2023 is a difficult year for Africa, especially sub-Saharan Africa. Extreme weather is rampant, causing increasingly serious food insecurity, poverty and displacement; Looking back at the history of the slave trade, Africa calls on western countries to shoulder historical responsibilities, advance the just cause and pay compensation to the African people; The security situation in West Africa and the Sahel has deteriorated again, with coups in Niger and Gabon, and the national consciousness of African countries has gradually awakened; The continuous aggressive interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve has increased the already high inflationary pressure in African countries. Of course, even in the face of a series of internal and external shocks, the trend of world multipolarization has not changed, and peace and development remain the theme of the African continent.

　　The year-end special feature "Say No to 2023" of the Central Radio and Television General Station in Africa will sort out the multiple challenges faced by the African continent in 2023 through many in-depth reports, showing that Africa is actively seeking the road of independent development and national rejuvenation through multilateral cooperation, the BRICS mechanism and the green "Belt and Road" construction.

　　French troops stationed in Niger withdrew from French media: the end of France’s ten-year "anti-jihad" campaign

　　On December 22nd, with the last batch of 50 French soldiers flying from the air base in Niamey, the capital of Niger, to France and Chad, the French army’s evacuation from Niger started on October 10th ended, and all 1,500 French troops stationed in Niger were evacuated. At the same time, the French embassy in Niger said that it was forced to close indefinitely because it could not perform all the tasks of diplomatic representatives.

　　Since the regime change in Niger in July this year, the controversy surrounding the French garrison in Niger has come to an end. France’s 24 TV channel said in the report that this move means that "France has been in the Sahel region of West Africa for more than a decade ‘ Anti-jihad ’ The action is over. "

　　Looking back on the past two years, the French army has successively withdrawn from Mali, the Central African Republic and Burkina Faso, and the number of personnel has been reduced from more than 5,400 at the peak to about 1,000 at present. The French military presence in the Sahel region of West Africa is gradually declining.

　　In addition, many former French colonial countries in Africa are carrying out the "de-Frenchization" movement, and France has gradually lost its influence and once respected position in Africa, and the era of "French Africa" is slowly ending.

　　After the coup in Niger, the anti-French wave surged, and the "African gendarmerie" had no choice but to withdraw again.

　　On July 26th, soldiers of Niger Presidential Guard detained President Mohamed Bazoum in the presidential palace in Niamey, the capital. On that night, the coup soldiers announced that they had overthrew the Bazoum regime and taken over state affairs. On the 28th, Chiani, the former captain of Niger’s presidential guard, announced his appointment as the chairman of Niger’s National Committee for Defending the Motherland. On the same day, the Committee issued a statement saying that Chiani, the chairman of the Committee, was the national leader.

　　The reasons for the military coup in Niger are exactly the same as those in Mali and Burkina Faso. They are "the security situation continues to deteriorate and the government’s economic and social governance is weak", and the sword refers to France. Bazoum was detained, and the western media also exclaimed that France was afraid of losing an important ally in the Sahel. After the incident, France refused to recognize the legitimacy of the coup soldiers.

　　On July 30th, France announced the suspension of aid to Nepal. On the same day, Niamey people who supported the coup soldiers stormed the French embassy. They shouted slogans such as "Down with France" in front of the embassy, during which some people set fire to the door and threw stones at the embassy. Two days later, France decided to evacuate overseas Chinese from Niger urgently.

　　On August 3, the military authorities of the coup in Niger announced the abolition of the military cooperation agreement signed with France, demanding that the French garrison withdraw before September 3. The French side responded strongly that the coup authorities in Niger had no right to abolish the agreement. On August 25th, the military government of Niger asked sylvain Yitai, the French ambassador to Nigeria, to leave the country within 48 hours, but France turned a deaf ear and refused to recall the ambassador.

　　At the beginning of September, the deadline for withdrawal approached, and thousands of people in Niger surrounded the French base in Niamey, "Down with France! The call for France to get out is higher and higher, and some people try to break into the military camp. At the same time, the supply of the French embassy in Niger was cut off, the materials were reduced to "wartime quota", and Ambassador sylvain Yitai was taken hostage.

