French President Francois Hollande Wins UNESCO Peace Prize -Wednesday june 5,2013

 Francois Hollande,French President has received a major prize from the United Nations' cultural organisation for his decision to send troops to Mali in January 2013

Francois Hollande was awarded the annual Felix Houphouet-Boigny Peace Prize by Unesco at a ceremony in Paris,France

President Francois Hollande was presented with a diploma, a gold medal and a cash prize of $150,000 (£98,000, 115,000 euros), which he will reportedly donate to two relief organisations working in Mali.

Joaquim Chissano, President of the Deciding Jury said: "Having assessed the dangers and the repercussions of the situation on Africa and on Mali in particular, as well as on the rest of the world, the jury appreciated the solidarity shown by France to the peoples of Africa."

Mali's President, Dioncounda Traore thanked Francois Hollande and referred to the "humiliation" suffered by people living in the north of of the country before the French troops arrived.

Benin President Thomas Boni Yayi told the news agency AFP: "If France had not intervened, where would we be? God alone knows."


Note
The Houphouet-Boigny prize, created in 1989, is intended to honour people that have made a significant contribution to peace and stability

The prize is named after Felix Houphouet-Boigny, a politician who served in the French government before becoming the first president of the Ivory Coast and playing a leading role in the decolonisation of Africa.

Previous winners include -

• former Irish president Mary Robinson
• South Africa's former leader Nelson Mandela and
• the first president of East Timor, Xanana Gusmao.