William Easterly’s masterly book The White Man’s Burden brutally exposes the pain that efforts by the West to “help” Africa in particular have caused the continent. For example, the creation of armies on a continent that did not need them has produced a Frankenstein that is at the root of Africa’s political instability and booming corruption industry today. French President Emmanuel Macron last Monday rubbed salt into the festering wound of colonialism/imperialism when he accused African leaders of ingratitude to his country for helping fight terrorism on African soil.
In a speech given to French ambassadors at the Elysée Palace in Paris, Macron said that countries in the Sahel would not still be sovereign nations had French forces not prevented Islamist militants from taking control of their territory and he accused African leaders of not having the “courage” to take this view “in the face of public opinion”. Macron told his audience that “France is not on the back foot in Africa, it is just lucid and reorganising itself.”
African leaders have been quick with their reactions, accusing Macron of arrogance. Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko issued a statement asserting that “France has neither the capacity nor the legitimacy to ensure Africa’s security and sovereignty.” He added, “French leaders must learn to respect the African people and recognise the value of their sacrifices.” In his New Year’s speech, Senegalese President Bassirou Dioumaye Faye said that 2025 would see an end to all foreign military activity in the country. In late November, he declared that the presence of the French military in the country was incompatible with sovereignty. Chad’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Abderaman Koulamallah also issued a statement expressing “deep concern at recent remarks by the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, which reflect a contemptuous attitude towards Africa and Africans”. The government of Chad — once one of France’s most loyal partners in Africa — announced last November that it would be halting defence cooperation with France, which formerly had around 1,000 troops stationed in Chad. French jets and troops started withdrawing two weeks after the announcement.
However, Chad expressed a desire to maintain good relations, with Koulamallah saying at the time that “this is not a break with France like Niger or elsewhere”.
Niger’s former president, Mohamed Bazoum — who was a French ally — was deposed by a military junta in July 2023. France has also pulled out of Mali and Burkina Faso following a string of military coups, and the French military is in the process of getting out of Senegal, the Ivory Coast and Chad. As France’s power in its former colonial sphere on the African continent declines, Russia, China and Turkey have all expanded their influence. A new form of neo imperialism is setting in, reinforcing the saying that nature abhors vacuum. If Africa cannot take charge of the house the old tenant of which she has sacked, someone is bound to step in.
Back to Macron’s France. I like his bravado but it is very improbable that France will regain a strong foothold or a bridge head in those African countries from which she has been kicked out or is about to be shown the door. At least not any time soon. The coupists in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso have dug in their heels and are showing their nasty teeth like mad dogs and appear to hold their populations in their balmy palms. On the allegation of ingratitude, I wonder if it isn’t France that should be appreciative to Africa for allowing it to control her economies the way it did before now. Yes, it had many troops in West Africa in particular but their presence, we knew, was not altruistic but selfish. They were in those countries, first and foremost, to protect France’s huge economic investments. When they weren’t in harm’s way, French troops simply looked away, allowing the so called jihadists to attack, kill and steal. French paternalism runs deep. We should ignore Macron if he chooses to not take down the white man’s burden.
