France's global charade: From colonial crimes to South Caucasus meddling Top African News on Paris’ deceit and double standards

The Rwandan platform Top African News has featured an in-depth commentary by political expert Veritas Temeliketi, offering a critical perspective on France’s global role. In the article, Temeliketi dismantles France’s self-styled image as a defender of democracy and human rights, revealing what he describes as a consistent pattern of behind-the-scenes interference, power plays, and economic domination. Caliber.Az brings this analysis to its readers.

France has long presented itself as a beacon of democracy, human rights, and global stability. Yet behind this polished image lies a long history of interference, political manipulation, and economic exploitation. From Africa to the Caucasus, France has consistently meddled in the affairs of sovereign nations while preaching moral superiority. Its recent campaign against Azerbaijan, disguised as “peacekeeping,” is only the latest chapter in its well-documented pattern of deceit and double standards.

Following Azerbaijan’s counter-terrorism operation in Karabakh in September 2023, France emerged as one of the loudest critics of Baku’s efforts to reclaim its internationally recognized territories. Despite Azerbaijan’s clear adherence to international law in restoring sovereignty over Karabakh, France, along with its Western allies, rushed to condemn the operation. At the same time, it turned a blind eye to nearly three decades of Armenian occupation, during which Azerbaijani civilians were forcibly displaced, and ethnic cleansing was carried out.

French President Emmanuel Macron positioned himself as a defender of Armenia, claiming Azerbaijan posed a threat to Armenia’s territorial integrity. He conveniently ignored his country’s own history of colonial violence, military invasions, and economic exploitation across Africa and beyond. The hypocrisy deepened when French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, made inflammatory accusations against Azerbaijan during a speech at the French National Assembly on April 2, 2025. He went so far as to demand the release of Armenian individuals accused of war crimes, including ethnic cleansing and torture—an appeal that was swiftly rejected by Azerbaijan’s government.

Aykhan Hajizada, spokesperson for Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, delivered a sharp response, reaffirming Azerbaijan’s sovereign right to investigate and prosecute war crimes. He referenced the opinion of the UN Human Rights Council Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which confirmed that accusations against Azerbaijan’s judicial process were unfounded. Hajizada further exposed France’s hypocrisy, pointing out that while Paris attempts to interfere in Azerbaijan’s judicial affairs, it refuses to acknowledge its own political repression, police brutality, and rampant corruption. When pressed about France’s own human rights violations—such as the suppression of protests and abuses in its overseas territories—French officials remained silent.

While France focuses its diplomatic efforts on undermining Azerbaijan, its influence in Africa is crumbling. For decades, France has maintained an exploitative relationship with its former African colonies, securing its economic and military dominance through puppet governments, military interventions, and financial control mechanisms such as the CFA franc. However, African nations are increasingly rejecting this neo-colonial arrangement. Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have expelled French troops, ending longstanding military agreements and turning to alternative partners such as Russia and Turkey for security cooperation. The 2023 coup in Gabon further demonstrated France’s weakening grip on Central Africa, while Chad, a country historically aligned with France, is now charting a more independent path.

The rejection of French military presence is just one sign of the shifting power dynamics. The financial system imposed on Francophone Africa, designed to keep economies tethered to Paris, is also facing growing opposition. Leaders across the region are calling for economic sovereignty, challenging the deep-rooted structures that have allowed France to extract wealth while maintaining political influence.

France’s history of bloodshed and betrayal extends far beyond economic and military control. The scars of colonial violence remain fresh in nations that suffered under French rule. In Algeria, more than a million people were killed during the brutal war for independence, with torture and mass executions employed as routine tactics. In Rwanda, France played a direct role in arming and training the extremist Hutu regime responsible for the 1994 genocide, later offering safe passage to the very perpetrators of mass slaughter. Even in the modern era, French military forces operating in the Sahel have been accused of civilian massacres, yet Paris continues to posture as a global moral authority.

As France’s influence declines, its geopolitical hypocrisy becomes even more evident. While it seeks to portray itself as a champion of justice and democracy, its actions tell a different story. Its sudden interest in Armenia’s plight is not a genuine humanitarian effort but rather a strategic maneuver to maintain influence in the Caucasus. Its condemnation of Azerbaijan serves as a distraction from its own crimes in Africa and elsewhere.

The world is no longer willing to tolerate France’s selective outrage. Nations once subjected to its dominance are breaking free, rejecting its interference, and forging new alliances. The era of France’s unchecked power is rapidly coming to an end. If France truly wishes to be seen as a defender of justice, it must begin by addressing its own past—acknowledging its colonial crimes, ceasing its economic exploitation of Africa, and respecting the sovereignty of nations in the Caucasus and beyond.

Until then, its self-righteous lectures will continue to ring hollow. The world sees through the charade, and France’s days of hypocrisy, interference, and bloodshed are indeed numbered.