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France’s President Emmanuel Macron began a tour of Central Africa. Analysts term the effort of the French president as a desperate effort to safeguard French interests in Africa. Of late, anti-French sentiments runs high in a majority of African nations, particularly in the Sahel region
France’s President Emmanuel Macron began a tour of Central Africa. Analysts term the effort of the French president as a desperate effort to safeguard French interests in Africa. Of late, anti-French sentiments run high in a majority of African nations, particularly in the Sahel region.
In the first leg of the multinational tour, Macron landed in Gabon’s capital Libreville recently. He will also visit the heads of state of Angola, Congo-Brazzaville, and the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo. Russia, of late, has upped its presence in Africa, particularly in the Sahel region. China has already a large presence in the region.
Burkina Faso has told France recently that it was renouncing a 1961 agreement that provided a legal basis for French military aid. In Gabon, Macron called for a “mutual and responsible relationship” with the African continent, particularly on climate issues. The French military would reduce its footprint on the continent in the coming months. French troops, numbering over 3000 are deployed in Senegal, Ivory Coast, Gabon, and Djibouti. Another 3,000 are in the Sahel region further north, including in Niger and Chad.
As reported by www.trendsnafrica.com, Macron’s visit to Gabon has created a controversy as some critics termed it as an effort to bring back the current ruler of Gabon -Bongo- back to power. Macron went to Cameroon, Benin, and Guinea-Bissau in July last year, as part of his outreach program to Africa.
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After Gabon, he heads to the former Portuguese colony of Angola. There, he is set to sign an accord to develop the agricultural sector as part of a drive to enhance French ties with English- and Portuguese-speaking parts of Africa. During his visit to the Republic of Congo, another former French colony, he would try to build bridges between the two countries. It may be recalled that President of the Republic of Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso has ruled for almost four decades, spread over several stints.
