If there is one word that can be used to describe the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly is the word “HOT”. Now when we say hot, we do not mean hot like the weather but hot as in the tense atmosphere between African leaders and the other leaders present, specifically leaders of the West. It was as if all the African leaders decided on what they would say because they were all speaking the same language. By the same language, we mean lashing out at the West right in their face about their attitude towards Africa and collectively saying that they have had enough. Each of these leaders gave magnificent speeches which showed that the order of things has changed and that Africa will only relate with countries that would relate with the continent on an equal basis. What made the UNGA even hotter was the fact that the African leaders were not diplomatic with their words, they spoke and made allegations right in the face of whichever country’s leader they were referring to. For instance, during his speech, the Premiere of Mali accused the UN of not doing anything when it sent letters stating that France planned to militarily intervene in Mali after it was kicked out by the military junta of Mali and also creating the chaos present in the country today. While he was saying all this, the President of France and the members of the UN Security Council were present.

Now, of all the speeches given during the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, there was none as long and phenomenal as the one given by the Minister of State of Burkina Faso, Bassolma Bazié who was representing President Traore. His speech did not only lash out at the hypocrisy of the West but also revealed a lot of things that Burkina Faso and by extension other Francophone countries have suffered under the hands of imperialist France. The Minister revealed the shocking actions of Paris since Captain Ibrahim Traoré seized power in September 2022. Now, in the eyes of the world, France condemned the coup that brought Ibrahim Traore to power right? Well, that’s not what exactly happened in the background. According to Minister Bazie, after the coup occurred in Burkina Faso, France contacted Ibrahim Traore and laid down some conditions that he had to fulfill if he wanted to remain in power for a long time. And one of such conditions was for him to appoint a Prime Minister chosen by France. Can you imagine this? Minister Bazie also added that these actions were carried out with the complicity of the “international community” and “local henchmen in Africa.”

Now, this statement may seem unbelievable but don’t forget that Minister Bazie said this right in front of all the leaders present including President Macron and leaders of the West. So, if it was merely an accusation without any basis of truth, he wouldn’t have the boldness to say that. Minister Bazie further revealed that Ibrahim Traore rejected the proposal by France and since then he has been the object of “reprisals, threats, coup attempts, and immoral maneuvers. This we know to be true because, since Ibrahim Traore came to power, he more than any of the junta leaders has been subjected to four coup attempts. We can easily believe this to be true because historical records show that time and time again, France has always shown interest in who is ruling any of its former African colonies so that they can ensure that whoever that person is, is under their command. Before we even look at some historical records, there is even a recent example that reveals how France has tried to influence the rulers of African countries.

Shortly after the military coup occurred in Mali, senior U.S. officials traveled to Paris for a discreet meeting with French counterparts, who presented them with a list of names. Guess what the meeting was about? It was to determine who would be the next leader in Mali. Can you imagine that? The same people who talk up and down about democracy are setting up secret meetings to determine the next leader of a supposed sovereign country whose citizens are supposed to elect their leader. Nobody would have been aware of this secret meeting if someone familiar with the meeting hadn’t revealed it to the Wall Street Journal.
According to the source the meeting was held in an ornate office in the Élysée Palace and present were President Macron’s top African diplomats who proposed four prominent Malian politicians as potential successors to the country’s ousted pro-French leader. Recall that, the coup in 2020, ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, following months of protests against him and his links to the country’s former colonial power, France. It was suggested by the diplomats that it was still possible to engineer a new civilian government that would continue in the line of the ousted President and to do that they needed the support of America.

However, the US officials who were present in the meeting declined to offer support for the plan, and that was how the plan failed and Colonel Assimi Goita is still ruling Mali. But let’s not forget that, like Traore, President Goita was almost assassinated during the first few months in power. The assassin was fortunately caught due to the vigilance of his security team. Who do you think is responsible for that attempt? The media may play it as disgruntled soldiers in the army but it cannot be farfetched to say that France was behind it after all they have carried out more than 25 assassinations on African leaders who stand against their plans and interests. France has always seen Africa as its backyard that it can control in any way because Africa is paramount to its greatness as one of the top world leaders. And, one of the ways that France has exercised this control is by installing leaders of its own choice or negotiating with the leader already in place. The negotiation is usually in the line of do whatever we say and we will help to protect your stay in government. This is the reason why some African countries have Presidents for Life. Why do you think some African presidents such as Omar Bongo and his son, Ali Bongo, Idriss Derby of Chad, and Paul Biya of Cameroon, just to name a few, were able to stay in power for so long? It’s because they had the backing of the French.

Let’s take Chad for example. President Idriss Derby became the President of Chad in 1991 and since then he was elected every five years until he died in 2021. This means he ruled Chad for 30 years. How was he able to do that when there were rebel groups that protested his stay in power? He was only able to do so because he had the support of France and the USA. In early 2019, a convoy of 50 pick-ups from the Chadian rebel group UFR crossed the border from Libya to Chad. President Idriss feared that this move could lead to an insurgency endangering his 30-year authoritarian rule and given that his soldiers have been ineffective in dealing with the rebels, the President decided to call for help. Guess who he called? The President didn’t call Nigeria, the closest military to Chad for help, and neither did he call any African organization such as ECOWAS. He instead called France for help and France responded. Upon his request, the French government deployed seven jet fighters that annihilated the convoy during four days of strikes. This enabled him to stay in power till 2021 to conduct an election which would ensure that he ruled for another sixth term. Unfortunately for him, that didn’t happen because the rebels struck again and he was killed in an impromptu attack.

Now after Chad’s long-time dictator died, the country was thrown into chaos on who would lead. Ordinarily, Chad’s constitution says the speaker of the parliament should become interim president upon the death of an incumbent. However, the military which had the backing of Paris immediately took over and installed the son of Idriss Derby as interim President. France quickly came out to say that the reason they backed the coup was for security reasons as if they were truly concerned about security in the country. Obviously, the true reason is so that France can continue to influence Chad, the way it always had since Chad became independent. How hypocritical. Chad is just one example of an African country that France has influenced the choice of leaders all the way from Paris. The reason for all this is to ensure that their hold and influence on African resources never breaks as it has in Mali, France, and Niger.

The emergence of these military junta beginning with Mali in 2020, shows that France’s hold in Francophone Africa has begun to slip. The junta of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have broken the defense pact with France which allowed France to send its troops to their country to supposedly fight terrorism. Not only that, they have sent France troops packing and chosen to partner with non-European countries. This is indeed the beginning of a new era in Francophone Africa. Hopefully, with these military juntas, Francophone Africa will begin to see the changes they have been waiting for.

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