　　Under heavy pressure, on September 5, the French Ministry of National Defense said that it "exchanged views" with the Nigerian military government on the withdrawal of the French army. Previously, it repeatedly reversed its position of not recognizing it. On 24th, French President Macron said that he would recall his ambassador to Niger and end his military presence in the country. "French 24 Hours" news network said that after nearly two months of confrontation with Niger’s military government, Macron finally "caved in".

　　This withdrawal from Niger is the fourth time that France has withdrawn its troops from African countries in two years after withdrawing troops from Mali, Central African Republic and Burkina Faso. Among them, in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, France was ordered to leave for three times, which made France lose face in the Sahel region, and France’s status as an "African gendarmerie" was also unsustainable.

　　France’s anti-terrorism framework has been abandoned, and countries in the Sahel region are determined to maintain security independently.

　　The evacuation of the French army is regarded by the people of Niger as the beginning of a "new era", and the ruling military government of Niger also considers it a major victory, declaring it as a "new step towards Niger’s sovereignty".

　　How will the security situation in the Sahel evolve after the withdrawal of French troops? Some western media have expressed their concern that the "anti-terrorism vacuum" may lead to the further expansion of the activities of the "jihad" armed forces, thus worsening the security situation in the Sahel region and even the Gulf of Guinea as a whole.

　　However, the people in the Sahel countries do not agree with the pessimistic predictions of the western media. They believe that the French army did not significantly improve the security situation during its existence. Niger’s military government expressed its "determination to meet the challenge by consolidating the country’s military and strategic capabilities". Chiani reorganized the national defense system after taking office, and recently established the "Solidarity Fund for Protecting Homes" to raise funds for counter-terrorism by raising funds from the public.

　　On 16 September, Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso signed an agreement announcing the establishment of the "League of Sahel countries". On the one hand, the alliance is to respond to the threat of military intervention that the Economic Community of West African States may launch, and on the other hand, it will coordinate the fight against terrorist activities raging in the border areas of the three countries.

　　This cooperation mechanism is a substitute for the "Sahel Group of Five" established by France in 2014. Due to dissatisfaction with France’s use of this organization to give orders, Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso have all withdrawn from the "Group of Five", resulting in the de facto dissolution of this organization.

　　Whether Niger is determined to build its own defense line against terrorism, whether Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger form an alliance to fight terrorism, or whether Russia provides strong support to the Sahel region, the effectiveness of these measures remains to be seen. The complexity of the security in the Sahel also includes many problems such as economic development and social governance in the region. When analyzing the failure of France’s "Sahel strategy", some French scholars said that France relied too unilaterally on military means and lacked support for the development of various countries.

　　African anti-French sentiment has a long history, and historical and practical factors are intertwined.

　　In recent years, many countries that have suffered coups are former French colonies, and they are also African countries known as French-speaking areas. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, which have successively expelled the French army, are also among them. These countries have close and special interests with France for many years, and their dissatisfaction with France has a long history. Colonial history and current political security issues are intertwined and gradually accumulate into a powerful anti-French wave.

　　Cruel economic plunder has led to a weak economic foundation and a low level of development in African countries.

　　France’s colonial history in Africa has been more than 100 years, but most French-speaking countries in Africa, especially those in the Sahel, have a worrying development situation and a low level of economic and social development, which is directly related to France’s predatory colonization. French companies obtain local resources and raw materials, and dump goods to make a lot of profits, but they have no intention of promoting local construction and development.

　　In addition, by establishing the CFA franc zone and unifying the currency, the financial and economic lifelines of French-speaking countries were controlled and their dependence on France was deepened. At present, 14 African countries use West African francs or Central African francs, and their currency reserves are deposited in the Central Bank of France. These economic plundering histories are the "original sin" of France in the eyes of African young people, which makes them reject France from national feelings.

　　"Double Standards" on Democratic Issues, Interfering in the Political Situation of French-speaking African Countries at Will

　　On the one hand, France advocates democracy, but at the same time, it makes friends with some ruling families in African countries in exchange for benefits and convenience, and pursues "double standards" on the issue of democracy. Most senior officials and politicians in West African countries have a background of studying in France and being pro-French, which is their political capital supported by France. For the emergence of a political situation that is not conducive to France, France will come forward to exert pressure, restrain and threaten from the political and economic levels, and influence the ruling direction of political elites.

