale training programs at home due to their overseas deployments in Africa and the Middle East.
A number of Western countries, including the UK, Poland, and Germany, have been providing training for Ukrainian troops. Britain has been especially active in this regard. Since June, around 5,000 Ukrainian personnel have reportedly undergone training on British soil.
According to a Sky News report in early September, the UK military decided to extend the combat courses for Ukrainians from three to five weeks to potentially provide Kiev with tens of thousands of fresh troops to take part in the fighting.
The outlet cited an anonymous defense official as saying Paris is taking a “discreet” approach to supporting the country
France is providing Ukrainian service members with “specialized” training in a clandestine program, Politico reported on Friday, citing sources.
According to an unnamed adviser to the French defense minister, unlike the UK, France has decided against conducting massive training exercises with Ukrainian troops. Officially, since the start of the Russian military operation in late February, it has prepared a total of 40 Ukrainian soldiers, focusing on how to operate French CAESAR self-propelled howitzers.
Unofficially, however, the adviser hinted that Ukrainians may be receiving more in-depth instruction on French soil. “The UK has chosen to forge ahead with basic training. We are doing more specialized training,” he told Politico. “We are not going to tell you everything that we do.”
The outlet’s source also indicated that Paris has embarked on a more “discreet” strategy to support Kiev. As an example, he cited recent talks between French President Emmanuel Macron and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, during which the two leaders agreed to send a mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant. The facility was repeatedly shelled by Kiev’s forces, Moscow said.
According to retired French Colonel Michel Goya, Paris’ current stance on military training is a “political” choice. He told Politico that France could have trained Ukrainians the way the British do. “We could have welcomed Ukrainians in camps across France and turned them into soldiers. We’ve done this before with African soldiers,” he said.
Retired French General Jerome Pellistrandi, however, disagreed, telling Politico that French forces are now generally unable to support large-scale training programs at home due to their overseas deployments in Africa and the Middle East.
A number of Western countries, including the UK, Poland, and Germany, have been providing training for Ukrainian troops. Britain has been especially active in this regard. Since June, around 5,000 Ukrainian personnel have reportedly undergone training on British soil.
According to a Sky News report in early September, the UK military decided to extend the combat courses for Ukrainians from three to five weeks to potentially provide Kiev with tens of thousands of fresh troops to take part in the fighting.
Last 130 French soldiers will withdraw from the Central African Republic at the end of 2022, the French newspaper Ouest #France reported this Friday with reference to the French representatives who communicated it to the Central African authorities.
The French Army will leave the African country after 62 years of military presence.
The French Army will leave the African country after 62 years of military presence.
#France will receive up to 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers to train them in combat methods against Russia and the handling of weapons, according to French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu.
Speaking to Le Parisien newspaper on Saturday, the senior official said the training plan has been approved by President Emmanuel Macron.
The Ukrainian soldiers will be assigned to French units for a several-week course. The training will include three levels: the general combatant course, training in specific fields indicated by the Ukrainians, such as logistics, and a third level of handling the supplied military equipment.
"We do this in accordance with the rules of the law, without ever being in co-belligerence because we are not at war. We are helping a country that is at war," declared the Minister of Defense.
Lecornu mentioned that his country had already provided the kyiv troops with training in the use of French Caesar howitzers, but this time the training will be on a different scale.
France has sent 18 Caesar howitzers and is in the process of supplying six more. Also, surface-to-surface missile deliveries are being considered, he said.
The minister also promised to send Crotale short-range anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine within two months, when the soldiers complete the necessary training.
The number of these systems is still "being defined with the Ukrainians," Lecornu said, adding that "it will be significant in allowing them to defend their skies."
On Wednesday, Macron told France 2 channel that his country will supply kyiv with anti-aircraft systems, radars and missiles, which will arrive "in the coming weeks."
Speaking to Le Parisien newspaper on Saturday, the senior official said the training plan has been approved by President Emmanuel Macron.
The Ukrainian soldiers will be assigned to French units for a several-week course. The training will include three levels: the general combatant course, training in specific fields indicated by the Ukrainians, such as logistics, and a third level of handling the supplied military equipment.
"We do this in accordance with the rules of the law, without ever being in co-belligerence because we are not at war. We are helping a country that is at war," declared the Minister of Defense.
Lecornu mentioned that his country had already provided the kyiv troops with training in the use of French Caesar howitzers, but this time the training will be on a different scale.
France has sent 18 Caesar howitzers and is in the process of supplying six more. Also, surface-to-surface missile deliveries are being considered, he said.
The minister also promised to send Crotale short-range anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine within two months, when the soldiers complete the necessary training.
The number of these systems is still "being defined with the Ukrainians," Lecornu said, adding that "it will be significant in allowing them to defend their skies."
On Wednesday, Macron told France 2 channel that his country will supply kyiv with anti-aircraft systems, radars and missiles, which will arrive "in the coming weeks."
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Footage of police violence in #France Josep Borrell's European garden
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#France special forces conducting parachute jump on the French carrier Charles de Gaulle.
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Over the North Sea. 2 Rafale #France Air Force F-35 and Royal Air Force Typhoon training