Africa Watch – Smokescreen
13th January 2025

French President Emmanuel Macron has criticised some African leaders in the Sahel region for being ungrateful despite France’s military efforts to combat terrorism and support their sovereignty. Macron claimed that France’s military support since 2013 has been instrumental in maintaining sovereignty in the region and that none of the countries in the Sahel would be sovereign without it. He also justified the recent withdrawal of French military bases from the region, citing a wave of coups. Macron’s comments come amid growing tensions between France and several African countries, particularly in the Sahel region. The French president’s remarks have been seen as dismissive and condescending, sparking outrage among many Africans who view France’s military presence as a form of neocolonialism.

Macron’s recent comments reveal the deep tensions underlying Franco-African relations, particularly concerning security and sovereignty. His assertion that Sahel countries owe their sovereignty to French intervention reflects a paternalistic tone long associated with France’s engagement in its former colonies. This claim has drawn criticism, as true sovereignty encompasses self-governance, economic development, and social cohesion—areas where external military intervention offers limited solutions.
Mr Macron’s rhetoric overlooks the complexities of regional challenges and intensifies growing resentment toward perceived neocolonial influences. His sulking takes a small history from French-led counter-terrorism campaigns in the Sahel that began with Operation Serval in 2013, launched to roll back the gains made by breakaway Tuareg rebels. The Tuareg advance in 2012 divided Mali into two after declaring the secession of the Northern Azawad region.
Between 2013 and 2022, Paris launched a series of operations as one ex-French colony after the other fell into Jihadist onslaught. Perhaps the most enduring of such operations was Barkhane, whose launch and results were so mixed that opposition to it by civilians in Mali contributed to its symbolism as the arrowhead of rising anti-French sentiments, which Macron took personal issues with. He chided African leaders at the 2019 French Africa summit for not doing enough to curtail it.
Since 2021, operation after operation has wound down following the return of military coups, which ushered in legitimacy-hungry regimes and capitalised on the anti-French and general anti-western sentiments to build a support base. France’s economic and political dominance further fuels distrust. Its control of the CFA franc and perceived interference in domestic affairs have reinforced the belief that its presence in Africa is driven more by self-interest than genuine partnership.
It does not seem like the thanks Macron is waiting for will come, at least not anytime soon, as his remarks reveal a disconnect between France’s perception of its role and the realities on the ground. Macron officially designed Paris’ attitude to these developments when, between 2021 and 2022, he discussed the need to reduce direct French engagement on the continent while acknowledging its error during the Algerian War of Independence in the 1950s.
The current French disposition to its former African colonies in the Sahel is one of resignation and defeat. The signs it had thrown in the towel came in 2021 when it pivoted to the Asia Pacific through rhetoric and naval deployment, which can be seen as officially gaining a foothold in the next theatre of great geopolitical competition given the worsening rivalry between the West and China.
In recent weeks, its fortunes in Africa, especially from a security cooperation standpoint, have taken even more beating following announcements from Chad, the Ivory Coast and Senegal that they are ending French military presence as soon as possible. France’s diminishing influence was starkly highlighted during the inaugural ceremony of Ghana’s President, John Dramani Mahama, which welcomed coup leaders from West Africa. This move signalled a significant shift in the region’s diplomatic posture, with ECOWAS countries increasingly aligning with the Sahelian bloc. With perhaps the notable exception of Nigeria, even countries with traditionally strong Western ties appear to be questioning France’s relevance.
Despite the spectacle that the rhetorical wars between Paris and its ex-colonies provide, a few things are clear: first, the sun has set on French neocolonialism in Sahel Africa. Secondly, and this is important, the new set of leaders in the insecurity-plagued states–many of them too young to remember what France-Afrique looked like–do not individually have the capacity to improve the security fortunes of their respective states. This very hard but urgent work of building society and institutions from the ground up in order to maintain stability is vital, and none of the states in the region can do it by itself. Lastly, the vacuum which France left is loudly and rapidly being filled by its rivals from Kigali to Moscow. Since the political elites in the Sahel have not met the basics, there’s not much assurance that the security cooperation that China, Russia, Rwanda, Turkiye or the UAE provide will move the needle.
Ultimately, the evolving landscape in West Africa challenges France’s historical dominance and forces a reevaluation of its role on the continent. Macron’s comments expose the difficulty of mending fractured ties, particularly with countries like Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, which have severed ties with France and embraced new alliances. France must recalibrate its approach, prioritising mutual respect, listening to African perspectives, and addressing structural inequalities to remain relevant. A more collaborative and less paternalistic stance could help repair strained relations and foster more effective solutions to shared challenges in the Sahel and beyond.