　　If economic and political means fail, France’s large number of troops stationed in many African countries can come in handy. According to incomplete statistics, from 1962 to now, France has carried out at least 25 military interventions in Africa, including Operation Sangbutterfly, which tried to help Central Africa "restore order" in 2013, and Operation Unicorn, which intervened in the civil war in C? te d ‘Ivoire in 2015.

　　For a long time, the powerful control over French-speaking countries in Africa has made the French politicians accustomed to the "paternalistic" style and bossed around the affairs of French-speaking countries in Africa. The condescending arrogance of the French government has aroused widespread resentment in all walks of life in African countries.

　　The anti-French wave swept through and went deep into the field of cultural life, and France had to adjust its role.

　　Nowadays, anti-French sentiment has spread to most French-speaking African countries. From Mali to the Democratic Republic of Congo, from Senegal to Gabon, France’s influence is gradually losing. African leaders and public opinion are expressing their dissatisfaction with France more and more bluntly. The former French colonial countries are increasingly alienated from France politically and militarily, and are also cutting off from France with greater efforts in culture and life.

　　Since July this year, Morocco, Mali and Burkina Faso have successively decided to abolish the official language status of French. These three countries plan to upgrade the local national language to the official language, while Algeria has increased the popularization of English at the university level. In August this year, Abidjan, the economic capital of C? te d ‘Ivoire, decided to delete the place names with traces of French colonization, and the streets named after former French presidents Destin and Mitterrand were also renamed. In addition, in recent years, in the French-speaking areas of West Africa, civil, political and artistic movements criticizing France have become increasingly active, further awakening the national consciousness of the local people.

　　Gnaka Lagok, a professor of history and African studies at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, said, "Some African countries have a feeling that economic and political life is still controlled by France. The reality is that these African countries are seeking ‘ Second independence ’ People want political and economic freedom and France is an obstacle for them to achieve this goal. "

　　In August this year, some center-right members of the French Parliament sent a letter to French President Macron, urging him to reconsider France’s role in Africa when France’s influence weakened, arguing that France should keep a "fair distance" from African countries and Paris should get rid of its outdated Africa policy.

　　Editorial writer Philippe Bernard said in the column of Le Monde in France in February this year that with the expulsion of French soldiers, France must admit that it played an accomplice role in the failure of some French-speaking African countries and regard the withdrawal as a new stage of decolonization. "For France, the goal should not be to beat one’s chest, but to change one’s mentality." The French media also admitted that "it is time to break the paternalism towards Africans and allow these countries to exercise their free will".

　　(Headquarters reporter He Beiping intern reporter Chen Yanhua)

　　【Party flag is flying high at the grassroots level.】

　　Guangming Daily reporter Geng Jiankuo Chen Yuanqiu Zhang Jinghua Dongcheng Chen Jianqiang Liu Xi

　　On July 28th, the No.5 typhoon "Du Surui" landed on the coast of Fujian. Different from other typhoons that gradually weakened after landing, "Du Surui" traveled long distances, and the precipitation clouds gradually moved northward, approaching Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei.

　　From July 29th to August 2nd, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region was hit by a torrential rain which was rare in history. Some areas such as Mentougou and Fangshan in Beijing were seriously damaged. More than half of counties (districts) in Hebei province suffered from floods, and the affected population in the province was 2,222,900. Among them, the flooded area of Zhuozhou once reached 60% of the urban area, and the average accumulated water was 1 to 1.5 meters, and the deepest part reached 5 to 6 meters. Tianjin, which is low-lying and located at the end of the Nine Rivers, is responsible for 75% of the flood discharge in the Haihe River Basin. Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei suffered an unprecedented exam.

　　The flood is the command, and the danger is the war. The party committees and governments of the three places organized a large number of rescue forces to rush to the scene for emergency treatment, and went all out to fight the hard battle against floods and disasters. Grass-roots party organizations play the role of fighting bastion, and party member cadres play the vanguard and exemplary role, uniting and leading the masses to do all the work of flood control and disaster relief.

