anchor: algeria buried its powerful army chief with funeral processions underway in algiers. he was the defective strongman following the resignation of the president in april. it is one of the worst attacks of its kind in burkina faso's recent history -- 35 civilians,

mostly women, killed along with seven soldiers in an attack carried out by jihadists in the coununtry's north. and in tripoli, more than 100,000 residents have been made homeless since april, this is the latest offensive to retake the libyan city wages on. innks for joining as here the france 24 newsroom. i'm claire rush. algeria is paying tribute to its on monday. who died funeral proceedings are underway this wednesday in the capital, algiers, amid three days of morning declared by the newly sworn in president. he was seen n by m many as the defective strongman following the april resignation of longtime leader buddha flicka -- in the middle of mass protests.

some antigovernment protesters have agreed to pause their release for the funeral, but the widespread movement calling for political overhaul is still going strong. there are people on the streets every week since february. peter o'brien takes a look back. peter: 10 months on, and still defiant. demonstrators hit the streets of algeria on tuesday, despite calls for a day of mourning after the death of the army chief. his passing does not change their core demand. >> the movement is not limited to salah, may god have mercy on him, nor to any other specific government official. we are looking for a shift in the ruling class. peter: in february, algerians fed up with unemployment were kicked over the edge when boute flika suggested he would run for a fourth term as president.

at weekly rallies, protesters demanded more democracy and for the army to step away from its central role in politics. salallika quit after urged him to do so. an anticorruption campaign, critics say, was a purge of rivals. the de facto leader pushed through an election, which protesesters boycotted as the od guard was still at the helm. salah's death comes at a critical moment. he hoped the election would restore order. but protesters are ready to transition to greater democracy, and a likely successor has already emerged from the same regime they want swept away. it is one of the deadliest assaults of its kind in burkina faso's recent history -- a double attack carried out town.adists in a northern militants targeted civilians,

killing at least 35 people, almost all of them women. they also attacked a military base, resulting in the death of seven soldiers as well as 80 jihadists. international affairs editor doug herbert joins us in studio to tell us more about the escalating attacks in the country. doug: we have seen a very sharp increase in attacks since burkina faso as a whole became dragged into the broader conflict and the broader jihadist insurgency that began in this whole region around 15. in the first half of this year alone, you h had more attacks tn in all of 2018. people have been killed so far in burkina faso. france last month, in november, announced they were deploying more troops as part of their operation throughout the sahel faso, and burkina

more specifically to the region where these attacks happened today, the so-called three borders region, where burkina faso meets up with molly and and niger, and armed rebel groups, jihadist militants, often exploit the region's poverty, religious conflicts, sectarian strife, including a lot of young people to the jihadist cause in an area that lacks almost any governance at times. this is a region that has been very much in focus. it has been, here in europe -- the french have been very much aware of it. they have been trying to help in this area, but civilians are bearing the brunt of it. killed, 1007 hundred civilians killed, this year alone. killed this1700 year, civilians. half a million or more displaced. food program actually

warns that this is an escalating humanitarian crisis. they had the exact causes of it. they said it is driven by the insurgency inst the region. it is also driven by the clclime crisis, a very arid region. like i said, the absence of governance -- they actually warned that it could become burkina faso specifically could become another syria. meanwhile, pope francis has denounced attacks by extremist groups in west africa in his annual christmas day message. large crowds are gathering at the vatican in st. peter's square to hear the traditional speech from the leader of the world's roughly one point 3 billion christians. let's have a listen to the speech. pope francis: [speaking latin]

may he bring comfort to all who suffer due to natural disasters, outbreaks of disease, and those who are persecuted for their religious freedom, especially missionary and members of the faithful who have been kidnapped, and to the victims of attacks by extremist groups, particularly in burkina faso, mali, niger, and nigeria. the past several years, libya has been ravaged by civil war, forcing thousands of people to flee their homes. one of the latest offenses launched in april in tripoli has drastically added to the number internally displaced over the past few months, as an estimated 140,000 residents of the city had been made homeless. ter o'brien reportrts. peter: eight square meters is all samamara has to take shelter with herer four childrdren. she was determined to

stay-at-hohome in southehern tri , but eventually the conflict got to close. >> rockets started falling on us. blasts started b breaking. it was horrific.c. thee whole neighborhooood was empty. everybody had left. there was no homes, no baker, no butcher. peter: along with more than 170 families, they have moved to this abandoned construruction se deeper inside the city. have fled their homes since april, when fororces loyal to ststrongman haftar launched a an assault on tripol, the seat of the u.n.-recognized government. some are housed in schools, some with other families, the authorities are struggling to find space. thisis man has come to donate sheets and mattrtresses. >> i passed by these buildings every day. it breaks my heart that t my kis

are warm and others are experiencing this tragedy. peter: the government of national accord and haftar continue to conflict. several civilians were killed by rocket fire in the east of tripoli. claire: thousands take to the streets across india, gathering and another day of protests against a controversial citizenship law they say discriminates against muslims. this just one day after the government approved funds for a census and population survey to be conducted next year. some fear the census may lead to the creation of a database that could be used to discriminate against minorities. the measures of sparked some of the biggest protests against prime minister narendra modi's hindu-nationonalist government since he came to power in 2014. the rallies are drawing celebrities as well. [speaking another language]

