Armed forces belonging to the French Republic have recently followed a dwindling trend in terms of its power in the African continent. Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye asked the French government to remove French troops, which only numerated to around 350 in total, from the West African Francophone country.
“Senegal is an independent country, it is a sovereign country, and sovereignty does not accept the presence of military bases in a sovereign country,” comments Faye. Senegal, a nation colonized by France during a period of intense colonization in the continent coined the “Scramble for Africa,” still has a plethora of French influence: the nation is stocked with French businesses, nationals, currency, and language.
However, French influence has incurred negative reactions from the West African populace, and these sentiments are not only a result of colonial resentments; the West African CFA (Coopération Financière en Afrique centrale, or “Financial Cooperation in Central Africa”) franc, a currency utilized by eight sovereign West African nations, has evoked colossal censure from nationalistic governments, such as those recently elected by West African nations.
The West African CFA franc, a currency unique from the Central African CFA franc, is tied directly to the Euro, which has recently declined in value. This fixed parity means the West African CFA franc has declined massively in value. The West African and Central African CFA franc are both guaranteed by the French Treasury to be 655.957 CFA franc per euro (although both currencies are currently equivalent, they are not interchangeable, meaning the name a guarantee that came at a price: both West African and Central African nations were required to deposit half of their foreign exchange reserves to the French treasury, a requirement waived in 2019 when these West African countries began to reform their French-dependent economic system.
This fixed parity places the fate of the CFA franc in the hands of the European Central Bank, which monitors the euro.
These sentiments have contributed to recent expulsions from West Africa: Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and now Senegal have all expunged French armed forces from within the confines of their sovereign territory.
More triggers included the allegation that French intelligence actively withheld intelligence leading to a multitude of Chadian soldiers being killed in a terrorist attack by Boko Haram, a Nigeria-based Sunni Islamist organization drawing comparisons to the Taliban, which the nation has been in an active insurgency against.
While many in West Africa desire to liquidate themselves of French influence, a complete erasure is more complicated than politicians advertise: the economy and culture of West African countries is deeply rooted in their French colonial background. Senegal’s economy is 25% reliant on French influence, making this erasure complicated and even undesirable.
French troops are stationed in Africa because it allows Central and West Africa to resolve conflicts with a mediator in the mix. In instances where a mediator was absent, genocide and destruction has ravaged the livelihoods and hope the people of Africa have maintained through a tumultuoust 20th century. The United Nations has played an essential role in brokering peace in the continent, and due to France’s status as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, they have continuously maintained a presence in the region to not encourage, but enforce peace.
Terrorism has also run rampant throughout the Middle East over the last fifty years, spreading into North Africa and spilling into Central Africa, necessitating strong armed forces within African governments in order to protect citizens. The French defense military has played in an integral role in training the militaries of these budding sovereign states.
France has a more self-serving motivation to maintaining control in Africa: a voice on the international stage. With the United States and China being engaged fierce economic and geopolitical competition via the South China Sea, Russia and the United Kingdom engaged in a conflict in Ukraine, it is necessary for France to occupy themselves with their own mission in order to maintain a voice on the United Nations Security Council, and an integral region of the world such as Africa, which hosts a plethora of raw materials, permits them this voice.
Written by Eshan Korat
