Malian ‘hero’ meets French President Macron

Since France began its military withdrawal from Mali, many social media posts have been misleading. Reports assert that Mali is negotiating with the Russian private military company Wagner. One photo on Facebook from November 10 claims that a Wagner military instructor is training Malian soldiers. Another photo from November 20 claims that Mali received a delivery of military equipment from Russia. We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.

Since France began its military withdrawal from Mali, many misleading social media posts have appeared. Reports claim that Mali is negotiating with the Russian private military company Wagner. One photo on Facebook from November 10 allegedly shows a Wagner military instructor training Malian soldiers. Another photo from November 20 claims to show that Mali received a delivery of military equipment from Russia. We take a closer look in this edition of Truth or Fake.

French troops leave a key base in Timbuktu, handing it over to the Malian military. We explain how this marks a turning point in France’s wider Sahel mission. Also, Kenya's High Court suspends a mandatory Covid-19 vaccination order, saying it violates the constitution. Finally, Congolese rumba wins UNESCO World Heritage status. FRANCE 24 shows you how the music and dance tradition jumped from Africa to Cuba to the world.

French troops left their military base in Timbuktu as part of a reorganization of Operation Barkhane announced by French president Emmanuel Macron in June. The Kidal and Tessalit bases were handed over to the Malian army in October and November, respectively.

This week on The Observers, we investigated an incident in Nia Ouro, Mali on January 4. Residents claimed that men dressed in Malian military uniforms killed four civilians and reduced buildings in the village to ashes. We spoke to an eyewitness, analysed videos taken after the event and cross-referenced satellite imagery to put together the days events.

Monday's meeting between the Russian and French presidents in Moscow gave rise to a lot of photoshopped content on social media - mostly sufficiently far-fetched so as not to be believable. We take a closer look. We also take a look at some convincing fake news stories that have been doing the rounds about Russia's current tensions with Ukraine and NATO.

In an exclusive interview with FRANCE 24 and its sister station Radio France Internationale (RFI), Mali's Prime Minister Choguel Maiga says that since 2012, French authorities have tried to divide his country by fueling autonomy claims in the north. And African countries weigh in on Russia's decision to send troops to Ukraine. Kenya, Gabon and Ghana have condemned Moscow's actions at the UN security council. Finally, Madagascar prepares for a new cyclone to hit its coast.

With the presidential election just around the corner, everyone is focused on the campaign. Today, FRANCE 24's Florence Villeminot take a closer look at the top prize: the presidency. There’s a reason everyone wants to be France's president: the role has a lot of power compared to the leaders of most other modern democracies, such as the US, Germany and the UK. In fact, critics say the French president is a kind of temporary modern-day monarch in the style of the ancient regimes.

There are just 18 days to go before round one of the French presidential election. In today's show, we see how former socialist president François Hollande is inching towards making a political comeback after the election. We also take a closer look at decades of tumultuous ties between the French state and Corsica in the wake of recent tensions and delve into the powers of the French president.

There are just 13 days to go before the first round of the French presidential election. In this edition of the show, we see how the president was called a murderer by some supporters of Eric Zemmour at a rally – and how Macron reacted. We also take a closer look at far-right candidate Marine Le Pen's chaotic visit to the French overseas department of Guadeloupe.

Facing a tougher-than-expected fight for re-election, Emmanuel Macron has hit the campaign trail at last. Since he and far-right nationalist rival Marine Le Pen qualified for the April 24 run-off, the incumbent has seemed eager to go into the field to explain his policies.

No, French President Emmanuel Macron did not say that 60 million African and Middle Eastern refugees would coverge on Europe over the next 20 years and the BBC did not tweet such a quote either. We take a look at the forensics of a fake news story. Plus, a quote from an old interview with defeated French leftist candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon is taken out of context.