Barbès, 2pm
With the mayor of Saint-Denis and Assa Traoré
17/06/2026
Fighting for the freedom of the press
Hello there...
If anyone still reads this space, know that I have been a little silent as I faced a pretty terrible time.
It's not easy to remain a journalist in such a context: no means, no support, attacks from billionaires...
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So, I'm in Paris this week, and there is an important strike.
2026 has so far been a dark year for journalism and media workers in France.
Restructuring plans are multiplying in newspapers, magazines, television, and radio: nearly 600 job cuts have already been announced, and more layoffs are on the horizon.
That, plus political pressure on public broadcasters to only flag the power's ideas, actions and plans, to discourage investigation, and to insight divisions.
In every media company, many of us are being asked to do more with less, often at the expense of the quality and reliability of information.
Most media are faced with a growing number of job cuts. Then, there is the threat of AI to certain jobs, but also to the way we work, as tools have already replaced translation, and some editors pressure us to write pitches via Chat GPT, Perplexity or Claude, instead of thinking for ourselves...
We think none of this is no longer bearable.
Meanwhile, media concentration is accelerating and threatening democracy.
Without genuine engagement, information risks falling into the hands of billionaires only, many of whom pursue an ultra-capitalistic and reactionary political agenda. Vincent Bolloré is a prime example, but he's not alone!
This pressure affects even public media, like France Television, us at RFI, and Agence France-Presse (AFP), a press company also in danger.
So tomorrow, Thursday 18 June, we'll be starting a march on at 11 a.m., at Place de la Bourse in Paris, at the foot of the AFP building.
11/06/2026
Notre consoeur Alice Froussard: Journaliste expulsée d'Irsaël
Refus d’entrée en Israël pour Alice Froussard : la SDJ et l’Association des correspondants de RFI condamnent une atteinte inadmissible à la liberté de la presse
La correspondante de Radio France Internationale en Palestine et en Israël, Alice Froussard, s’est vue refuser l'entrée sur le sol israélien à l’aéroport Ben Gourion alors qu’elle retournait à Ramallah avec toutes les autorisations nécessaires.
Elle a été placée de force par la police israélienne dans un avion pour Paris.
La Société des journalistes de RFI s’en indigne et condamne avec la plus grande fermeté cette atteinte brutale à la liberté de la presse.
La SDJ de RFI apporte son soutien à notre consœur qui, avec rigueur et courage, raconte la vie des Palestiniens depuis six ans. Tous ses reportages n’ont été que le reflet de faits, de témoignages, de récits rapportés avec la plus grande précision. Jamais, comme l'affirme Amichai Chikli, le ministre des Affaires de la Diaspora, Alice Froussard n’a été proche du Hamas.
Nous appelons le gouvernement israélien à revenir sur cette décision particulièrement préoccupante pour la liberté des journalistes à exercer leur métier en Israël et en Palestine. Cela doit alerter l’ensemble des rédactions françaises et internationales.
Enfin nous réclamons à nouveau et avec force un accès indépendant à la bande de Gaza pour les journalistes internationaux alors que d’après l’ONU plus de 240 journalistes palestiniens y ont été tués par l’armée israélienne depuis les attaques terroristes du 7 octobre 2023.
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English version
Israel's entry ban on Alice Froussard: RFI Journalists' Society (SDJ) and Correspondents' Association condemn an unacceptable attack on press freedom
Alice Froussard, Radio France Internationale's correspondent in Palestine and Israel, was denied entry into Israel at Ben Gurion Airport while returning to Ramallah, despite holding all the necessary authorisations.
She was forcibly placed on a flight to Paris by the Israeli police.
The RFI Journalists' Society (SDJ) strongly condemns this blatant attack on press freedom and expresses its outrage at the treatment of our colleague.
The SDJ stands in solidarity with Alice Froussard, who has spent the past six years reporting with rigour and courage on the lives of Palestinians. Her reporting has consistently reflected facts, testimonies and accounts conveyed with the utmost accuracy. Contrary to the allegations made by Amichai Chikli, Minister for Diaspora Affairs, Alice Froussard has never been associated with Hamas.
We call on the Israeli government to reverse this deeply concerning decision, which undermines journalists' ability to carry out their work freely in Israel and Palestine. This development should serve as a warning to newsrooms across France and the international media community.
Finally, we once again call, in the strongest possible terms, for independent access to the Gaza Strip for international journalists. According to the United Nations, more than 240 Palestinian journalists have been killed there by the Israeli army since the terrorist attacks of 7 October 2023.
