Reporters

No face masks, no lockdown, no closure of restaurants or schools: the Swedish government relied on the Swedes' self-discipline to battle the Covid-19 pandemic. Most of them supported its decisions and working from home became the norm. But in the end, calls to be responsible and socially distance proved insufficient. Although Sweden's Covid-19 figures are no worse than the European average, the country has reported 10 times more deaths than its Scandinavian neighbours.

On both sides of the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, members of the Hazara minority, who practice Shia Islam, have become a prime target for various Sunni terrorist groups such as the Taliban and Islamic State group. In southwestern Pakistan, the Hazaras live in ethnic ghettos. Little information filters out from this highly unstable region, which is off-limits to foreigners. Over on the Afghan side, the Hazaras are also targeted by jihadist groups and those who can afford it now ensure their own security. Our reporters went to meet them.

Ten years ago, the Arab Spring saw huge change across the Middle East and North Africa. FRANCE 24's reporters were there as people power on the streets turned into revolution: from Tunisia to Egypt, to Libya to Yemen.  A decade on, we relive the Arab Spring with footage from our teams on the ground.

At the end of 2016, after bitter negotiations and a lost referendum, the Colombian government and the FARC rebels signed a historic peace agreement. But four years later, the cycle of violence in Colombia has not stopped. The country continues to face attacks on civilians, as well as assassinations of local leaders and demobilised guerrilla fighters. Our reporters went to meet FARC veterans who have rebuilt their lives and turned the page on war, only too aware that the current peace is uncertain and fragile.

In the United Arab Emirates, the possession and trafficking of wild animals have been officially banned since 2017. Yet every day on social media, Emirati citizens, particularly royals, post videos where they pose with lions, tigers or cheetahs. In a disaster for biodiversity, these big cats have been turned into status symbols, even more effective in clocking up Instagram likes than luxury cars or selfies with celebrities. Our reporters traced the source of this lucrative illegal trafficking industry to Somaliland, in the Horn of Africa, where authorities and NGOs are trying to end it.

Operation Warp Speed is the name of an ambitious programme put in place by the Trump administration to deliver Covid-19 vaccines across the US. Widely touted during the presidential election campaign and officially rolled out in December, it was supposed to have 20 million people vaccinated by January 1 of this year. But by that date, barely 25 percent of the target had been reached. So what happened? Has the operation fallen victim to politicisation? Our Washington correspondents Matthieu Mabin and Fanny Allard report.

France's new generation of environmental activists have rejected traditional marches and petitions they deem ineffective and old-fashioned in favour of shock tactics: occupying public spaces, blockading multinational companies and tearing down official portraits of the president. They say acts of civil disobedience are necessary to highlight the escalating climate crisis. Our reporters went to meet them.

On May 25, the death of George Floyd in the United States sent shockwaves internationally. That same week, in Rio de Janeiro, 14-year-old João Pedro was shot dead by police – with few repercussions. In Brazil, where 56 percent of the population is Black, compared to 13 percent in the US, racism is deeply rooted in society. Brazilian police, understood to be some of the most violent in the world, kill 17 times more Black people than American officers. Miles from Minneapolis, a Brazilian Black Lives Matter movement is gaining momentum. Our correspondents report.

Two years ago, a group of young French Jews and Arabs decided to put up a united front against anti-Semitism and racism, through an SOS Racisme initiative. Through their different backgrounds and religions, they set out on a nationwide awareness campaign in a bid to open up an unfiltered dialogue in communities where these topics have become completely taboo. Reporter Hanna Assouline followed the youths on their mission to make people open up and talk.

In the French overseas department of Guadeloupe, fighting the Covid-19 pandemic is more difficult than in mainland France. Hospitals on the Caribbean archipelago lack sufficient medical staff and equipment. Meanwhile, hand washing, an important way of preventing transmission of the coronavirus, is often impossible due to regular water shortages in some regions. Our reporters travelled to the islands to meet healthcare workers and residents.

