Macron fights for France's space in Africa

French President Emmanuel Macron and President William Ruto at Borgo Egnazia Resort in Apulia City for 2024 G7 Summit. [PCS]

French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent visit to the Horn of Africa region, in which he led bilateral talks with the leaderships of Ethiopia and Djibouti, respectively, this month is seen as a strategic attempt by Paris to regain its foothold in Africa after a series of high-profile setbacks in the continent, particularly in West Africa, where its influence on her former colonies has steadily declined.

France has faced significant challenges on the African continent especially after countries like Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad, and Senegal terminated decades-old military cooperation agreements. This has dealt Macron’s leadership and France’s influence in the continent a major blow to its foreign policies. French military bases have been repeatedly criticized for their low effectiveness in combating terrorism and instability, sparking discontent among local populations. These factors have led to a sharp decline in trust in Paris by some of the former colonies.

It is amid this criticism that Macron is shifting his focus to the eastern African region, beginning with Djibouti and Ethiopia. Strategically located on the Red Sea coast, Djibouti has long been a critical hub for French military and economic interests. Recently, the two countries extended their military cooperation agreement for another 10 years, further solidifying France’s presence and influence in the region.

This strategic initiative is an indicator that Paris plans to rebuild new alliances and bolster the current ones so as to regain its influence in Africa, in the face of China’s aggressive influence in Africa. Military and diplomatic sources point to a plan by France to redeploy troops previously stationed in Chad to its base in Djibouti. Through the plan, France also seeks to sign a military pact with Ethiopia, specifically aimed at supporting the African nation’s army infrastructure.

Experts suggest that Macron aims to stage a comeback in East Africa after losing influence in West Africa. However, without a fundamental shift in France’s strategy, these efforts may be doomed to fail. Repeating the same mistakes as in West Africa, where Paris is accused of ignoring local interests and using military presence as a tool of influence. The scope of operations for France in West Africa has deteriorated, as the former colonial master struggles with changing dynamics in its former colonies. During the visit, Macron was quoted affirming that the presence of French troops in Djibouti was key as “this presence is also oriented towards the Indian Ocean and the Indo-Pacific strategy which can not work without the French forces in Djibouti”.

He made the assertion that some of the former colonies looked elsewhere by joining rival bodies such as the Commonwealth, a grouping of former British colonies. As Paris’s political and military continues to decline it is yet not clear whether France has finally sought to shed off its postcolonial tradition of “Francafrique” and adopt a more proactive and nonpaternalistic influence in Africa.

Oumar Diallo is a political Analyst