In an open letter addressed to the country’s president, Emmanuel Macron, 94 French parliamentarians denounced the failure of Paris’ policies regarding the African continent.
“Today Niger, yesterday Mali, the Central African Republic, Burkina Faso rejected France, French forces, French companies,” say the signatories of the letter.
The text points out that after the failure of the anti-jihadist military operation Barkhane, which was led by France and lasted between 2014 and November 2022 with the declared objective of fighting Islamist groups in Mali, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Niger and Chad, The members of the Wagner group arrived in the region. According to the parliamentarians, African leaders addressed the Russian military formation to unite their population against “the colonial power.” Likewise, they highlight that anti-French actions occur even “in countries known to be close to us, such as Ivory Coast or Senegal.”
«Today, France [término con el que se describe la estrategia de París para defender sus intereses en las antiguas colonias] of yesterday has been replaced by Russian military Africa, economic Chinese Africa or diplomatic American Africa,” the letter adds.
In this context, parliamentarians ask if the time has come to “review our vision of Africa and its relationship with France.” “It is probably time, given that Africa, a friendly continent, seems to no longer understand France and is increasingly questioning its role and presence,” they conclude.
French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu responded to the letter and rejected claims that the Barkhane operation was a failure. “Our Army has consistently pushed back terrorist groups in the Sahel, saving thousands of lives there and protecting those of the French from threats of attacks on our soil,” he declared.
The news comes amid heightened tensions around Niger following the July 26 coup d’état, after which the military junta that took power withdrew diplomatic envoys from four countries, including France.
Meanwhile, Paris urged the new Nigerien authorities to “take seriously” the threat of military intervention. With RT
