Macron welcomes African leaders for commemoration of Provence landings: Video
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed several African leaders on Thursday, August 15, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Operation Dragoon, the Allied invasion of Provence during World War II.
This operation, often overshadowed by the more famous Normandy landings two months earlier, played a crucial role in the liberation of France and the eventual defeat of Nazi Germany.
The commemoration was attended by six African leaders, including Paul Biya of Cameroon, Faure Gnassingbe of Togo, and Faustin-Archange Touadera of the Central African Republic. However, the absence of officials from Niger, Mali, and Algeria has been noted as a sign of France's strained relations with these countries. Burkina Faso on the other hand was represented by a chargé d'affaires.
The event took place at the Boulouris necropolis near Saint-Raphael, followed by ceremonies off the coast of Toulon, key locations during the August 15, 1944 landings.
Macron's participation in the ceremonies is deemed as France's long-overdue recognition of the contributions made by African soldiers, many of whom were forcibly recruited, in the liberation of Europe.
The Provence landings, while less deadly than the Normandy invasion, were a significant chapter in the Allied campaign, with approximately 1,000 Allied deaths compared to more than 4,400 in Normandy.
