@ solobalbo
2025-02-09 15:27:33
It is not new to talk about the problematic relations between Africa and France, between former French colonies in Africa and the "metropole."
_By Afrique Media_
_6 min. read_
[View original]( https://afriquemedia.tv/2025/02/06/le-reveil-africain-la-france-face-a-un-continent-qui-refuse-de-se-taire/)
What is new, however, is the discourse and behavior of French elites regarding "Françafrique," particularly from French President Emmanuel Macron.
In recent years, we have seen the French president make statements that are completely disrespectful toward his African counterparts, reflecting a neocolonial paternalism from another era.
Arrogance as the new foundation for Franco-African relations is not a good basis, as you would agree. Macron has not stopped since then, because that is who he is: disdainful, arrogant, and totally lacking an understanding of what the presidential role entails, which requires non-emotional, responsible, and respectful conduct.
> "I believe we forgot to be thanked. It’s not serious, it will come with time. Ingratitude, I am well placed to know, is a disease non-transmissible to humans."
> — January 6, 2025, during the Annual Ambassadors' Conference at the Élysée Palace in Paris.
This statement was directed at African leaders who had "forgotten to thank us" for the French military intervention in the Sahel against terrorism since 2013.
What Macron fails to understand, like many ruling elites in France, is that in Africa, it is well understood that chaos, terrorism, and war in the Sahel were exacerbated by the French military aggression, along with its English and American allies, against Muammar Gaddafi's Jamahiriya Libya in 2011, which led to its disintegration. Thus, the French intervention is merely a minimum after-sales service that indeed implicates France in the events that followed. It is rather France that owes an apology to the Sahel countries for this disastrous policy, which, as often happens, follows the violation of international law.
We can skip over Macron's ridiculous suggestion that France was "not retreating" in Africa but simply "reorganizing."
Let us now address the reactions to his remarks, which provoked negative responses in several African countries. In Chad, Senegal, and Burkina Faso, they were seen as paternalistic and insulting. Critics highlighted that this remark seemed to ignore the complexities of Franco-African relations, accusations of neocolonialism, and demands for sovereignty and recognition of the sacrifices made by African countries themselves.
Chad lamented "the contemptuous attitude" of the French president, stating that these declarations reflect a neocolonial vision of Franco-African relations:
> "These statements are poorly received by the Chadian government. Abderaman Koulamallah [Minister of Foreign Affairs] calls on French leaders to respect the African people and recognize the value of their sacrifices. 'History attests that Africa, including Chad, played a decisive role in the liberation of France during both world wars, a fact that France has never truly acknowledged. The immense sacrifices made by African soldiers to defend freedom have been minimized, and no worthy thanks have been expressed.'"
> — *Le Pays*, January 6, 2025 (1).
The same sentiment echoed in Senegal, which also condemned these remarks, calling them condescending and inappropriate.
> "French President Emmanuel Macron has managed to irritate his African counterparts. Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko reminds President Macron that 'if African soldiers, sometimes forcibly mobilized, mistreated, and ultimately betrayed, had not deployed during World War II to defend France, it might still be German today.'"
> — *Seneweb*, January 6, 2025 (2).
In France itself, Macron's statements sparked reactions from the French political class:
- **The French Communist Party (PCF)** expressed its "deep consternation" at these remarks, deeming them disdainful toward African nations.
> "These statements reinforce, among peoples, a sense of contempt and colonial paternalism. It is unacceptable to continue down this path (...) As recent events call for, notably the rejection of the French military presence in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and more recently in Senegal and Chad, it is imperative that new relations be established between our country and Africa. African nations aspire to full and complete sovereignty. A historic turning point has occurred, marking the end of the neocolonial system that Emmanuel Macron's statements seek to preserve."
> — January 9, 2025 (3).
- **Jordan Bardella**, as president of the National Rally (RN), criticized Macron's remarks in a press release and in televised interviews. He described Macron's statements as "disconnected" from the reality of Franco-African relations and denounced what he perceived as arrogance. Bardella emphasized that France should adopt a more humble and respectful diplomatic approach.
However, controversies and tensions are no longer confined to the sphere of state relations but now extend to African civil society as well.
Thus, on January 9, the Malian political party COREMA held a press conference where it called on politicians and activists from Burkina Faso and Niger to support a petition demanding reparations from France. They also pledged to submit the signatures of this petition to the governments of Mali and France.
The collection of signatures generated significant interest among the population and a desire to support this initiative; more than 100,000 people from different regions of the country signed the petition.
This demand for reparations demonstrates that for Africa, Macron's statements are the last straw that broke the camel's back. It is clear to all that the Malian party demanding reparations is not acting independently but represents the unofficial position of the government. Other countries may soon join this cause. And France will have to respond to put an end to this issue.
Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have already joined this cause, and soon Ivory Coast and Senegal will fully support them... And France will owe them a response to resolve this problem.
We are at a major geopolitical turning point in the world and for all countries and continents. Traditional power dynamics are being redefined. The Françafrique of the last century is over. Here comes the time of the Second Liberation of African countries! Here comes the time of Africa's sovereign affirmation, taking its destiny into its own hands!
The French elites still do not seem to understand that it is not the "ingratitude" of African leaders that is responsible for France's loss of influence in Africa, with an impact on the French economy today and even more so tomorrow. The outdated perception of gratitude owed for past interventions masks the reality of African aspirations for self-driven development. This is what it is about: the present, the future, and not the unresolved past for both sides.
The French elites still do not seem to understand that it is not Russia that is behind their "expulsion" from Africa, but rather the decision of these African countries to choose different partners based on their interests and their interests alone. This is not only their right but also their duty as new pan-Africanist patriots. This shift towards more diversified partnerships reflects a growing political, economic, and geopolitical maturity—something sorely lacking in France today. The peoples of Africa demand it. It is a national and democratic requirement.
As for France, entangled in a European Union in the midst of a crisis of democratic and economic legitimacy and engaged against its own interests in the American war against Russia in Ukraine, it seems to have no "new African policy" that would require a complete reboot of its neocolonial software from the last century.
Africa will not wait any longer for France to wake up. The Sahel countries are at the forefront of this sovereign African renaissance, open to the world.
The Françafrique of Jean-Christophe Mitterrand, nicknamed "Papa m’a dit," and those of today is over!
A new partnership could emerge only on a mutually beneficial basis... But with the current French regime, this is already impossible.
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**Source:** [Afrique Media]( https://afriquemedia.tv/2025/02/06/le-reveil-africain-la-france-face-a-un-continent-qui-refuse-de-se-taire/)
**Author:** Afrique Media
**Translated by:** solobalbo