It’s not a secret that the West is not happy with the fact that African countries are shifting away from partnering with them and turning to non-Western partners, particularly Russia. However, in recent times, there has been one Western country that has been increasingly vocal even more than the others about the presence of Russia in Africa. This country is none other than France, the former colonial master of more than 14 African countries and there is only one word that can describe France’s attitude towards the presence of Russia in Africa and that word is jealousy. France, particularly its President Emmanuel Macron, is aggravated that while France has been kicked out of the Sahel region, Russia was welcomed with open hands. You see, when President Macron came into power, he saw himself as a man on a mission to restore France’s greatness and lead the rest of Europe. And, as you know, the only way to achieve this has to be to maintain its hold on its former African colonies after all these colonies were the sole factor that pushed France to attain its global power status.

This was why when President Macron first came to power in 2017, one of the first things he did was to give a speech saying that France no longer has an African policy, all in a ploy to make Francophone Africa believe that France had changed. From 2017, the President supposedly tried to change France’s policy towards Africa but obviously, all his efforts failed because, by 2020, anti-french sentiments had begun to spread and the first coup occurred in Mali which eventually led to French forces being kicked out of the country. Then came 2022 when yet another coup occurred in Burkina Faso which brought Captain Traore to power and led to French forces leaving the country. It was at this point that President Macron began to understand that his so-called different policy in Africa had failed and so in February 2023, he went on a tour to four African countries where he outlined a new strategy for Africa. During the tour, he said that France’s attitude towards Africa should be marked not by military presence, but by humility and so, in the coming months there will be a reduction of its military presence in Africa.

However, this tour and his speech were not enough to stop the coup which occurred in Niger and again led to French forces leaving the country. The coup in Niger was a very big blow to France and President Emmanuel Macron because it left only Chad as the country in the Sahel where France still has some kind of influence but even that is shaky because recent news revealed that Chad is seeking diplomatic relations with Russia. The loss of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso is perceived by the French establishment as a grievous loss in presumed global power and it’s particularly aggravating for President Macron because it was in his time that France lost hold of its former colonies. And it’s particularly embarrassing for him because Macron from the beginning projected himself as a French leader who is different from his predecessors and wants to approach the French-Africa relationship differently. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out because the fact is he still had the same superior attitude as his predecessors towards Francophone Africa, and because Africans had had enough, France was kicked out. So, do you think France has learned from its mistakes?

The answer is no. President Macron doesn’t believe that Africa decided to kick them out because people were tired of France’s neo-colonialism. Instead, he believes that the only reason they were kicked out is because Russia instigated it, meaning Russia is to blame. In a

speech, President Macron stated that anti-french sentiments began to spread across the Sahel because Russia published false information about France to turn the minds of Africans against France. But what exactly is the false information he is talking about? Is it the fact that French companies have been exploiting Francophone Africa for years? Or the fact that the French military has not done anything to stop insecurity in the Sahel? President Macron also went on to say that the Russian mercenary group, Wagner, was behind the coups that took place in the Sahel. Can you imagine that? President Macron even had the guts to say that some African countries still exist because the French military was in their country. How does that even make any sense when the record clearly shows that the insecurity in the Sahel increased after the French military came into the picture?

Clearly, France has refused to learn and that’s the reason why African nations are embracing the vision of a multipolar world and mutual international cooperation as espoused by Russia, China, and other Global South nations. A world that is no longer under the control of the West and its allies and this fact is what has made France angry and jealous of Russia. To cover up this anger and jealousy, President Macron has decided to find a new purpose and mission as the “defender of Europe” and sympathizer with Africa, against alleged Russian aggression. Not only has he said that Russia is a destabilizing force in Africa and that its presence will sabotage democratic processes in Africa, but President Macron has also called on the West to deploy troops to Ukraine to fight against Russia in the Russian-Ukrainian war. According to him, If Russia wins this war [in Ukraine], Europe’s credibility will be reduced to zero. But the fact is, this doesn’t have anything to do with Europe’s credibility but his own credibility. Since he has lost Africa, President Macron feels the only way to build France’s credibility as a global power is to defeat Russia and this is why he is calling for troops to be deployed to Ukraine. He even went on to say that European leaders should not act cowardly and there are “no limits” to French support.

However, it seems President Macron has forgotten that if NATO troops are deployed to Ukraine, it may lead to World War three because President Putin has made it known that Russia is ready for any intervention from the U.S. What a shame on the part of President Macron. He was kicked out of Africa and now he wants to start World War three. Thankfully, other European leaders are not as dumb as President Macron because they have distanced themselves from his statement.

Now, all this while, President Macron was making all these statements about Russia, Russian President Vladimir Putin hadn’t responded. However, during an interview on March 13th, President Putin said something very striking about President Macron’s reaction towards Russia. According to President Putin, the reason why President Macron has been so vocal concerning Russia in recent times is simply because he resents the fact that France has lost its allies in Africa to Russia. In his own words “Such a sharp reaction, quite an emotional one, from the French president is linked amongst other things with what is happening in African countries. Putin went further to state that France’s issue with Russia is not in Ukraine. “The problem is different and lies in the fact that Russia was “stepping on France’s tail” in Africa. President Putin also stated that leaders of some African countries just wanted to negotiate” with Russian businessmen and that “somehow they did not want to work with the French.” But, contrary to what France thinks, Russia does not “pit anyone against France.”

In our opinion, President Putin is very correct in his statement regarding French President Macron. France has lost in Africa but instead of learning from its mistakes has decided to play the blame game, seeing Russia as the culprit. However, the truth is Russia doesn’t have anything to do with the recent changes in Africa’s geopolitics. In fact, It’s been a long time coming. For decades, after handing over nominal independence to African nations, France continued to exploit Francophone Africa by controlling their currencies and having cheap access to their natural resources. For example, most of France’s electricity is generated from uranium ore mined at a ridiculously cheap rate in Niger, a country where the majority of its people lack access to electricity.

This system of neo-colonialism was sustained by France bribing local corrupt regimes to do its bidding and in exchange provide continuous security guaranteed from French military bases. This is the reason why some African leaders such as Omah Bongo of Gabon and Paul Biya of Cameroon can stay as long as they like in power. France’s system ensured that any African leader who resisted was either removed or assassinated. However, the era of France’s dominance is over, and African countries are now discovering a new sense of independence and purpose, as well as solidarity to help each other fend off pressure from France to reinstate the status quo ante.