Emmanuel Macron, the French President, is expected to lay out a new African policy ahead of his visit to four African countries beginning Monday.
He will travel to Gabon for an environmental summit, then to Angola, Congo-Brazzaville, and the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo.
It comes as Paris seeks to counter the region’s growing Russian and Chinese influence.
In some of France’s former Sahel colonies, anti-French sentiment is running high.
Burkina Faso gave France a month to withdraw its 400 special forces last month, and the French military operation in the country officially ended a week ago.
French troops withdrew from Mali after the country’s military government began working with the Russian private military contractor Wagner.
The Russian organization has also been active in the Central African Republic.
