With the last of its soldiers out of Mali, France is seeking to help the West African countries “succeed in the fight against terrorism” without making noise in the tense strategic rivalry between the major powers, led by Russia.
French President Emmanuel Macron said in late July during a visit to Guinea-Bissau that “France will continue to strengthen its activities in the region to serve legitimate sovereign states … because we believe our role is to help the region succeed in this fight against terrorism”.
Two days earlier in Cameroon, Macron expressed his hope that France would work “better and more efficiently” in Africa, where the former colonial power is clearly in decline compared to its rivals: Turkey, Israel, the US and especially Russia, which is trying to get ahead of its rivals. French in their sphere of influence.
A French officer stationed in West Africa summed up the situation by saying, “We are no longer just one side among others.”
The French army left Mali on Monday after nine years of fighting militants, having been ousted by the country’s ruling military junta since 2020, which is now working – albeit in denial – with the Russian paramilitary group Wagner.
But the French presidency confirmed in a statement that “France remains involved in the Sahel region” as well as “in the Gulf of Guinea and (in) the Lake Chad region” as part of the “fight against terrorism.”
