PARIS: Troops from 13 African countries that took part in the French-led war against Al-Qaeda-linked extremists in Mali marched with the French military during the Bastille Day parade in Paris on Sunday to honor their role in the conflict.
UN troops in blue berets who are helping to stabilize the west African nation of Mali also paraded with thousands of other soldiers down the Champs-Elysees Avenue in France’s annual tribute to military might. It marks the storming of the Bastille prison July 14, 1789, by angry Paris crowds that helped spark the French Revolution.
Despite the triumphal display, which included flyovers by fighter jets, tanks and giant trucks mounted with land-to-air defense systems, the realities in Mali suggest that President Francois Hollande’s military intervention has had mixed results. The mission he launched in January helped the Malian government retake control of much of the country from Al-Qaeda-linked extremists.
African, UN troops open France’s Bastille Day parade
African, UN troops open France’s Bastille Day parade
