A High-Level French Politician Criticized Marvel Studios Black Panther: Wakanda Forever film for “false and misleading representations” of the European country’s military strength.
A scene from the film, released in November, shows French mercenaries brought before an international audience accused of robbing the fictional country of Wakanda. A reporter who tweeted the clip over the weekend pointed out that the actors in the film are wearing costumes similar to the uniforms worn by troops conducting Operation Barkhane in Mali.
Operation Barkhane was launched in 2013 with the aim stem the advance of jihadist insurgents into the African nation. The campaign ended last year after 58 soldiers died during the intervention.
Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu strongly criticized the scene, tweeting on Sunday: “I strongly condemn this misleading and misleading representation of our Armies.
Noting the sensitivity of the issue, Lecornu added: “I think and pay tribute to the 58 French soldiers who died defending Mali at its request against Islamist terrorist groups.”
According Bloomberg, a French Defense Ministry official said the tweet reflected the minister’s personal view, adding that it was his duty to defend the French armed forces if there were any misconceptions surrounding them. The official added that France had no intention of demanding the removal of the film.
The French Embassy in London and disney– which owns Marvel Studios – did not immediately respond to Fortune when contacted for comment.
The French ministry told the news agency AFP that “no revisionism can be tolerated on the recent actions of France in Mali: we intervened at the very request of the country to fight armed terrorist groups, far from the story told in the film, namely a French army coming to plunder the natural resources”. The agency added that people close to the French minister added that he was “angry to see the film”.
Relationship with Mali
The minister’s comments come after French military experts said the country’s relationship with the Malian army had been left in “tattered” after Operation Barkhane in the Sahel region.
Elie Tenenbaum, defense specialist at the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI), told the BBC“The initial objective was to stop the spread of jihadism in the Sahel and to forge a solid partnership with the Malian army. Today, that strategic partnership is in tatters…as jihadism increasingly spreads across the region and takes root deeper in society.
Former Africa reporter Patrick Robert summed up the issue in Le Figaro last August: “When France is there, it is accused of interference. When he is not there, he is accused of abandonment. Anyway, France is wrong.
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