In his speech on Monday 27 February, Emmanuel Macron will “set out its priorities and its method for deepening the partnership between France, Europe and the African continent”, explains the Élysée. He will also explain how Paris envisages the development of its military presence on the continent while the French army has been forced to withdraw The Mali And Burkina Fasowhere it has been involved in joint counter-terrorism operations.
“The philosophy of this move is to work together differently, not to use more or fewer men,” an aide to the president told AFP. “We’re entering a cycle where we’re going to be working in the second curtain,” he adds.
► Also read: Emmanuel Macron in March in Gabon, Angola, Congo-Brazzaville and the Democratic Republic of the Congo
This speech from the Élysée comes after that of Ouagadougou in November 2017in which Emmanuel Macron had laid out the principles he intended to promote during his first five-year tenure in French Africa policy.
This speech is intended to set the course for his second term in office. It takes place in a context where France’s ties to its former colonies on the continent are provoking more and more debate among young people eager to invent a new kind of international relations.