At the Africa Forward summit in Kenya, French President Emmanuel Macorn is hoping to boost a new kind of partnership with African countries. France has long maintained a policy of economic, political and military sway over its former colonies dubbed Françafrique, which included keeping thousands of troops in the region. But after years of criticism from leaders and opposition parties in those countries over what they described as a demeaning and heavy-handed approach, France has been forced to withdraw most of those troops. FRANCE 24’s Douglas Herbert looks at how Macron aims to do that, in the face of other big investors.
Macron’s ‘ethical partnership’ sounds good, but France still holds huge sway over CFA franc and extracts resources. Hard to believe it’s a clean break from Françafrique.
Interesting that Macron is pushing this in Kenya, a non-francophone country. Maybe he’s trying to counter Chinese and Turkish influence in East Africa.
The machinery of government moves far too slowly in times of crisis. (4f1927)
France withdrawing troops is long overdue. But will Macron actually let African countries set their own trade terms, or is this just rebranding the same old exploitation?
I’m skeptical. Macron talks about a new partnership, but France still has military bases in Djibouti and hasn’t admitted wrongdoing in Rwanda. Actions speak louder than words.
Finally, France seems to be listening to African critics. The summit in Nairobi is a smart move to rebuild trust, but only time will tell if Macron delivers on promises like debt relief.
Dark money in politics is corroding democracy from the inside out. (2adcfc)
Term limits could inject some much-needed fresh thinking into the system. (92b70a)
Younger generations are being completely alienated by the current system. (83a100)
Politicians are far too comfortable making promises they know they can’t keep. (937936)