Artist Grada Kilomba on representing a genocide...
Paris now has a monument commemorating the Rwandan genocide of 1994.
It was designed by Grada Kilomba, a Portuguese artist with African roots (from Sao Tomé and Angola).
Here is what she had to say about her creative process, her journey to Rwanda to meet survivors and about France and Europe's responsibilities...
10/06/2026
Coltan from DRC is smuggled to global companies via Rwanda
Global Witness shows evidence that coltan from DRC is smuggled to global companies via Rwanda
Looted minerals from mines in Rubaya in DRC, especially coltan, are smuggled to Rwanda then sold to the world's tech giants, according to a brand new report from Global Witness. Eastern Congo produces 15 percent of the world’s tantalum, a key ingredient for electronic products found in smartphones, laptops and cars.
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Melissa Chemam
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Melissa Chemam
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| Reuters |
Conflict minerals from the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are likely to be found in everyday tech products made by Sony, Microsoft, Amazon, LG, Vodafone, and others, a new Global Witness investigation reveals.
Global Witness (GW) is an investigative, campaigning organisation that challenges the power of climate-wrecking companies, and stands with the people fighting back.
According to the author of the report, Alex Kopp, policy and advocacy advisor at Global Witness, the investigation reveals that "most of Rwanda’s major coltan exporters purchase smuggled conflict coltan from war zones in the DRC. Behind our everyday technologies lies a supply chain riddled with violence, exploitation, and human suffering."
"The Rubaya mines have become a main revenue source for M23’s brutal warfare in DRC," the report states. "Seizing vast areas of territory, the armed group backed by Rwanda’s military has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians, abducting and torturing with impunity."
"It's been a continuation of the report from a year ago, which was really the start of this investigation and where we've found evidence that one exporter has sourced coltan, connected to the conflict in DRC and exported from Rwanda," Kopp told me.
"We've been able to connect that exported coltan to the DRC, and it is connected to the conflict in the East," he added.
He adds that a huge volume of coltan is being smuggled from the DRC to Rwanda, and that it seems clear that other exporters use coltan connected to the conflict.
And at least five of these seven companies buy conflict coltan from DRC, selling it on through middlemen to smelters in China and Kazakhstan.
"Through this continued research, we could find further evidence and show that five of the seven largest exporters from Rwanda during the period we look at, um, have sourced conflict, coltan from DRC."
A previous GW investigation already revealed that coltan linked to conflict in the eastern DRC likely entered the European Union market through international commodities trader Traxys, over a year ago.
Smuggled mineral in major supply chains
The report demonstrates that global brands such as Sony, Microsoft, Amazon, LG Display, Ericsson, Toyota, Nvidia, and Vodafone are sourcing coltan from supply chains contaminated by smuggled mineral exports.
This implies that industry standards and programmes designed to ensure responsible mineral sourcing, such as ITSCI and the Responsible Minerals Initiative, have largely failed to detect conflict coltan.
It took the British non-governmental organisation over a year of investigation through extensive documentary and field research to be able to prove the exploitation system.
The research involved the analysis of trade data and interviews with more than 70 stakeholders from local communities, actors in the private sector and civil society, and academic research.
This includes interviews with coltan traffickers, showing how these Rwandan exporters are buying conflict coltan from the DRC and reselling it to smelters in China or Kazakhstan through intermediaries.
The NGO then cross-referenced its findings with surveys conducted by the United Nations (UN) and other non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
The looted minerals originate from Rubaya in the DRC’s North Kivu province, where 15 percent of the world’s coltan is mined and produced.
These mines have been occupied for two years by the M23, the military group supported by Rwanda, which derives its main source of income from them to fuel the fighting.
The Rwandan-backed armed group has been illegally controlling the mines since 2024. It has committed serious human rights abuses, including sexual violence and killings, as well as the recruitment of children for forced labor.
The investigation also establishes the complicity of Rwandan officials at a time when smuggling has reached unprecedented levels.
Rwanda is still refusing to comment.
Failed due diligence
The investigation also highlights the failure of the due diligence systems in place to insure the clean trade of natural resources.
The traceability system known as ITSCI, used by many international companies via the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI), to prevent conflict minerals from entering their supply chains, is actually being used to "launder a large portion of smuggled coltan."
The companies that produce phones, computers, and cars have failed or refused to clean up their supply chains. This "only fuels instability and prolongs the suffering of communities,' GW's report states.