August 4, 2020 is a date that will be remembered forever in Lebanon. Twin blasts struck the port of Beirut as some 2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate went up in smoke. More than 200 people were killed, thousands were injured and entire neighbourhoods were disfigured. As locals sprang into action, the Lebanese army was on the frontline to prevent looting and secure the scene. Our Beirut correspondent Zeina Antonios followed some of these soldiers as they faced what may turn out to be the biggest challenge of their careers.

Since fighting erupted between Ethiopian forces and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) earlier this autumn, tens of thousands of civilians have fled across the border into neighbouring Sudan. But once safe from the violence in their homeland, they have to survive their new lives in exile.

For this report, FRANCE 24's team embedded with Niger's special forces. In this epicentre of West African jihadism, local "franchises" of the Islamic State group and al Qaeda are competing to establish a vast "caliphate" across the Sahel region. Local villagers are caught in the crossfire, afraid that jihadists may infiltrate the population and living in fear of reprisals. Some 4,000 civilians died in this zone in 2019 alone. Niger's government has twin aims: to keep people safe and to recover territory, in order to prevent the "caliphate" rising from its ashes on the African continent.

Ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, we bring you a special documentary on the scourge of domestic violence. Every year in France, more than 220,000 women are victims of violence inflicted by a partner or ex-partner. This abuse usually takes place behind closed doors and takes many forms: beatings, rapes, genital mutilations, kidnappings. Tragically, 2019 saw more than 150 femicides. Journalist and documentary filmmaker Mélina Huet followed four women – a policewoman, a lawyer, a gynaecologist and an activist – who are trying to change the status quo.

In Poland, where the ultra-conservative government is considering implementing a court ruling that almost completely bans abortion, tens of thousands of women have been protesting relentlessly in the streets and churches of Warsaw, despite the Covid-19 pandemic. But the widespread anger goes beyond the pro-abortion cause and is also directed at the growing influence of the Catholic Church on the government, which now appears under pressure. Our reporter followed the Polish women and men who are fighting night and day to defend their rights.

Located in the Aegean Sea, the Greek island of Kastellorizo ​​is a rocky outcrop of 9 km² surrounded by turquoise waters. Three months ago, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's decision to start gas exploration south of the island threw its 200 inhabitants into the international spotlight. They found themselves unable to reach the Turkish coastal city of Kas, two kilometres away by boat, which they depend on for supplies. Our journalists met the islanders of Kastellorizo ​​and their Turkish neighbours. Geopolitics seems a distant concern to them: all they want is to live in peace.

Sixty years ago, most of the French colonies in sub-Saharan Africa became independent nations. Between January 1 and December 31, 1960, some 17 countries, including 14 under French rule, gained their statehood. Senegal's first post-independence president, Léopold Sédar Senghor, referred to 1960 as the "magical year", while others hailed a peaceful decolonisation process.

In US presidential elections, the vote in certain states is predictable. But in others – known as swing states – there can be surprises. Our correspondents Jessica Le Masurier and Céline Bruneau travelled to the key battleground states of Minnesota and Wisconsin to see whether voters in America's heartland will choose Donald Trump or Joe Biden as their next president.

A tense electoral campaign for Ivory Coast’s October 31 presidential election kicked off on Thursday with the incumbent, Alassane Ouattara, seeking a contested third term. Some Ivorians accuse him of undermining the constitution, and the opposition has called for widespread "civil disobedience" to disrupt his controversial plans. In the past 25 years, Ivory Coast has regularly been the scene of post-electoral violence. Often at the cost of multiple human lives.

October 25 is shaping up to be a historic day for Chile. Voters are due to take part in a referendum on amending the Pinochet-era constitution. The vote is the culmination of a year of protests, to which the government responded with a violent crackdown. Some 31 people were killed and thousands were injured – including 468 who lost an eye, mostly to rubber bullets fired by the police or military. These injured protesters have become the martyrs of the Chilean revolution. Our reporters went to meet them and gauge the anger of the young generation.