Paris confronts a day defined by lost ground in Africa and contested information at home
President Emmanuel Macron told the 'Africa Forward' forum on May 15 that France had been 'shaken up' on the continent over 25 years and was being displaced by China, Türkiye and the United States, calling for a 'conceptual revolution' from aid toward co-investment. The same day, Frédéric Valletoux warned foreign powers were amplifying medical disinformation around the hantavirus outbreak, and an RFI/France24 investigation unmasked a French-language anti-junta propaganda network targeting Russian influence in the Sahel.
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Macron concedes France has been displaced in Africa by China, Türkiye and the United States
At the closing of the 'Africa Forward' business forum on May 15, French President Emmanuel Macron said France had been 'shaken up in Africa' over the past 25 years and blamed decades of complacency and arrogance by French institutions and companies. He named China, Türkiye and the United States as the partners African states are turning to instead, calling those choices 'rational' economic decisions, and urged a 'conceptual revolution' away from the donor-recipient model toward co-investment and co-production.
French official warns foreign disinformation fuels hantavirus medical misinformation
Frédéric Valletoux, president of the social affairs committee of the National Assembly, said on May 15 that medical disinformation around the hantavirus is being fueled by foreign powers seeking to destabilize France. He noted a rise in public defiance toward scientific discourse, with false claims spreading within 48 hours of the outbreak. Valletoux defended the government's communication as transparent and prudent.
Mysterious pro-Western social media accounts target Russian influence in Sahel with deceptive tactics
A network of anonymous social media accounts, mainly in French on X, Facebook and TikTok, has since mid-2025 been undermining ruling juntas in Africa's Sahel region and denouncing Russia using tactics copied from Russian propaganda, according to an investigation by Radio France Internationale and France24. The accounts create AI-generated false news reports and counterfeit versions of Russian sites, attacking leaders in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger while promoting the European Union, France and the U.S. France's foreign ministry declined to comment on the accounts, which align with French geopolitical interests.
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fr15Far-right figure Erik Tegnér opens brewery in Brittany amid protests
Erik Tegnér, a prominent far-right media figure and head of the Frontières network, opened a brewery named Kerfave in a village in Côtes-d'Armor, Brittany, on May 14, 2025. Hundreds of opponents gathered to protest, warning that the establishment could serve as a base for far-right gatherings.
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Far-right figure Erik Tegnér opens brewery in Brittany amid protests
Erik Tegnér, a prominent far-right media figure and head of the Frontières network, opened a brewery named Kerfave in a village in Côtes-d'Armor, Brittany, on May 14, 2025. Hundreds of opponents gathered to protest, warning that the establishment could serve as a base for far-right gatherings.
Erik Tegnér, a prominent far-right media figure and head of the Frontières network, opened a brewery named Kerfave in a village in Côtes-d'Armor, Brittany, on May 14, 2025. Hundreds of opponents gathered to protest, warning that the establishment could serve as a base for far-right gatherings.