Paris sending ministers to French Guiana, as unrest grows
March 29, 2017
The French government is sending a ministerial mission to French Guiana as the former colony faced a second day of strikes. The French territory suffers from a high murder rate and sky-high unemployment.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Amiet
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Interior Minister Matthias Fekl and Overseas Minister Erick Bareigts will travel to the French territory in South America on Wednesday, Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said Tuesday.
The ministers will meet with union representatives, civic and business leaders and politicians and are expected to sign off on a "Pact for Guiana" by the end of the week, Cazeneuve said, adding as long as "conditions of respect" and public order were met.
Cazeneuve also announced immediate concessions: a prison and courthouse would be built in the western border town of Saint-Laurent du Maroni and a new scanner provided at Cayenne's airport.
Members of The 500 Brothers take part in a march in support of the general strike in Cayenne, March 28. Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Amiet
The protests have been brewing for several weeks and earlier this month dozens of masked activists from a group calling itself the 500 Brothers burst into an intergovernmental meeting in Cayenne on protecting the marine environment. This less than a month before France's presidential elections.
The strike started after complaints about high crime, the cost of living and the poor quality of health care, halting flights, disrupting a rocket launch and prompting a US travel warning.
"Today, the population has had it up to here," Davy Rimaine, general secretary of the Union of Guianese Workers, told public broadcaster France Info on Saturday.
"Those who are on the barricades aren't hardcore strikers," he said. "They are the population who have taken things into their own hands."
French election: The major players
France is choosing a new president this year. A first round vote on April 23 isn't expected to produce a clear winner, setting up a face-off between the top two contenders on May 7. DW takes a look at the major players.
Image: AP
Emmanuel Macron
Macron quit as economy minister in August and launched his independent presidential bid in November. The 39-year-old centrist formed his own political movement, En Marche (Forward), and is seen as a reformer. Despite having never held elected office, polls have predicted his win in the final round of voting in May. He's voiced admiration for German Chancellor Angela Merkel's refugee policy.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/S. Bozon
Marine Le Pen
The National Front leader has adopted a more moderate tone than her anti-Semitic father, party founder Jean-Marie Le Pen. But she still takes a hard line on immigration, saying children of irregular migrants should not have access to public education. She also wants France to withdraw from the eurozone and have a referendum on EU membership. It's predicted she'll advance to the second round.
Image: Reuters/P. Rossignol
Francois Fillon
A surprise winner of the right-wing Republicans primaries, the socially conservative Fillon is seen to represent the interests of France's Catholic middle class. An admirer of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, he supports a liberal economic policy. Though Penelopegate and other scandals have marred Fillon's campaign, he has professed no wrongdoing and vowed to fight on.
Image: Reuters/P. Wojazer
Benoit Hamon
In a runoff against former French PM Manuel Valls in the Socialist primary, Hamon was the more left-wing choice of the two politicians. The 49-year-old supports a universal basic income and wants to shorten the traditional work week. He has also spoken in support of increased investment in renewable energy. He faces an uphill battle as many socialist politicians have voiced support for Macron.
Image: Reuters/P. Wojazer
Jean-Luc Melenchon
The Left Party's candidate landed fourth in the 2012 presidential elections. Melenchon, a current European Parliament member, believes the bloc's economic liberalism has stifled France. He hopes to profit from the center-left's disarray, but may split votes with socialist Hamon. Supported by the French Communist party, Melenchon advocates a shorter work week and climate protection.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/E. Feferberg
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Labor protests in the overseas French department bordering Brazil and Suriname have also caused the postponement of the planned launch of an Ariane 5 rocket carrying communications satellites for Brazil and South Korea.
A reporter for Guyane 1ere television said many people were making their way to work on foot. The only vehicles allowed through the barricades were those of the emergency services and medical workers.
Guiana, constitutionally part of France, had a population of just under a quarter of a million in 2013, according to French statistics agency Insee.
In Depth - Spacetravel: Europe lifts off - European space flights take off in Kourou in French Guiana - je 02.04.2008