[applause] claire: sorry for that technical difficulty. we did not have the translation, but we will have that on our program later on. more transport chaos here in france on christmas eve, as strikes against christmas reforms near the third week. only 40% of trains are running on tuesday, creating jampacked conditions and headaches for many holiday travelers. hard-line unions have rejected the government's calls for a christmas truce, anand vowed to remain on strtrike until the reforms are scrapped. transport w workers have largely been spearheading ththe movement on tuesday, anotr sector took center stage -- belly y dancers at the paris opera. they got creative in their strike action.

this story will keep you on your toes. reporter: performing a strike on tiptoe. tuesday afternoon, dancers and musicians took over the garniert of the opera for an improvised ballet. 15 minutes of "one like -- of "swan lake," their way of being heard. >> it is a way to show we are against the pension reform which the government wants to implement, but it is also a gesture toward spectators, because we as artists are very sorry for what is happening to hundreds of people that are deprived of seeing christmas shows. reporter: a captivating effort, appreciated by hundreds gathered. techniciansrs and -- well done to anyone taking a stand. reporter: the upper has 2000 employees and a specialized pension scheme dating back to

xvi -- louisouis xiv. employees fear the universal pension plan and how they might cope. >> it is daily work, every day, every morning. get to that level is a compulsion. you want to continue to see pretty dancers on stage. they cannot go on until 64. it is not possible. reporter: 45 shows of already been canceled since strikes began. a loss of 8 million euros for the paris opera. claire: we wrap up this bulletin with a quick look at the christmas celebrations taking place around the world. in germany, the winter cold has not deterred the santa clauses from taking a frigid swim. braver than i am. different conditions on the other of the globe, in australia, where large crowds gathered on an iconic beach,

swimming, surfing, and sunbathing, some in santa hats. chchristian worshipers havee attending beththlehem, a christmas morning mass in the church of the nativity, revered by christians as the birthplace of jesus. we leave you with these images. do stay tuned to france 24. there is more news coming up next. ♪ ♪ >> are you already at the store? i will be right there. >> she is one of the most influential businesswomen.

checkings the day by on all her shops. >> how is it going today? >> 42-year-old yvette runs a multimilon euro bubusiness. withecame successful elaborately patterned d fabric cacalled wax print, an africann fabric that has also become popular in the western wororld. >> it t is a luxury product.t. this costs 100 euros. brought over from africa. it is very expensive. international her exports from the capital. wax print in africa is not just a fashion statement. way time, it has become a for women to carry their message into the world.

>> most loin cloths have a particular meaning. family ore about the currentt political and social affairs. the theme of this one is jealousy. you see these birds looking at each other? it is a metaphor for the revelry that can exist in an african household. here, you haven't ungrateful man. you can give him everything, if him absolutely everything, and yet he will always go elsewhere. t this speaks of marital infidelity. >> she learned everything there is to know about the wax print industry with her mother. mike's print t trade has becomea tradition passeded from one generation of women to the other. it has even given rise to one of

the most significant success stories in africa. make a true fortune through the wax print trade. this shop is also a family business, run by a 25-year-old. >> take a look at this work. this is good quality. can you sell it to me for 45,000? ok, 45,000. >> she grew up with wax print fabric and was handed all the secrets of the industry by her mother and her grandmother. she still keeps an eye on the shop. businesswoman never misses

an oppornity to tatake visitors museumur of the family set up on the second floor. marargaret putsy, on her traditional wax print garment. the dedicated this part of museum to my mother. here we are, the two of us,s, in front ofof her store. people really admired her. >> margaret's mother was one of several prosperous businesswomen in togo in the 1970's. the key to her success -- unparalleled business acumen that quickly made them the only wax fabric dealers in west africa. memories. very fond the money was flowing. you see it was a good life back then. >> these women traders became the first millionaires on the

continent -- a strong symbol of women's emancipation. today, they have earned the girls b bausenz of the mercedes-benz s some of them drove. >> here is my mother, standing proud. she is the firirst one to have bought a benz. mymy mother loved what was beautiful, and what is solid. the most solid car at the time was a mercedes-benz. >> there are dozens of other families like margaret's in togo. in the end of the 19th -- from the 1970's to the end of the 1980's, these women invested in real estate and luxury homes. on the sidelines of the success stories, smaller businesses from up and wax fabric became a --ving force of the togo and

