Protestors across Mali, Burkina Faso, and Chad rejecting France and its "second wave of colonialism" in Africa. Photo: Al-Estiklal Newspaper/File photo.
French President Macron’s tour of Africa has provoked a wave of anger from the African people, confirming the decline of French influence in Africa.
This Wednesday, March 1, French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Libreville, the capital of Gabon, at the beginning of a four-day tour of Africa; a trip that, according to French sources, seeks to establish a new “responsible relationship” with the African continent.
After Gabon, the French president will head to Angola, Congo-Brazzaville (the Republic of Congo), and the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where people took to the streets on Wednesday to protest Macron’s visit to their country.
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Demonstrators, waving Russian flags and photos of Russian President Vladimir Putin, gathered outside the French embassy in Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC. According to a report, the walls of the embassy were covered with slogans against the French country’s policies in Africa.
Protesters accused France of cooperating with Rwanda in supporting rebel groups in the DRC. Anti-French demonstrations have broken out in recent months in the former colonies of the European country, including Mali and Burkina Faso.
Ce n'est que la partie visible de l'iceberg.
"Macron est un assassin, Poutine à la rescousse !"
Le slogan des manifestants contre la visite du président français au Congo devant l'ambassade de France à Kinshasa. pic.twitter.com/ex5ZUQNPDC— C'était mieux avant (@CetaitMa) March 2, 2023
Macron acknowledged on Monday the “growing anger toward France in African countries,” calling for “the creation of a new balanced, reciprocal, and responsible relationship” with Africa. Stating that “Africa is not France’s backyard,” the French president called on his country to be humble and listen to African countries.
This comes after continuing diplomatic declines between France and various African nations, including inflammatory statements made by Macron last October where he stated that “official history” in Algeria was “totally rewritten” after its liberation in 1962 based on “hate speech towards France.” Macron then refused to listen to and acknowledge France’s crimes and spurned demands for France to apologize and provide reparations for the suffering it caused, which prompted Algeria to withdraw its ambassador from Paris.
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Macron proposed a new approach, promising that French military bases in Africa would be run by the host countries themselves and populated with fewer French troops. He also said that his tour of Africa would not be political, and that his travel agenda would focus on the environment, culture, and scientific research, although evidence has proven that popular sentiment regards colonialism as not only military, but also economic, financial, and cultural.
Politico has linked recent events in Africa and the increasing decline of French influence in the continent to factors rooted in French colonial history on the one hand—as several experts as well as popular sentiment maintain that France pursues its own interests in the resource-rich region—and also to Russia’s attempts to strengthen its presence on the continent. Russia notably has not perpetuated the atrocities of colonialism and is thus able to forge relationships based on mutual development with African nations.
(HispanTV) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/AU/KZ
