Je t’aime moi non plus: The state of Françafrique

The special relationship between France and Francophone African nations, dubbed “Françafrique”, has remained largely unchanged since it was constructed by the former French president, General Charles de Gaulle, just before France granted independence to its African colonies.

The defence and security accords were glaringly neocolonial, paternalist and self-serving on the part of France, but proved an effective mechanism for achieving French foreign policy and geostrategic goals. The agreements were largely appreciated by pro-French African leaders, who saw them as an insurance policy against potential domestic upheavals.

In Mali, France’s President Emmanuel Macron announced in July the withdrawal of 2 500 to 3 000 soldiers from the contingent of 5 100 French soldiers deployed in the Operation Barkhane anti-terrorist mission in the Sahel. On 23 December, 15 countries, including France, Germany and the UK issued a joint statement condemning the presence of Wagner mercenary troops in Malian territory. This followed French media reports suggesting Wagner paramilitaries were sighted in the southern town of Segou. The Malian government refuted these accusations and claimed Russian military instructors were in Mali as part of a bilateral agreement.

Macron and his defence minister Florence Parly have condemned this anti-French sentiment. However, Mali is not alone in alleging that French military intervention has been counterproductive and self-serving. We should expect to see other countries within the Françafrique ecosystem seek closer defence and security ties with China, Israel, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, among others. Likely quite soon.

Long overdue.

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