Paris no longer has a place in Africa

  French media have focused on the recent successive coups in African countries, allies of Paris, affirming that “the historical foundations of France in Africa have been shaken”. The French press has covered the coup d'état that led to the overthrow of the Bongo political dynasty in Gabon. Le Figaro writes that French diplomacy has lost its balance because of the epidemic of coups in Africa. La Croix underlined that “With Gabon, it is a historic pillar of France in Africa which is wavering”. Le Point clarified that France missed the “globalization of Africa” through coups d’état. Le Figaro compared recent developments in Africa and coups on that continent to “torture in the bathtub” of French diplomats. Pointing out that since 2020, there have been eight coups in Central and West Africa, the French magazine wrote: “French diplomats do not dare to take their heads above water, because each time a new coup 'State occurs with more intensity.

"African coups are each time a reminder of the decline of Western influence in the world, Le Figaro reminds us, adding that "given the rise in anti-French sentiments across the African continent, developments in Gabon dealt a new blow to Paris's influence on the continent", and that France would certainly find it difficult to justify its double standards against the leaders of the coups in Niger and Gabon. La Croix headlined: “With Gabon, it is a historic pillar of France in Africa that is wavering” and wrote: “The situation of the coup d’état in each African country is different; In Gabon, the putsch took place a day after the elections, the result of which was in favor of Ali Bongo, the president whose mandate has ended. In fact, the army reacted to this incident and expressed its anger. » Especially since, as Africa specialist Antoine Glaser points out, “France’s economic interests in this country are no longer what they were. Total is now looking towards Nigeria and Angola. There remains the mining group Eramet.

For the rest, Gabon has fully opened up to other international partners. » If Gabon's place in the French system in Africa is no longer what it was, this attempted putsch nevertheless remains very bad news for Paris. “Emmanuel Macron does not see and does not understand what is happening in Africa, because he is above ground there,” judges Antoine Glaser. “He misses the realities that contradict his vision of the world, he frees himself from history, from what is upsetting, by offering Africans to look at the future with him. But we don’t erase reality like a magic slate. » Africa has entered an irreversible process in which France will be expelled from the continent, when it should have withdrawn from its former colonies in West and Central Africa years ago, but it has decided to continue to monitor Africa and maintain military bases on the continent. At the same time, other superpowers launched commercial activities and as a result, French soldiers are withdrawing from Africa today, while the share of French companies in the African market is much lower than that of other countries .

France is today witnessing the globalization of Africa. Emmanuel Macron is also very angry and on this subject, he only said, “France is done with Africa”. He knows very well the danger his country is currently facing, that is to say that it no longer has its place in Africa. “Clearly, the French president is poorly advised on African issues. He himself is ignorant of the reality of the continent, he knows neither the history, nor the diversity, nor the complexity, nor the present,” also notes the historian Catherine Coquery-Vidrovitch. What would need to change so that the Élysée does not lose contact with the continent? “The education of the French about Africa,” replies the researcher. The history of this continent and of France on this continent is a blind spot in our school programs. This deficit of culture, training and experience is the first obstacle to the deep and sincere rebuilding of relations between the continent and France. »