France faces rising resistance in Africa as Sahel States form anti-colonial alliance
Paris losing ground

ANALYTICS  22 May 2024 - 12:45

Another unpleasant news for Paris came from Africa. The foreign ministers of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger during a meeting in Niamey approved a draft that will pave the way for the creation of a confederation of the Alliance of Sahel States. Once approved by the foreign ministers, the document will have to be signed by the leaders of the three countries.

The Alliance itself, as a military alliance, effectively came into being in September 2023 and was an obstacle to military intervention by members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Niger. In January, Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali announced their withdrawal from ECOWAS due to sanctions against the three countries.

It is known that ECOWAS is in fact a French creation, an organization that implements Paris' policies. And the aforementioned sanctions, of course, were adopted under pressure from the Fifth Republic in retaliation for the policy independent of Paris. Let me remind you that all three countries got rid of the French military presence. And now the countries that managed to escape from under the iron heel of French imperialism are forming a political and military alliance aimed at defending their sovereignty in the face of future threats from France and its satellites. This is, one might say, the first institutionalized and consolidated African response to the French.

The three countries mentioned above used to supply France with minerals. The cessation of uranium exports from the largest supplier, Niger, was particularly painful for Paris. By the way, this issue infuriates the French even more, as it increases Paris' dependence on Baku - after all, it is through Azerbaijan that Kazakh uranium, which the French intend to replace Niger's uranium, should transit.

By the way, it is strange that we have not yet heard Azerbaijan accuse the French of African bad luck. However, there is a simple explanation: the French here complain about the Russians, saying that it is they who are baiting African countries against Paris. And in general they will be right, for example, officials of the Russian Ministry of Defence were directly involved in the creation of the Alliance of Sahel States. It is no secret that Russian private military companies are present in these states. What can I say: it is competition. After all, Africa is not the fiefdom of the French, and one has to fight for a favorable regime. For now, it must be stated that France, accustomed to working in a colonization style, is losing the battle to the more flexible methods of Russia and China.

Once France gained colonies and enriched itself well at their expense. Now, in an attempt to keep the colonies, the French are trying, on the one hand, to retain control over the supply of minerals and, on the other hand, to prove that France is still a civilization whose influence extends far beyond Europe, not only culturally but also politically. However, great intentions turn into a loud embarrassment, not only in the former colonies, but also among friends and allies. In this context, we will not tire of recalling the fiasco with the contract for the construction of submarines in Australia, which the Americans snatched from under the noses of the French at the very last moment.

The gradual exodus of the French from Africa is a matter of time. With the loss of French satellites, France ceases to be a civilizing country. It is not a matter of time before other African countries will follow Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, and ECOWAS will remain only a shameful page in the history of the African continent.

As we can see, the indigenous inhabitants of France's overseas territories are not going to tolerate French arrogance either. The rebellion in New Caledonia may become a precursor of a new, more energetic and meaningful struggle of the islands in the ocean against French hegemony. And then French Guiana will follow....

France, which for many years has been languishing over the gold of conquered nations, is becoming a colossus on feet of clay. It is time to think about a paradigm shift of its place in a rapidly changing world. But whether there are people in France capable of such an analysis is a big question.

Caliber.Az