France had control of much of western Africa during its colonial rule. Through continual colonial exploitation of resources and governance, the people of those nations were fed up with the French. It was no coincidence that when these countries gained their freedom from French rule in the 50’s and 60s the people felt liberated, knowing they did not have to work with the French. But despite this new independence most African countries continued working with France throughout the 20th and 21st centuries.
Now, there is a shift of former French colonies moving away from French partnership. Many African people still feel that France is “too friendly” with political elites in these African nations and continues to exploit their natural resources. Of the 8 military junta coups in Africa in the past 3 years, 5 of them were former French colonies. Those include Gabon, Niger, Mali, Sudan, and Guinea.
Frustrations about ties to the French elite in particular are some of the reasons that a military junta’s even occurred. Niger and Gabon are two prime examples. The former president of Gabon and his family had over $92 million in real estate holdings in France. In Niger, the French government was constantly running military operations against extremist groups. Now the French government has left, and the people feel that they were not doing much good anyway.
The outlook for France in Africa does not look promising. The French government has basically pulled out all of its embassies that were stationed in countries that had coups. It also suspended almost all military operations on the continent. The French are losing friends at a high rate. Countries in Africa are continuously tired of both Western exploitation and Chinese exploitation. The French government is losing international clout as well, with fears of a far-right government taking control in the next election.
Where does France go from here? Well, Macron needs to start understanding he is creating more enemies than friends. Macron should shift his focus onto new allies within the continent. The French government can offer infrastructure, aid, military support, and trade deals to many different African nations and show solidarity to them. This can help give France back the clout that it is losing amongst the former French colonies. Becoming an ally that is going to support the growth of African nations should be the policy switch Macron is willing to take. Without a new outlook, France is going to continue losing key allies in Africa, and with a potential new conservative government, France may struggle to regain them.
Author: Joshua Cheatham
