France will give the Central African Republic, its restive former colony, aid of 24 million euros ($27.4 million) and weapons, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian announced on Friday.

"France wishes to continue its historical partnership with the Central African Republic," the minister told journalists in Bangui after meeting President Faustin-Archange Touadera.

Le Drian signed aid agreements worth 24 million euros in 2018 for the payment of salaries and pension arrears, to develop regions near neighbour Cameroon affected by massive population displacements, and build bridges to open access to parts of the country.

He also announced that France would "soon deliver arms" to Bangui -- specifically 1,400 assault rifles for the Central African Armed Forces (FACA) established after independence in 1960.

"We are doing this within the strict, respectful, and transparent framework of the United Nations, in total transparency concerning the origin, the routing, and the delivery" of the arms, said Le Drian.

One of the world's poorest and most unstable countries despite vast mineral riches, the CAR spiralled into bloodshed after longtime leader Francois Bozize was overthrown in 2013 by a mainly Muslim rebel alliance called the Seleka.

That same year, the UN Security Council imposed an arms embargo on the country. The ban remains in place, except for weapons provided to the security forces with special pre-approval by a sanctions committee.

Last year, this committee gave the green light for Russia to supply weapons to the national forces.

But in June this year, France, Britain, and the United States blocked a request from Bangui for UN approval of Chinese weapons deliveries.

CAR Foreign Minister Charles Armel Doubane said Friday it "was time that France decided to make these assault rifles available to FACA within the strict framework of international commitments."`

The government controls only a small part of the country, with vast areas under the control of armed groups vying for power and resources.

Thousands of people have died, 700,000 been internally displaced and another 570,000 have fled abroad as a result.

The African Union launched a UN-backed mediation effort in July 2017.

On the eve of Le Drian's visit, clashes between armed groups in Batangafo in the north forced more than 10,000 people to take refuge in the local hospital, according to Doctors Without Borders.

US army punishes six over roles in fatal Niger ambush: report
Washington (AFP) Nov 3, 2018 - The US Army has punished six members of the armed forces for their roles in a 2017 mission in Niger that resulted in the ambush deaths of four Americans and four allied Nigerien troops, The New York Times reported Saturday.

The ambush occurred on October 4, 2017 as a unit of 11 American special forces soldiers and 30 Nigerien troops, returning from a village near the Malian border, were overrun by scores of extremist fighters.

An investigative report released by the Pentagon in May said that while US soldiers had fought bravely and four "died with honor," they had not been properly prepared for the mission. Investigators cited "individual, organizational and institutional failures."

Those being disciplined, the Times said Saturday, include Captain Mike Perozeni, the leader of the Green Beret team, as well as his second in command, a master sergeant whose name has been withheld.

The paper said a letter of reprimand to Perozeni cited the insufficient training and a lack of mission rehearsals.

The two senior officers who approved the mission and oversaw the ill-fated operation were not reprimanded, according to the newspaper.

"As a result of the Niger 15-6 investigation report, Secretary Mattis directed US Africa Command, US Special Operations Command, Department of the Army and the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel & Readiness to conduct a comprehensive review of procedures, policies and training programs and report back to him with a plan of action and corrective measures," said Commander Candice Tresch, a Pentagon spokeswoman.

"Secretary Mattis received those reports by the 120-day deadline and is conducting a thorough review of the findings."

The Defense Department has been tight-lipped about the nature of the mission in Niger -- the existence of which surprised many Americans.

The Times account said Perozeni's Green Beret unit, Team 3212, had headed toward the Niger-Mali border in pursuit of an Islamic State group leader named Doundoun Cheffou.

After intelligence located him, an operation was planned against the leader's camp by a helicopter-borne team of American commandos and Nigerien troops, along with Team 3212.

But bad weather led to the helicopter mission being canceled. Team 3212 proceeded to the now-empty campsite. It was ambushed by some 50 heavily armed Islamic State fighters while returning to its outpost.

The ambush claimed the largest loss of American lives in combat in Africa since the 1993 "Black Hawk Down" incident in Somalia.

It also touched off debate about the presence of the 800 American troops in Niger and the larger purpose of the US military in Africa.

General Thomas Waldhauser, head of Africa Command, said in May that US forces had since become "far more prudent" in their missions and had beefed up their firepower.

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South Sudan rebel leader Machar back in Juba after two years
Juba (AFP) Oct 31, 2018
South Sudan rebel leader Riek Machar returned to the capital Juba for the first time in more than two years Wednesday for a ceremony to welcome the latest peace accord for the war-ravaged country. Machar, who under the terms of the September deal is to be reinstated as vice president, had not set foot in the city since he fled in July 2016 under a hail of gunfire when an earlier peace agreement collapsed. The latest deal was signed in September to try to end a civil war that erupted in the world ... read more