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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 29 november 2017

French president calls for migrant smuggling crackdown

By B. OUEDRAOGO Libya by providing massive
S. CORBET support to the evacuation
Associated Press of endangered people."
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina He did not elaborate, say-
Faso (AP) — French Presi- ing he will formally detail his
dent Emmanuel Macron proposal at a summit of the
called the trafficking of European Union and the
African migrants a "crime African Union in Ivory Coast
against humanity" on Tues- on Wednesday.
day as he made his first Already Burkina Faso's for-
major address on the conti- eign affairs minister has
nent before a crowd of uni- recalled his ambassador
versity students in Burkina from Libya, calling it "unac-
Faso. ceptable to have slaves in
In a wide-ranging speech this 21st century."
that lasted nearly two Macron heads next to Ivory
hours, Macron proposed Coast for a summit of Eu-
a crackdown on human ropean and African lead-
smuggling networks be- ers, where concerns about
tween Africa and Europe. migrants are expected to
The 39-year-old French feature prominently. Also
leader also emphasized his high on the agenda is re-
youth, referring to himself gional security, including France's President Emmanuel Macron reviews troops during an award ceremony in the courtyard
of the Invalides , in Paris, Monday, Nov. 27, 2017.
as the child of "a genera- the growing threat of Islam- (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, Pool)
tion that has never known ic extremism.
Africa as a colonized con- ple nearby were wounded, Macron also said he wants children per woman, are
tinent." Macron is urging interna- police said. conditions to be met in five you sure it's a choice from
He engaged in a lively se- tional support for a new Also Tuesday, the French years so that pieces of Af- the girl?"
ries of questions with stu- military force that includes presidency's spokesman rican cultural heritage can In contrast to his usual ap-
dents afterward. Burkina Faso and four other said stones were thrown return to African museums pearances in Europe, Ma-
Migrants from throughout regional countries and is at a vehicle transporting "temporarily or definitively," cron addressed questions
West Africa journey to Lib- meant to counter a grow- members of the French saying that "I cannot ac- with humor in a noisy class-
ya in hopes of making the ing jihadist threat. Burkina delegation, despite heavy cept that a large part of Af- room atmosphere. Declin-
perilous voyage across the Faso has seen two recent security. rican heritage is in France." ing to answer questions
Mediterranean to Europe. attacks on restaurants pop- In his first major Africa ad- The French leader also re- about Burkina Faso's do-
Video footage broadcast ular with foreigners, includ- dress at the University of ferred to his comments that mestic issues, he respond-
on CNN this month showed ing one in August that killed Ouagadougou, Macron prompted controversy in ed: "You talk to me as if I
the auction and sale of 18 people. sought to refocus the July, when he suggested were the president of Burki-
migrant men as slaves in The threat was under- France-Africa dynamic that it's a problem when Af- na Faso, as if France were
the North African nation, scored late Monday by away from a colonial past. rican women have "seven still a colonial power."
prompting widespread an attempted assault on a However, he stressed the or eight children." Student Wilfried Sebgo
outrage. bus carrying French troops "undeniable crimes of Euro- He asked: "When you see praised Macron's speech
Macron said he wants "Af- hours before Macron's ar- pean colonization." families of six, seven, eight as realistic and honest. "q
rica and Europe to help rival. The assailants missed
populations trapped in their target but several peo-