Pars Today – After Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad, and Senegal, now Ivory Coast has also demanded the expulsion of French military forces.
According to Pars Today, Alassane Ouattara, the President of Côte d’Ivoire, announced in his end-of-year 2024 speech to the nation on Tuesday night that the 43rd Marine Infantry Battalion (BIMA) base in Port-Bouët, Abidjan, currently housing French forces, will be handed over to the Armed Forces of Côte d’Ivoire in January 2025.
France currently has 600 troops stationed in Côte d’Ivoire. Following a surge in anti-French sentiment in former French colonies, the French government decided in November to reduce its military presence in West and Central African countries. As part of this decision, the number of French troops in Côte d’Ivoire decreased from approximately 2,200 to 600. Now, even this remaining number must leave the country.
The French government believed that by reducing the number of French troops, it could still maintain its military and political influence in Africa. However, this strategy has also failed. Former French colonies are demanding a complete end to the political and economic dominance of this European colonizer and are calling for relationships based on mutual respect rather than domination policies.
France has now been expelled from over 70% of African countries where it had a military presence. The country only maintains a military presence in Djibouti with 1,500 soldiers and in Gabon with 350 soldiers. These developments are part of a broader structural shift in the relationships between former French colonies in Africa, amid growing anti-French sentiment in the region.
The leaders of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have established closer ties with Russia and China after expelling French forces. According to experts, African countries are breaking free from Paris’s grip and seeking a more independent identity.
French President Emmanuel Macron has repeatedly emphasized during his visits to African countries that Paris is not their enemy. However, France has been slow to modify its image in its former colonies, particularly among young Africans who are seeking a greater role for their countries on the global stage.
Young people who, amidst the explosion of information and the expansion of communications, are striving to secure their country’s place on the global stage.
As a result, compared to the past years, a more independent voice is being heard from Africa on the global stage, particularly in response to various crisis hotspots.
France previously sought to play a significant role in the political developments and decision-making processes of its former colonies and French-speaking countries by forming the Francophone community.
However, following the wave of independence movements in Africa, France attempted to maintain its political and economic dominance over these nations by supporting dictatorial regimes, aiming to exploit their resources.
Since the 1960s, France has been involved in orchestrating 30 coups in Africa. Just as its power is declining in Europe, France is facing the same challenge in Africa.
As a result, Macron has acknowledged the “growing anger towards France in African countries” and called for a new, balanced, and responsible relationship with Africa. The French President has emphasized that Africa is not France’s backyard and that his country must show humility and listen to African countries.
MG/ME
