In a damning statement that resonates particularly with Algeria’s historic position, the French Senate has just acknowledged the resounding failure of Emmanuel Macron\u2019s African policy. The report *\u201cVoir l\u2019Afrique dans tous ses \u00e9tats\u201d*, published at the end of January by the Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Armed Forces Committee, confirms what African nations, with Algeria at the forefront, have been denouncing for years: the persistence of a colonial approach masked behind a veneer of modernity. Despite his initial promises to students in Ouagadougou in 2017, where he declared, \u201cThere is no longer a French Africa policy\u201d and \u201cI come from a generation that doesn\u2019t tell Africa what to do,\u201d Macron has only perpetuated the patterns of domination that Algeria has fought against since its independence.<\/p>\n
The Senate report, written by Ronan Le Gleut, Marie-Arlette Carlotti, and Fran\u00e7ois Bonneau, highlights a \u201cgeneral degradation of France\u2019s image\u201d and criticizes a \u201cperception of arrogance and paternalism\u201d that has led to \u201ca significant loss of influence.\u201d This analysis echoes Algeria\u2019s repeated criticisms of Paris\u2019s neocolonial attitude. The most revealing episode of this arrogance, according to the report, was the summoning of Sahelian heads of state to Pau in January 2020, where the French president, repeating the colonial methods that Algeria has long fought, sent an \u201cinjunctive letter\u201d to the G5 Sahel presidents without even informing their ambassadors. The report also points to the \u201cdouble standard\u201d in French policy, condemning some coups while supporting others, an hypocrisy that Algeria has consistently denounced in its relations with the former colonial power.<\/p>\n
The consequences of this disastrous policy are now visible: Niger, Mali, the Central African Republic, and Burkina Faso have demanded the withdrawal of French troops, following the historic example of Algeria, which paved the way for true independence. Even Chad, long considered France\u2019s most loyal ally, has decided to initiate the departure of French forces, preparing, according to the report, \u201cits rapprochement with Russia and the United Arab Emirates.\u201d Fran\u00e7ois Bonneau bitterly observes that \u201ceverywhere we went, we were reproached for too slow responses, which were perceived as a form of humiliation.\u201d This centralization of decision-making, which the report describes as \u201ccentralized at the \u00c9lys\u00e9e,\u201d has only strengthened African nations\u2019 determination to diversify their partnerships. The report notes that \u201cmany countries today are choosing to deepen their relations with African countries, including in defense and military cooperation,\u201d citing \u201cRussia, Turkey, China, and several Middle Eastern countries.\u201d This diversification of partnerships, which Algeria initiated right after its independence, is now a continental trend.<\/p>\n
However, the report warns against a new form of dependence, noting that \u201cemerging countries tend to view Africa as the playground of their new power.\u201d For France, the consequences are heavy: loss of military training benefits (17,000 African soldiers trained annually), compromising the capacity to evacuate nationals, and, most importantly, as the report highlights, a decline in geopolitical status that reduces Paris to the rank of a \u201cmedium-level global power.\u201d This situation marks the end of an era and the victory of the vision championed by Algeria since its independence: an Africa master of its own destiny, free to choose its partners on an equal footing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"