Memory policy, financial partnership, military assessment between promises of rupture and paternalistic legacy, we take stock of this last decade of Franco-African relations with Thierry Vircoulon, associate researcher at the Sub-Saharan Africa Center at Ifri, and Vincent Hugeux, journalist and essayist specializing in Africa whose latest book The irons and the whip has just been published by Éditions Perrin.
Towards a real rupture in the Franco-African relationship?
The last decade marks a complex transition in relations between France and the African continent, marked by Emmanuel Macron’s desire to put an end to practices inherited from the colonial period. In reality, this attempted break had been initiated by his predecessors. However, Emmanuel Macron’s two mandates are characterized by his memorial action. Among these actions, we can cite the recognition of France’s responsibility in the genocide of the Tutsis in Rwanda, the restitution of military archives on the war in Cameroon or even the restitution of cultural property in Benin.
Despite the official speeches promising new stages in Franco-African relations, the guests underline a persistence of the ambiguities of the French President, his gestures of rupture often being hampered by a personal style perceived as paternalistic.
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The turning point in the military presence
French military strategy has undergone a major transformation, going from a presence in eight countries in 2020 to an almost total withdrawal, precipitated by operational failures in the Sahel, notably with Operation Barkhane, “the operation too many” selon Thierry Vircoulon.Â
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This disengagement, often suffered rather than planned, forces Paris to redefine its cooperation around one-off partnerships and training and support.
Paris turned towards English-speaking African countries?
For several decades now, France has been turning to English-speaking and Portuguese-speaking countries, in particular countries like South Africa, Angola and Nigeria. If the choice of these countries is notably linked to the presence of hydrocarbons (in Nigeria or Angola), it should be noted that French-speaking countries now concern “we are completely insignificant in French foreign trade” explains Thierry Vircoulon.
The “Africa Forward” summit on May 11 and 12 took place in Kenya, an English-speaking country with which France is intensifying its relations.
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