Global Briefs: The Sahel’s adieu to the French

Chad

Foreign Minister Abderaman Koulamallah blasted French President Emmanuel Macron on Jan. 7 for a “contemptuous attitude” after Macron complained about the Sahel region’s diminishing welcome toward France. Macron, who saw his country’s military permit in Chad revoked in November, said France’s former African colonies had demonstrated “ingratitude” and “forgot” to thank France for helping to combat Islamic militants in the Sahel. Senegal and Ivory Coast also ordered the expulsion of French troops in recent weeks, bringing to six the total of African nations cutting off French military influence. Hours after Koulamallah’s scolding, though, 24 unidentified fighters stormed Chad’s Presidential Palace, killing a security guard and wounding others. Eighteen attackers were killed, and Koulamallah insisted the country, known for Boko Haram terrorist attacks, was still “well guarded.” —Carlos Páez

Oman

The Arabian nation received 11 Yemeni detainees from Guantánamo Bay on Jan. 6, part of a push by President Joe Biden to reduce the Cuba-based U.S. detention facility’s population before his term expired. Due to Yemen’s civil unrest, Oman has proved a more stable location to begin repatriating detainees. From 2015 to 2017, a rehabilitation center in Oman received 30 Guantánamo inmates. After the transfer, just 15 inmates remained at Guantánamo, a facility the Bush administration opened in 2002 to hold terrorist suspects after the 9/11 attacks. Guantánamo has housed over 700 inmates, many of whom were detained without criminal charges—including the 11 sent to Oman. Both Biden and President Barack Obama had pledged to close Guantánamo Bay permanently but faced logistical and political obstacles. —Elisa Palumbo

Fact Box Source: The World Factbook-CIA

Indonesia

When the world’s fourth most populous country and eighth biggest economy joined the BRICS bloc of countries on Jan. 6, it stoked fears the Southeast Asian nation is becoming more China-friendly. Jakarta’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Indonesia’s acceptance shows its growing role in global issues. Brazil, Russia, India, and China held the first BRIC summit in 2009 after Goldman Sachs highlighted investment opportunities in the emerging nations. BRICS’ now 10 member countries represent about half of the world’s population and 41% of its economy. An additional eight nations are pursuing membership. The bloc aims to develop a bank using its own precious metal–backed currency to aid struggling member nations. But U.S. President-elect Trump has vowed to impose 100% tariffs on countries that reject the U.S. dollar. —Amy Lewis

Fact Box Source: The World Factbook-CIA

Joseph Aoun Associated Press / Photo by Hussein Malla

Lebanon

Parliament elected army chief Joseph Aoun as the country’s president on Jan. 9 after a two-year power vacuum and 12 failed attempts to elect a new leader. The election came just over six weeks after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed terrorist group based in Lebanon. The Lebanese army was uninvolved in the terrorists’ recent conflict with Israel, but under the ceasefire terms, it will send troops into southern Lebanon to ensure Hezbollah ends its military presence there while Israeli forces withdraw. Aoun, a Maronite Christian, promised to work to ensure that the Lebanese state, not Hezbollah, has the sole right to bear arms. He also pledged much-needed economic reforms. —Jenny Lind Schmitt

Guatemalan soldiers Associated Press/Photo by Odelyn Joseph

Haiti

The arrival of 150 Guatemalan soldiers in Port-au-Prince on Jan. 3 and 4 boosted a multinational front against armed gangs in Haiti, but they still faced a tall task. While the military contingent joins 400 Kenyan troops who landed in June 2024, the total number of foreign troops deployed remains less than a fourth of what was initially expected. Haitian gangs still control 85% of the capital and recently attacked the island nation’s largest public hospital. The United States sought to rally a United Nations peacekeeping mission in November, but China and Russia blocked the proposal. More than 5,600 people were murdered last year in Haiti, and anarchy reigns ahead of the country’s 2025 presidential elections. —Carlos Páez

Mongolia

The government on Jan. 2 began using traditional Mongolian “bichig” script in addition to Cyrillic, marking a shift away from dependence on Russia. Mongolia had adopted Cyrillic as the official alphabet in 1946 under pressure from the Soviet Union. Reimplementing bichig, a writing system that reads vertically top to bottom and left to right, may signal a move away from China as well, which in 2023 banned the script from school curriculum in its province of Inner Mongolia. In recent years, Mongolia has cautiously sought to strengthen ties with Western countries, likely seeking greater economic independence from its superpower neighbors. In a 2021 survey, a slight majority of Mongolian civil servants reported they had learned bichig in school and felt confident using it. —Evangeline Schmitt

Fact Box Source: The World Factbook-CIA