France Providing Military Equipment to De Facto Malagasy Security Forces
On 25 November 2010, France provided crowd-control gear to the gendarmerie of the de facto regime in Madagascar, including helmets, bullet-proof vests, and a shield (see Madagascar Tribune, Courrier de Madagascar, Gazette de la Grande Ile). According to a French government web site, in September 2009 France provided training for the Malagasy de facto police and gendarmes. All are part of French military assistance for the Madagascar’s de facto government that came to power by military coup d’état in March 2009. French military assistance to the de facto regime has also included the provision of a surveillance aircraft (June 2009), inviting soldiers from the de facto regime to parade down the Champs Elysées to help France celebrate Bastille day (July 2010), and having French military officers receive military decorations from de facto authorities (June 2010). While the coup d’état was in progress in Madagascar in March 2009, France provided diplomatic protection to coup leader Andry Rajoelina at the French ambassador’s residence. France is currently one of only 4 countries to have officially recognized the regime of Andry Rajoelina (the others are the Vatican, Turkey, and Pakistan). Concerning military assistance to the de facto regime in Madagascar, the US State Department has said “We find military assistance is particularly problematic and question why anyone would want to continue military assistance to a non-constitutional government”.
French collaboration with Madagascar’s de facto regime has come under scrutiny recently after it was revealed that a French company had been transporting rosewood suspected of having been harvested illegally, from Madagascar to China, and a French company that offers offensive grenades for sale on its web site was trying to sell security equipment to the de facto government. French military assistance to Africa received international attention recently when a French military officer angrily threatened a Togolese journalist with the Togolese presidential guard if he did not erase pictures on the journalist’s camera.
On 25 November 2010, France provided crowd-control gear to the gendarmerie of the de facto regime in Madagascar, including helmets, bullet-proof vests, and a shield (see Madagascar Tribune, Courrier de Madagascar, Gazette de la Grande Ile). According to a French government web site, in September 2009 France provided training for the Malagasy de facto police and gendarmes. All are part of French military assistance for the Madagascar’s de facto government that came to power by military coup d’état in March 2009. French military assistance to the de facto regime has also included the provision of a surveillance aircraft (June 2009), inviting soldiers from the de facto regime to parade down the Champs Elysées to help France celebrate Bastille day (July 2010), and having French military officers receive military decorations from de facto authorities (June 2010). While the coup d’état was in progress in Madagascar in March 2009, France provided diplomatic protection to coup leader Andry Rajoelina at the French ambassador’s residence. France is currently one of only 4 countries to have officially recognized the regime of Andry Rajoelina (the others are the Vatican, Turkey, and Pakistan). Concerning military assistance to the de facto regime in Madagascar, the US State Department has said “We find military assistance is particularly problematic and question why anyone would want to continue military assistance to a non-constitutional government”.
French collaboration with Madagascar’s de facto regime has come under scrutiny recently after it was revealed that a French company had been transporting rosewood suspected of having been harvested illegally, from Madagascar to China, and a French company that offers offensive grenades for sale on its web site was trying to sell security equipment to the de facto government. French military assistance to Africa received international attention recently when a French military officer angrily threatened a Togolese journalist with the Togolese presidential guard if he did not erase pictures on the journalist’s camera.
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