59% of French people are against the operation in the Central African Republic

It's not true, the French were undecided, they were not decided... And for Libya, excuse me a bit, but it's really making fun of people's naivety... And we saw the result...

SURVEY. Operation Sangaris was supported by a narrow majority at the very beginning of the intervention.

The French military intervention in the Central African Republic is quickly losing public support, with 41% of French people in favor, 10% less than a month ago at the start of Operation Sangaris, according to a poll to be published in "Sud Ouest Dimanche".

According to the Ifop poll, 9% of those questioned say they are "totally" in favor and 32% "rather in favor" of France's intervention in the Central African Republic, compared with 59% who say they are not in favor (divided into 33% who "rather not" favorable, and 26% "not at all").

The Ifop institute, citing previous polls on the same subject, notes that support for Operation Sangaris was already "barely in the majority" (51%) at the very start of the intervention (launched on December 5), and already weakened after the first week, reaching 44%. The "erosion of support from public opinion that began three weeks ago is confirmed", and the low support of 41% was reached in one month, "very quickly compared to recent military operations", notes Ifop. 

The pollster recalls that in Libya (2011), it took four months for public opinion supporting French intervention to become a minority (49% against 66% in the first days). While in Mali, opinion has always been mostly favorable - even if it had eroded a little - from 63% in the first days to 59% in March, two months later.

For'Ifop, the "soft" approval of Sangaris is due to various factors, including "an effect of weariness" after several French military actions abroad in recent years (Afghanistan, Ivory Coast, Libya, Mali). But also "the singularity of the conflict" in Central, with "unidentifiable war aims and enemies", and therefore "invisible successes", unlike the Mali.  

The political divide remains marked, with support from socialist sympathizers for intervention (70% in favour, ie + 3 in one month), much more important than the UMP (30%, - 5 points).

Le survey was carried out between December 27 and January 2, online, on a sample of 1001 people, representative of the population aged 18 and over, according to the quota method.

source: Nouvelobs.com

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