Politics

French interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, in Senegal to discuss rising cases of drug trafficking in Paris

Published

2 years ago

December 21, 2022

French interior minister, Gérald Darmanin is on a visit to Senegal to discuss bilateral issues on immigration and student visas.

The ministers will also discuss what they called “the burning issue of intense drug trafficking” between the two countries.

Darmanin on Tuesday in Dakar said that he wanted to cut short the “rumor” of intense drug trafficking between the two countries.

His Senegalese colleague Antoine Félix Abdoulaye Diome spoke of a “really marginal” issue and spoke out against the “clichés” conveyed on the part taken by his compatriots in drug trafficking, especially crack in Paris.

“We note – and I think it is a shared view in the intelligence – that there is not, at least not in very large quantities, drugs that circulate between Senegal and France,” Darmanin told reporters.

“We do not see the arrival of traffic constituted between Senegal and France, I would like to cut short this rumor,” he said.

“But we need to discuss more the few people – it’s really only a few people – who are involved in trafficking, especially in Paris,” he said while asserting that Paris and Dakar already had “excellent cooperation” on the subject.

The Senegalese minister countered the widely believed report in France that most drug dealers are Senegalese.

“There may be Senegalese living in France who are prosecuted for certain offenses as there may be French people living in Senegal prosecuted for offenses of this nature,” Diome said.

France’s oldest relationship in sub-Saharan Africa is with Senegal. The relationship dates dates from the 17th century.

Related Topics:Featured France Gérald Darmanin Senegal

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Politics

Burkina Faso releases 4 French spies after Moroccan intervention

Published

2 days ago

December 20, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In a diplomatic spat over their imprisonment, France and Morocco announced Thursday that four French nationals detained in Burkina Faso for a year had been freed after mediation from Morocco.

They were spies, according to a prior statement made by the director of France’s foreign intelligence organisation, the DGSE.

A request for comment was not answered by the DGSE or a representative of the French military, which is in charge of the agency.

Since December 2023, they have been held in Ouagadougou.

President Emmanuel Macron hailed King Mohammed of Morocco on Wednesday for his intervention, “which made possible the liberation of our four countrymen who had been held in Burkina Faso for a year,” according to a statement from the French administration.

King Mohammed and President Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso were also commended by Morocco’s foreign ministry, which stated that “this humanitarian act” was made possible by their positive bilateral ties.

In October, France made peace with Morocco, one of its former protectorates, after three years of hostilities between Paris and Rabat stoked by immigration concerns and the disputed Western Sahara region.

Morocco offers Burkina Faso and other military-ruled Sahel republics Atlantic trade.

However, France’s relations with former West and Central African colonies, such as Burkina Faso, remain difficult. In Ouagadougou, French troops and diplomats were ejected, the defence attache and ambassador were asked to depart, and certain French media were suspended.

The military junta that took control in 2022 in Burkina Faso has been criticized by international rights groups for cracking down on free expression and harassing dissidents to handle a security crisis precipitated by Al Qaeda and Islamic State extremists.

Politics

Ghana: President-elect Mahama appoints anti-corruption team

Published

3 days ago

December 19, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

According to a statement released by his transition team on Wednesday, Ghana’s President-elect, John Dramani Mahama, has designated an anti-corruption committee to investigate allegations of wrongdoing.

When he takes office next month, Mahama, the leading opposition candidate in the presidential election held on December 7 and who received almost 56% of the vote, has pledged to reclaim the proceeds of corruption and hold those responsible for it accountable.

In anticipation, an anti-graft squad has been established. The parliament’s Committee on Assurances, which has previously raised suspicions of governmental corruption, is chaired by MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah.

An investigative journalist, a private attorney, a former auditor general, and a former police officer with experience in high-profile robbery cases make up the other three members.

After looking into alleged financial irregularities that took place during the previous administration, Daniel Dumelovo, the former auditor general, was fired.

Recovering lost assets and fighting corruption were two of Mahama’s main campaign pledges.

“He intends to hit the ground running on these commitments,” the statement said.

Eight years after leaving office, former President Mahama is back to head the West African country. Despite not being personally contaminated, he faced criticism during his 2012–2016 administration due to claims of political corruption.