Overview

• The Interior Ministry’s schema, circulated to police chiefs on July 31, sets a national framework for handling high-intensity urban unrest under an administrative category that lacks a specific legal basis.
• RAID can be deployed on decision of the national police director when a situation is deemed very degraded based on duration, extent, intensity of violence, or the nature of offenses.
• Missions for RAID include making arrests during riots and retaking zones by force, using small agile teams with options such as armored vehicles, parachute insertions, or boat access.
• The doctrine authorizes use of specific intermediate weapons, explicitly calibre-12 shotguns, a contentious escalation after serious injuries linked to such weapons in 2023.
• The National Union of Journalists is preparing an emergency appeal to the Conseil d’État over a clause negating special treatment for reporters, and police authorities say the wording on journalists will be revised.