After a contentious speech By France President Emmanuel Macron, African governments have come out and criticized Macron’s claims that African leaders have shown “ingratitude” for the deployment of French nation’s troops in battling Islamist extremism in the continent.
At a conference in Paris on Monday, Macron claimed that the Sahel nations are marred by civil conflicts and violent extremism and are only remaining sovereign because of the deployment of French forces. The comments have not been taken kindly by African leaders.
The African Sahel
The Sahel region, is a biogeographical region in Africa. It is the transition zone between the Sudanian savannas to its south and the drier Sahara to the north. The political region of the Sahel, as defined by the United Nations strategy (UNISS), covers 10 countries (Senegal, Gambia, Mauritania, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Nigeria).
The region 3,860km wide located south of the Sahara Desert and stretching east-west across the African continent, has been a focus of attention around the world in recent years. For some time now, issues such as terrorism, insecurity and trafficking have played havoc in the region.
Most of the countries in the Sahel region were colonised by France, and unlike Britain, France has maintained strong links with former colonies. They cooperate in the economy, defence and resource extraction, to mention a few areas.
France also has the first right to buy any natural resources discovered in all its former colonies. Although the relationship between France and its former colonies have been told to be cordial, recent coups in these nations showcase a rising anti-France sentiments festering across Africa.
The coups have been followed by large demonstrations against France. Despite these cracks, France is keen to maintain its grip on these countries, especially pertaining to military cooperation and resource extraction. France was reluctant to pull its military out of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger despite the countries severing military partnerships. It continues to exploit the natural resources of these countries, which is also one factor that has angered the locals.
Military takeovers have been a major source of concern in the region and beyond in the last few years. Since 2020, the region has had four successful coups and three failed ones. The coup in Niger particularly attracted attention. This is because Niger was seen as a “darling of the west” and a model for democratic governance in the region. Niger’s military rulers have been increasingly determined to drive France out of any significant sector in their economy – and particularly uranium mining.
The Sahel is known for its vast natural resources, the region is also a crucial strategic location giving access to large parts of Africa from all sides. The world powers involved in the scramble have huge economic interests with defence and security cooperation in the form of arms sales a major portion of it.
Macron’s remarks
Meanwhile Macron has dismissed the notion that French troops had been expelled from the Sahel, an area that sits just below the Sahara Desert, as Paris’ influence on its former colonies wanes.
The French leader also blamed the exit of his country’s forces from the region on successive coups. “We left because there were coups d’état. We were there at the request of sovereign states that had asked France to come. From the moment there were coups d’état, and when people said ‘our priority is no longer the fight against terrorism’… France no longer had a place there because we are not the auxiliaries of putschists. So, we left.”
In recent years, French troops have withdrawn from Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali following coups in the West African nations where anti-French sentiment has become rife. They are also preparing their exit from Chad, Ivory Coast and Senegal. French forces similarly left the Central African Republic in 2022 after deploying there in 2013 following a coup that sparked a civil war.
Macron’s comments were denounced by Chad’s foreign affairs minister, Abderaman Koulamallah, who accused the French leader of showing “a contemptuous attitude towards Africa and Africans.”
Koulamallah dismissed Macron’s claims in a statement, he said “France has never endowed the Chadian army in a significant way nor contributed to its structural development. In 60 years of existence, marked by civil wars, rebellions and prolonged political instability, French contribution has often been limited to its own strategic interests, with no real lasting impact on the development of the Chadian people.” Chad had announced in November that it was ending its defense cooperation with France to reassert its sovereignty.
Macron insisted in his address on Monday that France’s influence was not in decline in Africa but that the nation was only “reorganizing itself” on the continent.
His stance was rejected by Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko who explained in a statement that Senegal’s decision to close all foreign military bases, including those of the French, “stems from its sole will, as a free, independent and sovereign country,” adding there were “no discussions or negotiations” with the French. “Let us note that France has neither the capacity nor the legitimacy to ensure Africa’s security and sovereignty,” Sonko stated.
Meanwhile activists in Africa were also outraged over Macron’s comments. “Macron’s statement that African leaders should be grateful for France’s military interventions, claiming that West Africa’s sovereignty owes its existence to the French army, reeks of revisionism and intellectual dishonesty and moral bankruptcy,” Togolese writer and social activist Farida Bemba Nabourema wrote in a lengthy post on X.
“This paternalistic rhetoric, which infantilizes African nations as incapable of self-governance, is deeply rooted in the racism that justified colonization in the first place and continues to nourish neo-colonialism today,” Nabourema added.
Growing Foreign influence
With the waning French influence in the region, the African countries have veere away tpowards other major global players that can help limit France’s control in the area. The Russian military support has become an increasingly sought-after alternative by some Sahel nations who have moved on from their former Western partners. The Junta-led Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso have also since signed military partnerships with Moscow, receiving contingents of Russian military instructors from the shadowy mercenary group, Wagner.
Wagner forces have also reportedly arrived in Equatorial Guinea where they are tasked with protecting its authoritarian leader President Teodoro Obiang, mirroring the activities of the Russian mercenaries in the neighboring Central African Republic where they have evolved into the dominant foreign force.
The relationships between Russia and many Sahelian countries were established during the cold war and colonial era. More recently, the emphasis by western countries on controlling local governments, especially whilst conducting its counterterrorism operations, has pushed Sahelian countries closer to Russia.
While western allies demand their own brand of ‘democracy’, and ‘human rights’ in return for security and economic support, Russia portrays itself differently. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022 also increased Russia’s interest in the Sahel because it is keen to maintain allies in Africa.
Russia has openly backed military regimes in Mali and Burkina Faso and warned against any military intervention in Niger when the military took power. Niger has also cancelled its defence agreement with the EU and switched to Russia. All of these factors explain Russia’s interest in the Sahel.
Like Russia, China too portrays itself as an alternative to the traditional ally (France) of Sahelian countries. With a mantra of “non-interference”, China has entrenched itself as a “partner” of countries in the Sahel. The Sahel region is rich in natural resources such as oil, uranium, natural gas and lithium and Chinese state-owned enterprises have moved ahead with its investments, now operating in Niger, Chad, Mali and Burkina Faso.
With these developments the frustrations of France and Macron are quite evident. A region that was once dominated by the French where its resources and people had a direct link with France now have open coups and anti France demonstrations in the streets.
Not only are the African nations rejecting the influence of Paris, France is being systematically replaced by China, Russia and other prospective global partners. The resources of the region are especially crucial to France and now it is slowly losing access to them. France has been forced to deploy its troops in many regions to keep them under control and push the anti France forces out, but slowly and surely it is losing control and influence over the region.
While Macron is expecting gratitude for the interventions against the many revolutionary groups, the nationalist locals see it quite differently. They believe that France has been exploiting its resources and is a colonial force attempting to keep the local governments as only puppets. The dynamic and fast developing politics of the Sahel are one to keep an eye on, as the West loses its grip on Africa and other global players move in to fill the void.