　　At 10 o’clock on the evening of August 2, Li Ziliang, a cadre from Laiguangying Township, Chaoyang District, Beijing, received a phone call. "The township wants to send people to the disaster-stricken areas for support. Can you go?" "I can!" Li Ziliang answered simply without hesitation. The next day, he followed the big troops to Fangshan District, and walked all the way into Dongguadi Village and Tiangezhuang Village, which were flooded by Dashihe River, to count the damage, check the structural safety of the house, and accumulate first-hand data for subsequent rescue and reconstruction. During the community visit, Li Ziliang found frequent dripping and leaking. He took the initiative to communicate with Laiguangying Township Government, promptly assisted waterproof materials worth more than 140,000 yuan, and helped Chengguan Street to repair damaged buildings.

　　Since the disaster occurred, more than 120,000 party member cadres in Beijing have come from all directions, plunged into the places where the masses need it most, rushed ahead and made selfless contributions, and helped each other and fought together with local cadres and masses, making bright red party flag fly high in the front line of disaster relief and reconstruction.

　　"Watch your step, the river has flooded here, and the ground is particularly slippery. Everyone must pay attention to safety!" On August 3, in Qiaodong Community, Chengzi Street, Mentougou District, Beijing, Huangshan, a cadre of the Organization Department of Beijing Municipal Committee, waved a shovel and reminded his teammates behind him. As one of the first members of the youth commandos for emergency rescue and disaster relief, Huangshan was selected to support the work in Chengzi Street, Mentougou District on August 2. In order to avoid bacterial growth, dredging has become a top priority. Huangshan and the supporting cadres started fighting non-stop after entering the community. The weather was hot, and their feet were sweltering in airtight rubber shoes. Sweat dripped into their eyes and it was too late to wipe them, but no one shouted bitterness and tiredness.

　　Organize to block the gaps in the western part of Zhuozhou city and delay the speed of flood entering the city; Mobilize pumping and drainage facilities such as "dragon suction pump" and drainage pump to increase drainage efforts; Emergency departments at all levels carry out daily "call-and-answer" linkage to rescue teams and keep them on standby. The province has dispatched 4,705 rescue teams with 105,988 people … … Hebei invested a lot of rescue forces to rush to the scene for emergency treatment and went all out to fight against the flood.

　　The three-level power departments of cities and counties in Hebei Province carried out 24-hour emergency duty to repair damaged power facilities. State Grid organized State Grid Tianjin, Hebei North and Shanxi to send operation and maintenance support personnel to deploy low-voltage emergency generator vehicles and small generators to support Hebei.

　　Hebei Provincial Department of Transportation, in accordance with the principle of "rushing with the break, rushing with the break", has taken measures such as setting up emergency bridges and opening temporary sidewalks to rush through the broken road sections 24 hours a day and 48 hours in special circumstances to ensure the smooth transportation of disaster relief personnel and materials. For non-broken-off water-damaged sections, strengthen inspections, timely clean up side slopes and rockfalls, deal with subgrade landslides, eliminate hidden dangers, and prevent secondary disasters.

　　To stabilize the "vegetable basket" of the people, the supply channels of daily necessities such as meat, eggs, vegetables, milk and fruits in Hebei Province are smooth and sufficient; Strictly prevent secondary disasters, strengthen inspection and early warning of geological disasters such as landslides and mudslides, and investigate and rectify potential risks of large and medium-sized reservoirs; Strengthening environmental disinfection, the province has sent more than 320 health and epidemic prevention teams with more than 1,000 people.

　　On July 29th, in the Tianjin Emergency Rescue Command Center, the big screen flashed with real-time meteorological dynamics and river regime … … The forecast of possible floods in Ziya River, Yongding River and Daqing River came. Since this flood, 21 rivers in Haihe River Basin have experienced floods exceeding the police, and 8 of them have experienced the biggest floods since the measured data were available. Tianjin quickly mobilized all forces, opened flood storage and detention areas, paid attention to preventing floods and properly relocating the masses, ensured the safety of people’s lives and property, and built a safety barrier in the face of floods.

