The President of France Francois Hollande received this year’s Felix Houphouet-Boigny Peace Prize from UNESCO (UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) for his actions concerning armed conflict in Mali. This year’s recipient was given the award at a ceremony in Paris on June 5. The jury president Joaquim Chissano said that Pres. Hollande was chosen for the solidarity shown by France to the African people.
Honors and gratitude
President Hollande was given the award directly by Director-General Irina Bokova of the UNESCO. He received a gold medal, a diploma and a US$150,000 cash prize. He will reportedly donate the prize money to a couple of relief organizations in Mali.
The President of Mali Dioncounda Traore expressed his gratitude to the French President. Boni Yayi, the President of Benin declared that without the intervention and assistance from the French there’s no telling where they would be at present.
The Houphouet-Boigny Peace Prize
In 1989, the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Peace Prize was named after Côte d’Ivoire’s first president who was an important figure in the de-colonization of the African continent. The yearly award was established to honor individuals, organizations and institutions that have contributed significantly to stability and peace in the world. Their actions and decisions must have significant contributions to the research, promotion, maintenance, and preservation of peace.
Some of the former recipients of the prize are Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, former president of Brazil, Xanana Gusmao, the first president of East Timor, former US president Jimmy Carter and former South African president Nelson Mandela. Other notable past awardees are Spanish monarch King Juan Carlos, Yitzhak Rabin of Israel, Frederik W. De Klerk of South Africa, Shimon Peres of Poland, and PLO leader Yasser Arafat.
The Mali conflict
The fighting between Tuareg rebels and government forces started in January 2012 in the north of Mali. The area was then occupied by radical Islamists. Because of the conflict in the country thousands of Mali citizens were displaced from their homes. The government called out to France for help in dealing with the extremists. President Hollande sent troops to Mali to drive out the rebel extremists from the north.
Human rights groups are criticizing UNESCO’s choice, pointing out that there is continuing unrest in the African nation. Several Tuareg rebels were the fatalities of a very recent clash with the Mali army. Many are also questioning the merit of the award on a decision involving armed intervention in a foreign country.
Some are suggesting that the motivation for UNESCO’s choice this year has both cultural and political undertones. The president of the human rights group Foundation Frantz Fanon referred to the choice of Pres. Hollande for the prestigious award as cynical, reminding everyone that unresolved issues persist today in Mali.
Withdrawal and turnover
Even as isolated attacks from Tuareg militants continue, the French are beginning to withdraw around 4,000 armed troops and planning to handover the area to a UN peacekeeping force and the Malian army in time for the country’s presidential and parliamentary elections.
Photo Credit: President Francois Hollande
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