"We've contacted authorities from the government of Rwanda, but we haven't received any reply," Kopp told me. "And officially, Kigali is still denying that smuggled minerals are getting to Rwanda".
Some of the companies accused of smuggling conflict coltan, like Sony and Toyota, told Global Witness that their goal is now to source conflict-free minerals and referred to the due diligence checks it conducts on its suppliers.
Nvidia, Amazon, Microsoft, Vodafone, and LG Display have not replied to Global Witness so far.
"We recommend that companies stop buying coltan from Rwanda until M23 has withdrawn troops from the ruby mines, unless companies really have very thoroughly scrutinised coltan before exporting, or by directly checking the origin and grading of the coltan," Kopp insists.
"And I think, at least as important, is also the action that the international community takes," he concludes. "Governments should make any official development assistance conditional on Rwanda stopping its support to M23 and sanction commanders of M23, senior Rwandan officials who were responsible for abuses, as well as companies profiteering from conflict resources."
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> Read more about GW's previous report here: DRC conflict coltan entering EU via Rwandan smuggling routes, report finds
05/06/2026
Grada Kilomba
It was wonderful to meet in Paris with the artist and performer Grada Kilomba after the unveiling of the monument she designed to commemorate the genocide in Rwanda…
Even deeper than our two previous interviews.
More about our discussion soon.
26/05/2026
Spotlight on Africa: On Mali and jihadism's growing grip on Africa
PODCAST'S NEW EPISODE - Spotlight on Africa:
Global jihadism's growing grip on Africa
As attacks from jihadist groups allied to Tuaregs continue in Mali, global jihadism threatens Africa like no other region on earth, according to ACLED’s latest report.
With the organisation's expert on West Africa, Spotlight on Africa explores how jihadist groups are expanding across the continent, controlling territory, targeting civilians and disrupting infrastructure
Coordinated attacks by Tuareg separatists and jihadists dealt a major new blow to the junta in power in the capital, Bamako, in the last days of April, securing the capture of Kidal, a northern rebel stronghold.
Several strategic towns and areas around the capital Bamako were also targeted in the offensive by Tuareg rebels of the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) coalition and the jihadist Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), which was launched at dawn on Saturday 25 April.
Two days of intense fighting followed between Malian soldiers and the armed groups around Bamako and Kati, a garrison town and junta stronghold about 15 kilometres north of the capital. Mali's junta has now lost control of key northern areas and still faces a growing insurgent campaign that is tightening pressure around Bamako rather than directly attempting to seize the capital.
Analysts say this could be a turning point for the military in power since a 2020 coup.
Mali has been beset by violence from radical Islamists affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group since 2012, as well as local criminal gangs and pro-independence fighters. For more than a decade, around 300,000 refugees have fled to eastern Mauritania's desert Hodh Chargui region to escape the violence that has plagued Mali.
Héni Nsaibia is the senior analyst for West Africa at ACLED, the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data group. He co-wrote the organisation's latest report, released in mid-May, showing that global jihadism threatens Africa like no other region on earth. It also explores how jihadist groups are expanding across the continent, controlling territory, targeting civilians and disrupting infrastructure. Héni Nsaibia is Spotlight on Africa's guest this week.
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Listen from this link:
19/05/2026
KNEECAP - Irish Goodbye - FENIAN
KNEECAP has a new album – FENIAN (2026)
KNEECAP - Irish Goodbye (Short Film) ft. Kae Tempest
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Tricky's new song: 'Because I Don’t Know'
- feat. Mitch Sanders
The latest single from Tricky's new album 'Different When It's Silent' is out now. The record is due for release on 17 July 2026.
'Because I Don't Know' is featuring Mitch Sanders, a Singer/Songwriter from South Bristol, UK, like Tricky. His latest EP, “Saloon”, came out in 2025.
Tricky will also return to the stage for live dates across the UK and European this May and June, including with UK festivals this summer including Green Man and Forwards Festival, and a date in Paris soon.
