Macron Criticized as Africa Resents: What’s Happening in the Sahel Region?

Sudanhorizon – Osman Siddiq

Last Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron stated in a press conference: “France did the right thing by deploying its army in the Sahel, but the region has failed to say thank you.” Macron accused African nations of being ungrateful for France’s role in combating jihadist insurgencies, adding that without French intervention, the Sahel countries would have fallen under jihadist control and lost their sovereignty.

Macron’s comments provoked anger among regional leaders, including his close allies. Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Déby denounced Macron’s remarks as disrespectful to Africa during a presidential greeting ceremony on January 7, 2025. Déby accused Macron of living in the wrong era, saying the statement insults and undermines Africa.

In response, Chad formed a special committee to oversee the withdrawal of French forces. Chadian Prime Minister Allama Halina, who chaired the committee’s meeting, called Macron’s comments an affront to Africa. Halina reminded attendees that over 200,000 African soldiers were conscripted from French colonies to help France fight Nazi Germany in World War II. He further criticized France for offering minimal support to Chadian forces, accusing Paris of prioritizing its own strategic interests.

African Discontent

Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko stated that Macron’s assertion that France helps Africa maintain peace and sovereignty is incorrect. Meanwhile, Kamal Bedau Omar, a political advisor and researcher with the Chadian Union for International Migration Studies, noted an unprecedented wave of anti-French sentiment across Africa, particularly in Mali, Senegal, Benin, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Niger, Gabon, and Chad.

Omar explained that these countries see France’s political dominance, including the installation of leaders loyal to Paris, as a form of exploitation. He emphasized that African nations are sovereign and have strong armies capable of protecting their territories. Furthermore, he noted that many Africans view France’s presence in resource-rich countries—such as those with gold, uranium, and oil—as exploitative.

Criticism from Within France

The criticism of Macron’s comments wasn’t limited to African leaders. Leslie Varenne, director of the Institute for International and Strategic Relations in Paris, accused Macron of attempting to spin failures into successes. In an interview, Varenne argued that Macron’s rhetoric only fuels tensions rather than alleviating them. She labelled his foreign policy in the Sahel as a continuation of France’s decline and suggested that his comments reflect a lack of diplomatic understanding of Africa’s complexities.

Varenne, author of the book “Emmanuel Macron in the Sahel: A Journey of Defeat,” criticized Macron’s speech for lacking diplomacy and cultural sensitivity. She argued that it shows a failure to respect bilateral relationships and underscores Macron’s misunderstanding of Africa’s interests.

Pierre Dome, a journalist with Le Monde Diplomatique, told Al Jazeera that Macron’s remarks come at a historically significant moment. After nearly 60 years of post-colonial loyalty, sub-Saharan African nations stand firm and say, “Enough is enough.” He added that Macron’s unwillingness to accept this shift is evident.

French-Italian Rivalry in North Africa

According to Umberto Profazio, a North Africa expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Italy has been leveraging France’s declining influence to strengthen its presence in Tunisia and Algeria. Profazio noted that Italy’s growing role in these countries forced France to align more closely with Morocco as a strategic partner.

Profazio highlighted the historical roots of French-Italian competition in the Mediterranean and North Africa, which intensified during the Libyan conflict in 2019–2020 when the two countries backed opposing factions. He described ongoing behind-the-scenes tensions, with Italy focusing strategically on Libya due to its historical ties and proximity.

While Italy remains a middle-power nation that often seeks alliances with other European competitors, it has revived its engagement with Africa. At the Italy-Africa Summit on January 28, 2024, Italy unveiled a plan to prioritize Africa on its political and geopolitical agenda. This plan emphasizes cooperation on equal terms and a gradual, non-exploitative approach to addressing migration and energy crises.

Eastern Powers Challenge Western Dominance

Despite Italy’s criticism of French monetary dominance in Francophone Africa via the CFA franc, it has failed to present itself as a compelling alternative. In contrast, eastern powers like China and Russia have introduced new models of strategic cooperation with African nations based on mutual benefit (win-win cooperation).

These eastern nations have invested heavily in Africa’s infrastructure, capacity building, and technological development while addressing unemployment and supporting large-scale projects. Unlike Western powers, they have also expanded security and defence cooperation, including arms sales, joint training, and military exercises.

This approach has significantly boosted the capabilities of African countries, particularly in the Sahel and surrounding regions, to counter insurgencies, cross-border crime, and organized terror. Such support has strengthened the resolve of Sahel coalition countries to abandon French influence and the CFA franc while seeking alternatives that align with their aspirations for sovereignty and progress.
This dynamic reflects a growing shift in Africa’s geopolitical landscape as nations assert their independence and explore partnerships beyond their former colonial ties.

It is time for Western nations to realize the international changes and the growing awareness among African leaders and youth that economic or cultural colonization is a thing of the past. The digital revolution has bridged distances, making human experiences accessible for adaptation and utilization according to the cultural realities and environments of people everywhere. France is no longer the intellectual beacon it once was, nor is Britain the empire on which the sun never sets. Africa enjoys its own sunrise with every new morning, as beautifully captured in the title of the timeless novel by Ivorian author Ahmadou Kourouma, The Suns of Independence (1968).