Emmanuel macron’s direct words on France-Sahel relations signal a new era
President Emmanuel Macron has adopted a distinctly confrontational tone to characterize the evolving relationship between France and the military governments across the Sahel region. His assertion that Paris has been “paid back with ingratitude” marks, in unusually candid language, the conclusion of a diplomatic chapter that spanned over a decade. This declaration unequivocally targets the ruling juntas in Bamako, Ouagadougou, and Niamey, three capitals that have progressively communicated the cessation of bilateral military cooperation with France.
a presidential declaration confirming the sahelian breakdown
The forthright language from the Élysée contrasts sharply with the diplomatic prudence typically observed when engaging with African partners. By highlighting France’s substantial efforts, including significant human and financial sacrifices, Emmanuel Macron seeks to attribute responsibility for this diplomatic split to the transitional authorities that emerged from the coups of 2020, 2022, and 2023. This discourse also resonates with a domestic audience in France, where the Sahelian developments are widely perceived as a major strategic setback following the forced withdrawal of Operation Barkhane in 2022.
Nevertheless, this presidential phrasing risks further aggravating an already delicate situation. In both Bamako and Niamey, the official narrative has been built upon denouncing a French presence deemed intrusive, even neocolonial. Each grievance-laden statement from the Élysée inadvertently fuels the sovereignist rhetoric championed by leaders such as Colonels Assimi Goïta, Ibrahim Traoré, and Abdourahamane Tiani. European diplomatic missions, closely observing these developments, express concern that such direct language could also complicate their remaining channels of communication with Sahelian capitals.
the alliance of Sahel states confronts french disengagement
Since the establishment of the Alliance des États du Sahel (AES) in September 2023, which formalized into a confederation in July 2024, the three military regimes have accelerated their diplomatic reorientation. This includes their departure from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a growing alignment with Moscow through the Africa Corps (succeeding Wagner), and an opening towards Ankara and Tehran. The geopolitical repositioning of Bamako, Ouagadougou, and Niamey is proceeding at a rapid pace. France, which once maintained considerable economic influence through entities like the franc CFA, Orange, TotalEnergies, and Eramet, now observes its leverage diminishing.
Concretely, the anticipated departure of the last French troops from Chad and Senegal by late 2024 will finalize Paris’s military withdrawal from the Sahelo-Saharan front. The French military footprint in West Africa, which numbered over 5,000 personnel in 2020, is now reduced to a residual presence, primarily focused on training and intelligence. This contraction profoundly transforms France’s long-standing influence model, traditionally anchored in force projection.
a double-edged rhetoric for Paris
By publicly citing the “ingratitude” of its African partners, Emmanuel Macron risks reinforcing a post-colonial interpretation that has already gained significant traction among Sahelian public opinion, particularly within urban and youth demographics. The term, whether intended or not, harks back to a paternalistic lexicon that the French executive had ostensibly sought to dismantle since the Ouagadougou speech in November 2017. The stark contrast between initial promises of a renewed Franco-African relationship and the current reality of rupture is now undeniable.
Furthermore, this presidential intervention occurs as Paris endeavors to reconstruct its African partnerships around states deemed more stable, ranging from Morocco and Côte d’Ivoire to Bénin and Mauritania. This strategy of bypassing the Sahel necessitates measured public communication, lest it contaminate the entire spectrum of its African relations. Several African diplomats, even from allied nations, privately voice their unease with a rhetorical approach perceived as overly personal.
In cities like Dakar, Abidjan, and Nouakchott, these developments are being closely watched, as they illustrate France’s challenge in concluding a chapter cleanly without reopening old wounds. The central question remains: how can Paris restore its credibility as an attentive partner on the continent while defending a Sahelian legacy it believes is unfairly judged?
