What is France doing in Africa?

After years of French-led anti-terrorist missions in the Sahel region it only gets clearer that African problems need African solutions.

However, history offers a cautionary reminder to Africans that pan-Africans like Patrice Lumumba, Muammar Gaddafi and Kwame Nkrumah paid the ultimate price for such ambitions.

Either with their lives or being overthrown through coups supported by the invisible hands of the colonial ghosts. To this end, the move by the AES is a daring bid to end what it considers neocolonialism. But will the beneficiaries of the old order allow them to succeed?

Africa has been a theater of conflict since the imperial partition of the continent by colonial powers at the Berlin conference 1884/1885.

The colonial states carved up the continent without considering the kingdoms or ethnicities that existed at the time, leading to series of inter-ethnic clashes and conflicts between the imperial powers and the colonies.

In the Sahel, the colonial footprint remains profound as all three members of the Alliance of Sahel States (Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger) were formally allocated to France as colonies following the partition.

Using the policy of assimilation, these countries were directly placed under the French ministry of colonies by 1895 as an integral part of the French West African colonies until its dissolution in 1960.

The integration by the French in the 18th century was a calculated response to strengthen its economic and military power and address demographic imbalances to counter arch-rival Germany, whose population had burgeoned while that of France had stagnated.

An assertion that was admitted by French president Charles De Gaulle on April 11, 1961:

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                       Not such an African solution

In an attempt to find African solutions through regional security initiatives, the African Union (AU) and Economic Community of West African Sates (ECOWAS) launched the African International Support Mission in Mali (AFISMA) in January 2013.

Initially with 5300 troops, later expanded to 7700, it was set up to combat terrorism in Mali and prevent its spread to the rest of the Sahel region.

In the same year France, in an attempt to retain its supremacy as the primary military actor in the region, launched its own counter terrorism military operations in the Sahel, code-named Operation Serval with a similar troop count.

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On 1st July, 2013, West African troops were incorporated into the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) established in 2013 with with around 6000 troops, later increased to over 15700.

The ECOWAS-AU mission was completely sidelined, paving the way for several European-led military missions to enter the Sahel. The French utilized the opportunity to expand its foothold by launching another military operation, Barkhane, in 2014.

With 1800 staff, it led the operations of the European Takuba task force, which included staff from Italy, Portugal, Sweden, Estonia, Czech Republic and Belgium.

Nevertheless, the quest for an African solution was not quenched, at least in principle.

A new attempt to find an African military solution arose in 2014 with the establishment of the G5 Sahel, a union between Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad and Mauritania.

The FC-GS5, a joint force to combat terrorism, was established by the Nouakchott process, launched by France, Germany and the EU.

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The UN recognized the importance of the FC-GS5 in UNSC resolution 2391(2017), a testament to UNSC resolution 2359(2017), which had earlier called for an African solution to African problems.

However, even though the resolutions acknowledged that certain actors are benefiting from the precarious situation in the region, none of the resolutions addressed the historical injustices the countries had faced, neither did they provide for funding.

Instead, the resolutions welcomed commitment from an extensive list of former European colonial powers including France, Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Spain and Germany in military security operations in the region.

In November 14, 2023, evidence of mineral extraction was discovered in the Kidal zone, operated by the French Barkhane forces, however it was off limits to Malian forces, only becoming accessible after MINUSMA left in 2023.

The attempt to break free from colonial bondage and protect the sovereignty of their countries emboldened military leaders to take over power and establish the AES.

This alliance distinguishes itself from the FC-GS5 due to its focus on independence and sovereignty, reflected in the preamble of the Charter of Liptako-Gourma establishing the alliance, which calls for the need full exercise and respect of international sovereignty.

RT. com / ABC Flash Point News 2025.