Afrique francophone - France : La fin de l'arrière-cour (par Doudou Seydi)
For a long time, France treated Francophone Africa as its natural economic and geopolitical backyard. Regime changes there were supported or opposed solely according to Paris's interests. Its major financial groups served as the armed wing of this influence, while the networks of Françafrique perpetuated an economic, political, and security dependency for which African populations continue to pay the price.
This system is now showing signs of collapse. Ouagadougou's announcement of the severing of its diplomatic relations with Paris is not a simple bilateral incident: it marks the end of an era in which France alone dictated the rules of the game.
The Élysée Palace's reaction—demanding the immediate closure of Burkina Faso's diplomatic missions and the expedited departure of their staff—speaks volumes. Beneath its veneer of firmness, it primarily reveals a difficulty in accepting that African states can fully exercise their sovereignty.
A double standard is glaringly obvious: when France recalls its ambassadors or suspends its cooperation, it is seen as the legitimate exercise of its sovereignty and the defense of its interests. But when African states claim the same prerogatives, they are immediately labeled as hostile, manipulated, or "anti-French" regimes.
France today seems trapped in imperial nostalgia, facing a new, conscious and educated African generation that demands a partnership based on equality, whether with Western powers, China, Russia or the Gulf States.
Paris is defending a legacy more than it is building a future. It is time for France to understand that true influence cannot be decreed; it is earned through trust and mutual respect. A power that is confident in itself always prioritizes dialogue, even in the midst of a crisis.
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