France's successive missteps in Africa, expelling its soldiers from traditionally allied countries in the Sahel as anti-French sentiment grew – as happened in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger in the last three years – have prompted the Elysée to seek new directions to explore in relation to the continent. The idea is to focus more on development cooperation than on the military sector, focusing on areas previously considered less strategic for France, such as the southern region, all against the backdrop of greater importance from emerging powers such as Russia, China, India or Turkey.
Acceptance of this new model cannot be achieved without nipping the old model in the bud, says Aurélien Llorca, associate researcher at the University Institute for International Studies and Development (IHEID) in Geneva. “It is obvious that the strategy of French diplomacy is hiding something, that it is implementing this new foreign policy not out of goodwill, but to defend its national interests. Applying a collaboration-based model requires honesty, transparency and trust, something that France has lost in recent years,” he explains to this medium.
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For historical reasons, Paris maintained a very active foreign policy and greater influence in the Maghreb and West Africa than in other African regions. In the military field, Operation Barkhane to combat jihadism, which lasted a decade and deployed more than 5,000 soldiers in several Sahel countries, was a good example of this interest. However, not only has terrorism not been defeated, but it has also gained ground and caused a real exodus of more than four million refugees and displaced persons. This failure, which the French authorities have not yet accepted, is the origin of anti-Galic sentiment that Russia, a rival power, has not only benefited from but has fanned.
The pattern was repeated in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. After successive coups between 2020 and 2022, which were vehemently condemned by France, military councils come to power and relations with the former metropolis quickly deteriorate, even breaking off. The military expels the troops stationed on its territory and then turns to Moscow as a new ally, both in the military field and in other areas related to resources or energy. All this is happening amid demonstrations flying Russian flags and banners with Vladimir Putin's photo.
Nicolas Dasnois, spokesman for the French Embassy in South Africa, mentions the desire to project the image of a “more modest France than in West Africa, a France focused on reactivating diplomatic relations and cultural cooperation.”
However, to protect its political and economic interests in Africa, France needs partners and finds them in several countries in the south of the continent. The diplomatic delegation sent last November to Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia, led by State Secretary Chrysoula Zacharopoulou in charge of development, Francophonie and international associations, as well as the signing of numerous trade agreements, show this line: “There was a huge one.” There was a gap between the , what French foreign policy said and what it did, and there were many forms of interference that were not consistent with the political discourse. I think that ultimately it is about reconciling what we want to do and what we will do, or at least it seems to be an attempt to regain credibility in Africa,” emphasizes Llorca.
For Victor Chipofya, professor of political science at the International University of Blantyre (Malawi), “French foreign policy has historically been exploitative in most allied African countries.” “Only France has benefited. Now geopolitics on African soil is changing, largely thanks to the increasing popularity and presence of the BRICS+ [las principales potencias emergentes: Brasil, Rusia, India, China y Sudáfrica, y las recién incorporadas Arabia Saudí, Egipto, Argentina, Emiratos Árabes Unidos, Etiopía e Irán]“, he explains to this newspaper.
But the expert advises caution when assessing France's actions: “It is very important to analyze the history of the French in the past.” Personally, I am still not convinced whether France has really changed its foreign policy to a more cooperative line or whether this approach is due to the loss of influence in West Africa,” he says.
The French diplomatic delegation led by French Secretary of State for Development, Francophonie and International Associations, Chrysoula Zacharopoulou (center), together with local Malawian authorities during the inauguration of a French Alliance center in Blantyre, Malawi, on November 15, 2023 .DIEGO MENJIBAR
New diplomatic alliances
The new profile that France now wants to show in Africa can be seen, for example, in its recent rapprochement with Malawi: after more than 20 years without a diplomatic presence in the country, on November 14, it received Zacharopoulou, who also made an announcement With the opening of a new one The Center of the French Alliance (the organization that promotes the French language and culture in the world) in Blantyre has made a number of important commitments in the areas of agriculture, food security, trade, public health and cultural cooperation: “France is back”, posted the message on her X account (formerly Twitter). Nicolas Dasnois, spokesman for the French Embassy in South Africa, summarizes the spirit of the visit in this medium as “mainly political” and with a clear desire to convey an image of a “new France, more modest than what is seen in Africa “. Western, a France focused on reactivating diplomatic relations and cultural cooperation.”
Several of the alliances signed between France and Malawi aim to alleviate poverty in the African country. One of the most notable was the $10 million (€9.29 million) trade agreement between Proparco and Ecobank, aimed at facilitating the import of fertilizers, staple foods and raw materials and also helping to improve food security at a time when hunger levels are rising worsen in the African country. Amid a period of food shortages caused by droughts and frequent natural disasters linked to climate change, measures such as the signing of these agreements or the recent donation of one million euros to the World Food Program (WFP) could cushion the setback suffered in this small economy . Currently, 4.4 million people, 22% of the population, are affected by acute food insecurity in Malawi.
The visit of the French Foreign Minister to Mozambique and Zambia also entailed the signing of agreements that trace the line of this new diplomacy based on soft power or, as some experts call it, “subtle persuasion”. As part of its cooperation with the former Portuguese colony, France announced a cash injection of 4.5 million euros to provide humanitarian assistance to people affected by the conflict in Cabo Delgado and another 10 million euros to improve access to water . However, Paris has not ignored its commercial interests and announced that the energy giant EDF, owned by the French state, will lead the consortium to build and operate a major hydroelectric project on the Zambezi: a 4.5 billion euro dam with To achieve this goal, increase electricity production capacity in Mozambique by more than 50%.
In Zambia, an allied country with which France has maintained close bilateral relations on political, economic, defense and cooperation issues since its independence in 1964, the new agreements aim to ease macroeconomic tensions that have left the African country in crisis crushing debt restructuring that has paralyzed investment and growth. The French country has committed to strengthening its relations by disbursing 23 million euros in debt relief, mainly aimed at combating food insecurity, sustainable management of forest resources and water access. For Llorca: “If France wants to give the impression that it has changed its approach and promotes real collaboration between equal partners, it must be coherent and systematic. Trust is something very difficult to achieve and very easy to lose.”
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