This article is from the source 'rtcom' and was first published or seen on . The next check for changes will be
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.rt.com/news/601288-french-overseas-territories-liberation-front/
The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Previous version
1
Next version
Version 0 | Version 1 |
---|---|
‘Liberation Front’ emerges across multiple French overseas territories | |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Almost two dozen movements from the Caribbean, Asia Pacific, and other regions have agreed to unite | Almost two dozen movements from the Caribbean, Asia Pacific, and other regions have agreed to unite |
Parties and political movements seeking independence for French overseas territories have formed a united “International Front for Liberation of Last French Colonies” after a two-day meeting in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku, in which they vowed to join forces in fighting 'French colonialism.' | |
The parties hail from a host of territories controlled by France, including the Mediterranean island of Corsica and islands in the Caribbean, Melanesia and Polynesia. The new front also involves a party from the Pacific territory of New Caledonia, where riots broke out in May over an election reform pushed by Paris. | |
The unrest prompted Paris to launch a “major operation” in the archipelago, located to the east of Australia, some 17,000 kilometers from France. | |
On Thursday, the movements signed a declaration on founding the liberation front and a website for the project launched on the same day. | |
During the meeting, the newly formed front members “condemned France’s policy of racism and repressions” against the indigenous peoples of its overseas territories and set a goal of “harnessing the colonies’ efforts in the process of decolonization.” | |
The front was designed to become a “central platform” in the fight against what its members call French colonialism, according to the Azerbaijani media that covered the meeting. | |
The meeting was supported by the Baku Initiative Group (BIG) – an organization created last year with the stated goal of supporting “anti-colonialist movements” and backed by Azerbaijani authorities. Baku had already hosted the leaders of French Polynesia’s pro-independence party in May. | |
The two-day summit was promptly condemned by pro-Paris parties in New Caledonia, which accused the pro-independence figures from the territories of being “in league with a foreign power” and “undermining the fundamental interests of the French nation.” | The two-day summit was promptly condemned by pro-Paris parties in New Caledonia, which accused the pro-independence figures from the territories of being “in league with a foreign power” and “undermining the fundamental interests of the French nation.” |
Tensions between Paris and Baku have risen since Azerbaijan established full control over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The Armenian population of the area had long sought independence from Baku while enjoying support from neighboring Armenia. Since the 1990s, the territory had existed as a self-proclaimed Armenian-backed entity. Last September, Baku reasserted its sovereignty over the region through military action. | |
Since then Paris has developed closer ties with Armenia, prompting Baku to level accusations of bias against France. |
Previous version
1
Next version