In 2022, Mali kicked out the French ambassador in the country. The following year, in 2023 January, Burkina Faso also kicked out the French ambassador. This same year following the coup that occurred in July in Niger, the French ambassador to Niger was kicked out in September, and now just a few days ago, Tunisians are demanding the withdrawal of the French ambassador from their country. Franc is indeed in trouble in Africa. It’s pretty much understandable why Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger are angry with France. First, these countries were former colonies of France, and after suffering through the colonial period of exploitation they continued to suffer post-colonial period. France found ways to maintain control in their countries in certain aspects including politically, economically, and militarily. For decades, the interference of France in their countries contributed to why these countries are among the poorest in the world.
So, when the coups occurred in these countries which led to the removal of puppet leaders who aided France in their policy towards the countries, it became easy to stir up the resentments that the citizens of these countries have had against France. Anti-French sentiments spread, French ambassadors got kicked out, and the Defense agreement with France was dissolved which led to the eventual removal of French forces stationed in these countries.
However, for Tunisia, a country in North Africa the situation is a bit different. Like Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, Tunisia is also a former colony of France but some would argue that the effect of colonization on Tunisia is not as bad as that of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. Tunisia did not pay any colonial debt and neither did they sign a colonial pact that ensured that France had the right to interfere in their military or economy. Tunisia does not use the CFA Franc, a colonial currency which has kept Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and eleven other Francophone countries on a leash. Tunisia does not keep 50 percent of its foreign exchange reserves at the French Public Treasury. So, you can see that although Tunisia was a former colony of France and still suffered through its colonization period, the effect of colonization on the country cannot be compared to that of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger which currently have widespread anti-french sentiments growing so strong in the countries. And unlike these three countries, Tunisia has a fairly stable relationship with France.
Now, the question is why are the people of Tunisia, a country whose relationship with France is still very okay, demanding the expulsion of the French ambassador from their country?

According to reports, thousands of Tunisians gathered at the French embassy on Saturday, October 21st in the capital, Tunis, to demand the departure of the French ambassador. The reason for the protest and their demand was that France was part of the Western powers that supported Israel in the current fight between Israel and Palestine. The protesters condemned Western support and by extension France, for Israel which they blamed for a deadly strike on a Gaza hospital. Some protestors waved Palestinian flags, while others urged the ambassador’s removal, accusing France of being one of the Western “allies of the Zionists.”
The protesters also called for the criminalisation of any normalisation of relations with Israel. “We’re here to support Gaza and Palestine. We, all the Tunisian people, are always with Palestine,” said demonstrator Marwen Meghri. Another demonstrator Tayeb Bouaicha also expressed his support saying that “The people of Tunisia express their unequivocal condemnation of the massacres and genocide perpetrated against the Palestinian people,”
This protest by Tunisians to express their support for Palestine and demand the withdrawal of the French ambassador comes as Israel continues to bomb the Gaza Strip after the Palestinian militant group, Hamas, launched a deadly attack across the border on 7th of October. The conflict between Israel and Palestine has had devastating consequences. In the Hamas attack on Israel, it’s reported that Hamas militants killed 1,400 people, primarily civilians, and took 212 hostages back to Gaza. Meanwhile, Gaza has borne the brunt of Israel’s retaliatory air and missile strikes, with at least 4,741 Palestinians killed and 15,898 wounded.
Over a million of the 2.3 million people living in the densely crowded enclave have reportedly been displaced since the war began. Israel has also imposed a “total siege” on the Gaza Strip, preventing food, gasoline, water, and medical supplies from entering the territory.
Tunisia however is not the only country in Africa that has expressed support for Palestine, Algeria and South Africa have also expressed support for Palestine. In South Africa, hundreds of people in different cities have held protests to denounce the continued Israeli occupation of Palestine. Many South Africans say they support the Palestinian cause because they believe what is happening to Palestinians under Israeli control is comparable to what they suffered during the apartheid era. In Algeria, its Foreign Ministry expressed concern over Israel’s attacks on Gaza, saying they violate international humanitarian law.
Currently, France is yet to respond to the request of the Tunisian people.
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