World Tour: France withdraws from Ivory Coast

LINDSAY MAST, HOST: Coming up next on The World and Everything in It: WORLD Tour with our reporter in Africa, Onize Oduah.

ONIZE ODUAH: Ivory Coast-France — Today’s World Tour begins in the West African nation of Ivory Coast. Authorities there have said French forces will start to pull out this month.

Here’s Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara.

OUATTARA: [FRENCH] The 43rd BIMA marine infantry battalion at Port-Bouet [a commune of Abidjan, ed.], will be handed back to Ivory Coast's armed forces from January 2025.

He says the French forces will hand over command of a marine infantry battalion in Abidjan to the country’s armed forces this month.

It’s the latest in France’s waning presence on the African continent. In the last few years, more than 70% of African countries with a French military presence have pushed the European nation out.

Recent military coups in several former French colonies have accelerated the exit.

But the European country is still expected to retain some ties with Ivory Coast … which is considered one of France’s closest allies in the region.

AUDIO: [Protesters chanting]

Montenegro mass shooting — We head next to the Balkan nation of Montenegro where thousands of people gathered to remember the victims of a New Year’s Day mass shooting.

Authorities said a 45-year-old opened fire in the city of Cetinje. At least 12 people died—including two children.

The shooter also shot himself and later died from his injuries. Back in 2022, police confiscated illegal weapons from him and authorities sentenced him to three months in prison. He appealed and won.

Mourners called for better security measures to prevent another mass shooting.

Tatjana Minic organized the Sunday rally.

MINIC: [MONTENEGRIN] Nearly one person in five potentially owns a firearm. Isn't that enough to alarm us all? It's not just a statistic. It's our reality—a reality that brings with it dangers.

She says nearly 1 in 5 people in the country own a firearm, a reality she says comes with more dangers.

Authorities are now considering several new measures, including recruiting more police and tightening requirements to own and carry firearms.

AUDIO: [Children speaking]

Indonesia free lunch — In Indonesia, authorities on Monday launched an ambitious plan to provide free meals to school children.

The $28 billion project is projected to last four years and includes at least 190 kitchens that began to deliver cooked meals this week. The project launched by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto also seeks to cater to pregnant women this year. Each meal costs about 62 cents.

Authorities hope it will help to curb stunted growth, which affects more than 21% of Indonesian children.

The program provided meals on Monday to more than 100 students at an elementary school in East Jakarta.

Yuliani is the school’s head teacher.

YULIANI: [INDONESIAN] We do hope that this programme will have positive effects on the academic performances of these children. Because this programme will fulfill the children's basic nutrition needs.

She says she hopes the program will also impact the children’s academic performances.

The plan has faced some criticism, with analysts cautioning that it’s not sustainable.

AUDIO: [Street music]

Colombia living pictures — We wrap up in Colombia, where artists joined an annual tradition involving living pictures this month.

Participants in the village of Galeras pose for motionless artistic scenes—earning the tradition the name, “living pictures.”

This year’s scenes included one of Jesus holding a sheep and another with the elderly smoking cigars.

UNESCO declared the tradition as an intangible cultural heritage in December.

Ibeth Severiche is one of the creators of the event.

SEVERICHE: [SPANISH] It will allow people from other countries to come and get to know us, to learn about our culture, our traditions.

She says the recognition would attract more tourists to the city.

That’s it for this week’s World Tour. Reporting for WORLD, I’m Onize Oduah in Abuja, Nigeria.

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