French President Emmanuel Macron has begun a four-nation tour of Africa, stating that the era of French interference in the continent was “well over”. Macron’s visit comes as anti-French sentiment has grown in some former African colonies, with Russian and Chinese influence increasing in the region. Macron stated that France had no desire to return to past policies of interfering in Africa, referring to France’s post-colonisation strategy of supporting authoritarian leaders to defend its interests, known as “Francafrique”. Macron and his predecessors have previously declared that the policy is dead and that France has no intention of meddling in sovereign affairs.
Macron announced that there would be a “noticeable reduction” in France’s troop presence in Africa “in the coming months” and a greater focus on training and equipping allied countries’ forces. France has withdrawn troops from former colonies Mali, Burkina Faso and the Central African Republic (CAR) in the past year. The pullout from Mali and Burkina Faso, where its soldiers were supporting the Sahel nations to battle a long-running armed rebellion, came on the back of a wave of local hostility. Another 3,000 troops are in the Sahel region of West Africa, including in Niger and Chad. The proposed revamp concerns the first three bases but not Djibouti, which is oriented more towards the Indian Ocean.
Macron landed in Libreville on Wednesday and will later head to Angola, the Republic of Congo and the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). His comments came before several heads of state were due to attend the One Forest Summit in Libreville, which will focus on preserving rainforests that play a vital role in the global climate system. The forests of the vast Congo River Basin represent are among the planet’s largest carbon sinks. They are also home to huge biodiversity including forest elephants and gorillas, and bear traces of the settlement of early humanity. But they face threats such as poaching, deforestation for the oil, palm and rubber industries, and illegal logging and mineral exploitation.
Macron spoke of the challenges of mobilising international finance as he and Gabonese environment minister Lee White toured the Raponda Walker Arboretum, a protected coastal area north of Libreville. Other presidents expected to attend the summit are host Ali Bongo Ondimba of Gabon; Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of Congo; Faustin-Archange Touadera of the CAR; Chad’s Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno; and Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea. The gathering kicked off on Wednesday with exchanges between ministers, civil society representatives and experts.
Macron will head to Angola on Friday, where he is set to sign an accord to develop the agricultural sector as part of a drive to enhance French ties with anglophone and Portuguese-speaking Africa. He will then stop in the Republic of Congo, another former French colony, where Sassou Nguesso has ruled for a total of almost four decades, and neighbouring DRC.
Last year, Macron toured Cameroon, Benin and Guinea-Bissau in his first trip to the continent since winning re-election, seeking to reboot France’s post-colonial relationship with the continent. The tour was to “show the commitment of the president in the process of renewing the relationship with the African continent”, a French presidential official said, who asked not to be named. It signalled that the African continent is a “political priority” of his presidency.