　　A flat and efficient command system was quickly launched in Tianjin: responsible comrades of various departments went to the front line of flood control and flood fighting to deploy and dispatch flood control and mass transfer and resettlement work; Meteorology, water affairs, emergency, public security, urban management, fire rescue, etc. quickly deploy professional backbones to the emergency rescue command center to ensure wake-up calls; In accordance with the plan, all districts should ensure the smooth flow of information and do a good job in flood control, emergency rescue and disaster relief.

　　Zhao Tianyou, a member of the expert group on flood control work of Tianjin Water Affairs Bureau, said that in response to the flood control process, Tianjin Water Affairs Bureau sent four flood control inspection and guidance groups to go deep into the flood control front lines of Wuqing, Zhangzhou, Jinghai and Binhai New Area to do a good job in flood control and flood fighting with all districts. Fifteen flood control expert groups and 196 technical backbones were sent to the front line of flood control and emergency rescue, and together with all districts, they made every effort to do a good job in the use of flood storage and detention areas and patrol dikes to check risks. It also assembled a retired expert group in the field of flood control in the whole city to form three flood control service groups, providing technical guidance for the reinforcement of the dangerous section of Jiyun Canal, the application of the Yongding River flood storage and detention area and the inspection of key river embankments, and assisting all districts to do a good job in water regime judgment, flood control and emergency rescue, material transportation and disaster disposal.

　　It is understood that after more than 20 days of flooding, as of August 25, Tianjin has accumulated more than 3.5 billion cubic meters of upstream floods, and it is estimated that about 700 million cubic meters of floods will enter the country in the future. The main flood channels such as Yongding River, Daqing River and Ziya River in Tianjin have entered the end of flood discharge. Sixteen planning teams, including relevant industry authorities in Beijing, town streets and municipal planning institutes, municipal architectural institutes, Beijing Jianzhu University, Beijing University of Technology and Tsinghua Tongheng, focused on the destruction of houses, roads and infrastructure in villages after the disaster, and went deep into 178 administrative villages in 8 towns and streets in Mentougou District to carry out post-disaster planning, collecting first-hand information for the next scientific post-disaster reconstruction planning.

　　At present, some reservoirs in Hebei are running at high water level, and flood storage and detention areas such as Dongdian and xian county flood plain are still retreating, and the river water potential is generally stable. The Water Resources Department of Hebei Province adjusted the emergency response of flood prevention level III to level IV at 9: 00 on August 25th. All localities and departments are taking measures to speed up the pace of post-disaster reconstruction. Baoding has set up nine professional groups for post-disaster agricultural production recovery to promote the implementation of key measures for disaster relief, guide the recovery of agricultural production as soon as possible, and minimize disaster losses. In view of the damage caused by flood to farmland, water conservancy, school buildings, electricity, roads and bridges in the county, xian county has actively carried out comprehensive drainage declaration projects. According to the water damage of water conservancy projects, Hengshui City has formulated relevant work plans, searched and analyzed the weak links in the water conservancy project system, established a post-disaster reconstruction project library, and planned a number of water conservancy projects, such as river flood control standards, urban flood control construction, flood control optimization and upgrading, and ecological restoration of river water system.

　　Guangming Daily (August 27, 2023, 03 edition)

　　Beijing, January 20 (Reporter Li Jinlei) Recently, some media reported that supplementary medical insurance and enterprise annuity were added on the basis of "five insurances and one gold", which became "six insurances and two gold". In fact, supplementary medical insurance and enterprise annuity (a kind of supplementary old-age insurance) are paid voluntarily, not compulsorily. Moreover, supplementary medical insurance and enterprise annuity have existed for a long time, but the newly promulgated Enterprise Annuity Measures came into effect on February 1 this year. Don’t get me wrong.

　　"Five insurances and one fund" include endowment insurance, medical insurance, maternity insurance, unemployment insurance, industrial injury insurance and housing accumulation fund.

　　Recently, some media reported that on the basis of "five insurances and one gold", supplementary medical insurance and enterprise annuity were added, which became "six insurances and two gold".

　　In this regard, many netizens mistakenly believe that these are two new treatments added by the state for employees, which enterprises must force to pay to employees. However, in fact, supplementary medical insurance and enterprise annuity are established voluntarily, and they have existed for a long time, which is not new.

