African experts and academics criticize French President Macron’s new strategy for being unilateral
According to some African experts and academics, France’s President Emmanuel Macron may face difficulties in implementing his new Africa strategy.
Macron visited Gabon, Angola, the Congo Republic, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) last week to renew relations between Paris and Africa and declare his intention to end French interference on the continent.
Macron declared the “end of Francafrique” in Gabon, the first stop on his tour, vowing that Paris would be a “neutral interlocutor whose role is not to interfere in domestic politics.”
Some experts on the continent, however, believe that this declaration is merely a cover for more meddling, as locals increasingly oppose France’s presence on the continent.
Unilateral strategy
According to Ntuda Ebode Joseph Vincent, a professor at Yaounde University in Cameroon’s capital, “Francafrique” was a term coined by French intellectuals after World War II to describe an updated version of the French colonial system.
“Through its Francafrique policy, France interferes in the domestic affairs of African countries on military, economic, and other levels, and makes sure to create secret economic ties between African regimes and French politicians,” he said.
Ntuda Ebode, director of the university’s International Relations and Strategic Studies Center, accused France of attempting to “write the history of Africa on its own, as it has done in the past.”
“It is impossible to implement the New Africa Strategy unless it was developed inclusively and collaboratively,” he emphasized.
Changing discourse for popularity
Mursel Bayram, head of Africa Studies at the Social Sciences University of Ankara, Türkiye’s capital, said African opinion leaders saw China, Germany, Canada, and Türkiye as Africa’s most beneficial partners, citing surveys conducted in 2021-2022.
“France is even lagging behind new players like Japan and India,” Bayram added. “Aware of this, the French government is attempting to change the discourse.”
Daouda Kinda, a Senegalese expert in international relations, also claimed that Macron’s remarks did not reflect reality.
According to Kinda, the West had not abandoned the colonial system and had kept it alive through economic ties such as the African franc currency.
According to Kinda, France is attempting to regain popularity in countries such as the Central African Republic, Mali, and Burkina Faso, where locals have staged protests against French military presence in recent years.
“France, like the other colonial powers, is changing its strategy,” the expert said. “After realizing that military interventions in Africa were no longer effective, France is attempting to implement a soft power’ policy through civil society and young people.”
Macron, according to Kinda, “never considered ending this colonial system,” and instead wishes to reestablish France’s lost popularity on the continent.