the togo economy. aree bold, bright prints recognized across the world as quintessentially african, that they were initially forged by dutch colonial companies attempting to reproduce japanese batik cloth. when it failed to take off in asia, dutch traders began selling the print in west africa. one company started mass-p-producing itt. 170 years later, their fabrics can be found on the most prestigious runways worldwide. it is the top wax print cellar in europe and africa. the company declared a turnover of nearly 30300 million euros. famous brandmost in africa. >> it is the starting point of of ancredible adventure

movement in the 1970's. several bold businesswomen signed an exclusive agreement with the dutch brand, becoming the only retailers of wax p prit throughout west africa. the wowoman who manages the brah in togo says it helped lift and entire country. >> the story statarted with womn who would travel to ghana to buy fabric and would resell in togo. when the economic crcrisis hit ghana in the 1950's, the business moved to togo, and these women made the industry somemething g extraordinary. lot,have helped the city aa and were very appreciative. that is what made them successful. goldedeage did not last. by t the end of thehe 1990's, te west african currency was devalued by 50%.

cucustomers turned to low-cost alternatives, and new competitors entered the market. later, chinese counterfeit products have flooded shops. a fashion designer has worked in the capital for four years. he says he has become accustomed to buyuying counterfeit products on the market. fabric for the dress. it is a dress that was ordered by one of my clients. is as favorite buyer chinese maker which has become a hit in togo. >> one full piece of vlisco fabric can cost 50,000 csa franks. but you can purchase 10 pieces

of fabric for that. that way, you can fill your whole wardrobe. reporter: the cost of the fabric is 10 times cheaper, and the designs and colors look t the se as the authentic dutch wax prinint. >> it is the same patttterns because the chinese are copying ththe originallisco fabrics. sosometimes s they even itite vo on the fabric, but it is made by the chinese. reporter: chinese companies do not print their patterns on real wax. they use a much more basic printing technique. on the others of town, a meeting workshop. she is an influential designer who has launched her own fashion

school. over the years, she has become accustomed to o seeing cheapap n in every store. >> when you look at the colors, you may think it is the same thing, but when you touch it and when you wear it, you can feel the differerence. dutch h x print is much more flexible and soft. this fabric is much harder and does not fall the same way. >> chinese brands are looking to purposely deceive consurs. seetraight away when you that it is not real dutch wax. wax."s "real dutch little they put wax with something next to it. >> little dutchman is chinese? >> yes, it is counterfeit. that is not dutch even a little bit. these p products are prohibited in togo, and vlisco

has been increasing efforts to havehem banned. faced with this forum low-cost competition, the wax print trade has had to reinvent itself, giving birth to a new generation of women entrepreneurs known as the nanette's. granddaughter of one of the matriarchs. >> lets unfold it. have you had a look? >> she has another v vision of w she wants to run her business. she crated her own brand, and designs all of her cloths herself and africa, but has them printed in china. first, she chooses the design with her stytylist. would say the orange should be deeper. month,r: seveveral times a

he comeses to showcase his creative ideas.. >> the next collection will be much more ethnic and w will brig out the modern ethnic dutch. designs, ifmetric we want to try to stand out, while also remaining in the spirit of africa. she is now set to conquer foreign countries with modern designs. >> we try to take into account the specificity of each country. you can see here these traditional long cloths we have created for burkina faso. these are more for the nigerian clientele who like patterns with lolots of blue. customers from the ivory coast like very flashy colors. this pink, people love. 2/3 of h her sales are

in togo and other african countries. the remaining third is exported to europe and the united states. , she supervises the manufacturing process herself, and her workshop. >> let me show you one style that was a huge hit. it is this skirt. women love it, with leather on one side. well in thely united states. here, all pieces are made from chinese fabrics.

peoples true a lot of have a negative image of chinese goods. producing very good quality. that is why we ended up working with chinese suppliers.

donald d trump: i'm establilishg new vettining measures to keep radical islamamic terrorists out of the united states of america. we don't want 'em here. larara kiswani:i: there's a stia of ararab people, , muslim peoee in ththis country designed to perprpetuate andnd justify t thr on teterror, and that's what a lot of arabs and muslims are facing today, sort of a really undignified struggle to just live. dr. raramzi salti: it takess courage e to be able to stand dp to racisism, turn itit into a positive moment a momoment of learning g where you u actually use that momement to educate, to let people know about the rich diversity of your culturere. lamees dahbour: we e want our community,y, like, sanan francio