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Mitch Sanders and Tricky already collaborated on the track 'Mum', released last November on Mitch's new EP 'Saloon':
Mitch is featured on many of the 14 tracks of this album:
Still See Me There (feat. Mitch Sanders)
I'm Yours (feat. Mitch Sanders)
Be Still In The Pain (feat. Mitch Sanders & Run Red Rambo)
I Tried (feat. Mitch Sanders)
So Cold (feat. Mitch Sanders)
Paris Maybe (feat. Mitch Sanders)
Cannon Fodder (feat. Mitch Sanders)
Because I Don't Know (feat. Mitch Sanders)
Marinade (feat. Mitch Sanders)
Radana (feat. Mitch Sanders & Radana)
Piano (feat. Mitch Sanders)
Frontier Town
Hengrove Blues (feat. Mitch Sanders)
Out Of Place (feat. Marta)
18/05/2026
on Zineb Sedira
Zineb Sedira’s exhibition opens at Tate Britain, "intended as a manifesto as much as an aesthetically pleasing arrangement of films and sculptures," the Guardian says.
Zineb Sedira: Dreams Have No Titles - 2024 (my visual insight):
17/05/2026
Newsletter - May 2026: Out of Africa?
Out of Africa?
After this Nairobi summit, doubts seem only more profound than ever on the state of relations between European powers - especially France - and a continent of 54 states and 1 billion people...
https://melissa.substack.com/p/out-of-africa
13/05/2026
Podcasting from Nairobi
Spotlight on Africa - podcast: Does the Africa Forward summit signal a fresh start for France on the continent?
This week, Spotlight on Africa takes you to the Africa Forward summit hosted by France and Kenya in Nairobi on 11 and 12 May. It marks the first time France has staged such an event in an English-speaking African country, and comes at a moment of change and challenges.
11/05/2026
Africa Forward - the summit in pictures
Presidents Emmanuel Macron and William Ruto opened the summit with a special session with African young people from all over the continent.
10/05/2026
French Tech Nairobi
Kenya's technology sector is booming, driven by digital innovation and artificial intelligence.
To tap into that growth, the French Embassy has launched French Tech Nairobi - a dedicated hub supporting local start-ups and new businesses, with ambitions to extend that backing across the wider continent:
The 'Africa Forward' summit opens on Monday 11 May 2026 in Nairobi
The summit has been named 'Africa Forward – Partnerships between Africa and France for Innovation and Growth Summit'. It invites the French and African business communities, for the very first time, in an event co-organised with an Anglophone country.
More soon!
09/05/2026
Africa Forward Fest @ Alliance Française Nairobi
Africa Forward Fest is the cultural festival organised at l'Alliance Française de Nairobi - the French cultural centre in the Kenya capital, ahead of the political and business forum 'Africa Forward'.
The festival showcases writers from all over Africa, creating stories in different languages.
Tracy Ochieng is a moderator at the Africa Forward Fest and hosted a session on Gen Z in Kenya, and another one with Eritrean author Donica Merhazion.
Donica Merhazion left Eritrea as a refugee for Kenya, lived later in the US, then came back to Kenya 15 years ago with her family. 'Born at the End of the World' is her first book.
Born in the midst of Ethiopia's Red Terror, her book channels her family's experiences.
A former journalist and educator with degrees in journalism and education, she is passionate about storytelling, and inspires her own students to love learning and embrace their potential while finding time to write in her personal time.
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More soon on RFI English
French Tech Nairobi
Still reporting from Nairobi...
Yesterday's story:
Technology — and in particular digital innovation and artificial intelligence — is booming in Kenya.
To tap into that growth, the French Embassy has set up a dedicated hub called French Tech Nairobi, backing new businesses and start-ups locally, with an eye on expanding that support across the rest of Africa.
Brandon Opondo and Michael Mbae are two of the members. They studied in Paris at Sciences Po and now work back home in Nairobi.
More on our RFI English channels on Monday!
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06/05/2026
05/05/2026
What to expect from France's 'Africa Forward' summit in Kenya?
What to expect from France's 'Africa Forward' summit in Nairobi, Kenya?
Explainer:
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02/05/2026
Newsletter - May 2026
Going back to Nairobi
This complicated year, with all its horrors, is also the one bringing me back to Kenya, a country that thought more than any other, as a journalist, and as a ongoing student of world affairs.
Dear friends and readers,
Hope you’ve been well…
After Senegal, South Africa, Morocco, Côte d’Ivoire, my job is now sending me to Kenya, a place where I was a freelance correspondent over a decade ago, covering aso Uganda, Ethiopia and Somalia.
I learned a lot about how bias our western news cycles are, how enormous and diverse Africa is, how badly represented as well, and these lessons can impact anything we read and enlighten all our leaders decisions…
Yet, a lot has changed between 2012 and 2026.
As Macron’s France promises to be a new form of better partner for the continent, can it convince? Is it even needed?
Let’s dive… then look at other parts of the continent, and of the world.
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Going back to Nairobi
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