　　Let’s talk about supplementary medical insurance first, which is a supplementary form of basic medical insurance compared with basic medical insurance. According to data from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, by the end of 2016, there were 290.22 million employees participating in supplementary medical insurance nationwide.

　　Zhang Yinghua, an executive researcher at the World Social Security Research Center of China Academy of Social Sciences, told the reporter of Zhongxin.com that supplementary medical insurance is a welfare added by the unit (employer) for employees, which is generally a commercial insurance purchased by the group. In 1998, the Decision of the State Council on Establishing the Basic Medical Insurance System for Urban Employees stipulated that the supplementary medical insurance premium of enterprises within 4% of the total salary shall be paid from the employee welfare fund.

　　Zhang Yinghua explained that there is no uniform regulation on whether the supplementary medical insurance is paid by individuals, and it varies from place to place. It can be paid by the enterprise, or it can be paid jointly by the unit and the individual, and withheld and remitted by the unit.

　　The reporter found that taking Beijing as an example, as early as 2001, Beijing promulgated the Interim Measures for Supplementary Medical Insurance for Enterprises in Beijing, proposing that "enterprises participating in the basic medical insurance in this city can establish supplementary medical insurance for their employees and retirees (foreign-invested enterprises are limited to Chinese employees)".

　　Note that the method says "yes", not compulsory and compulsory payment. According to the measures, the supplementary medical insurance of enterprises is mainly used to solve the medical expenses borne by retirees and the medical expenses that employees need to pay for hospitalization.

　　It is understood that at present, the threshold for medical insurance for employees in Beijing is 1,800 yuan, that is to say, from January 1 to December 31 of each year, 1,800 yuan must be spent, and the part exceeding 1,800 yuan can be reimbursed; Anything less than 1800 yuan is paid by oneself.

　　In other words, if you spent less than 1800 yuan on medical insurance in that year, it was not enough for reimbursement. At this time, supplementary medical insurance came in handy.

　　Let’s talk about enterprise annuity again. Enterprise annuity is also called occupational annuity. It is a supplementary pension insurance system independently established by enterprises and their employees through collective consultation on the basis of participating in basic pension insurance according to law. It is an important part of the second pillar of China’s multi-level pension insurance system.

　　In short, the enterprise annuity is a supplementary pension insurance. Employees participating in the enterprise annuity is conducive to adding a pension accumulation on the basis of the basic pension insurance, and further improving the income level and quality of life after retirement.

　　It should be noted that the state encourages enterprises to establish enterprise annuities, but it is not mandatory.

　　Moreover, enterprise annuities have been around for many years. On January 6, 2004, the former Ministry of Labor and Social Security issued the Trial Measures for Enterprise Annuity. By the end of 2016, 76,000 enterprises had established enterprise annuities nationwide, with 23.25 million employees and accumulated funds of 1.1 trillion yuan.

　　In other words, enterprise annuity is an old system that has been implemented for more than ten years. However, since February 1, 2018, the newly formulated Enterprise Annuity Measures will be officially implemented. The "Measures for Enterprise Annuity" issued this time is a revision and improvement of the "Trial Measures for Enterprise Annuity" in 2004.

　　According to the regulations, the expenses required for enterprise annuities are jointly paid by enterprises and individual employees. The enterprise payment shall not exceed 8% of the total wages of the employees of the enterprise every year.

　　When it comes to enterprise annuities, many people say that they are unfamiliar. This is because, compared with pension insurance, the penetration rate of enterprise annuities is not high. In 2016, the number of people participating in national pension insurance was 887.77 million, while the number of employees participating in enterprise annuities was only 23.25 million.

　　As for the low penetration rate of enterprise annuity, Zhang Yinghua said that this is mainly because enterprise annuity is voluntary, and many enterprises, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, have no motivation and ability to participate.

　　In addition, Zhang Yinghua said that the "Enterprise Annuity Measures" stipulates that three conditions must be met when launching an enterprise annuity plan: participating in basic old-age insurance and fulfilling payment obligations, having corresponding economic affordability, and establishing a collective negotiation mechanism. These three conditions must be met at the same time. For many private enterprises, small and medium-sized enterprises and collective enterprises, it is difficult to meet at the same time, and the principle of voluntary establishment is adopted, and the employee mobility is high, so the participation rate is not high. (End)