Is francophone dying? Why is Senegal breaking military ties with France? political news

In Senegal, a country full of French-owned businesses and citizens, President Bassirou Diomaye Fay’s recent announcement that France should close its military bases should have come as a surprise. Still, analysts say, it was a move that was always coming.

In November, Faye asked Paris to remove about 350 French troops stationed on Senegalese soil, effectively ending a decades-long defense agreement and continuing a trend that has seen several West African countries withdraw from former The colonizer has seen once strong ties with France break or diminish. recent years.

In an interview with the AFP news agency, Senegal’s president – ​​who was elected earlier this year on a nationalist campaign promising to review Dakar’s ties with Paris – said the country France’s continued military presence was not compatible with Senegal’s sovereignty.

Speaking from the presidential palace in Dakar, Faye said, “Senegal is an independent country, it is a sovereign country and sovereignty does not accept the presence of military bases in a sovereign country.” Faye did not give any time frame for when the troops were to leave.

The move came as Senegal commemorated the 80th anniversary of the mass killings of West African soldiers by colonial forces on the morning of December 1, 1944. These men were West African soldiers from the Tirailleurs Senegal unit, who fought in France’s war against Nazi Germany. They were protesting against salary delays and poor living conditions when colonial soldiers fired on them.

Although there have been cordial relations between the two countries since Senegal’s independence, the killings have always been a wound about which France remained silent until 2012. French authorities attempted to bury the evidence and claimed that 35 people were killed, although scholars estimate that 400 were killed.

Then-President Francois Hollande admitted France’s guilt in 2012. However, this year President Emmanuel Macron admitted in a letter to President Faye that France had committed “genocide”.

Beverly Ochieng, a Dakar-based researcher at the intelligence firm Control Risks, told Al Jazeera that the Senegalese government’s decision to cut military ties on the anniversary of the massacre was in line with election promises made by Faye, along with Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko – a vocal critic of France. – was did. created.

“Senegal is going through a lot of reforms under both leaders, and they are really questioning how much of a stake they have in their country,” Ochieng said.

“For Fay, he just doesn’t want France to take up space in military bases while Senegal can’t go and do that.”

From Senegal to Chad, Francofrique disappears

France is facing diplomatic setbacks throughout the West and Central African region due to rising anti-French sentiment in former French colonies, as its once-dominant “Françafrique” region is rapidly shrinking.

Many governments and citizens, especially in the military-led countries of the Sahel, are disgusted by France’s real and perceived political interference in their countries. They view France as paternalistic for its deep involvement in sectors such as mining and its inability to decisively stop the spread of armed groups despite the deployment of thousands of French troops in the region.

The ruling military groups in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger collectively expelled about 4,300 French troops from their countries in 2022 after France refused to support the coup that brought them to power, and thousands of civilians fled their Were rallying in support. Those countries have since turned to Russian mercenaries to help fight a spate of armed groups trying to gain territory in the volatile region.

On 29 November, the same day that Faye called for French troops to leave Senegal, the Central African country of Chad also broke military ties with France, ending a defense agreement in place since 1960, and annexed Paris. This week, the withdrawal began with two fighters leaving N’Djamena.

Located in a surveillance “sweet spot” in the Sahel, adjacent to war-torn Sudan and Libya, Chad was considered the last remaining ally in the Sahel for Western governments. It was also a rebellion that France supported after President Mahamat Déby took power by force in 2021.

However, experts say N’Djamena had to back down this time for a number of reasons, including reports that France withheld intelligence that led to the killing of 40 Chadian soldiers by the armed group Boko Haram in October Went.

Despite Teranga, a bad relationship

What sets Senegal apart from the rest of the batch is that it is the only country to break ties with France where the military government is not in power. Senegal is also one of the African countries where France has integrated the most, making the divorce situation even more complicated, experts say.

In sunny, coastal Dakar where the culture of “teranga” (or hospitality) attracts and welcomes international expatriates, the French presence is unmistakable, and French citizens mingle freely with locals in restaurants, markets, and events. Are. Total petrol stations, booths of telecom company Orange and Auchan supermarkets are spread across the city and account for about 25 percent of Senegal’s gross domestic product, according to the French Foreign Ministry.

However, analysts say anti-France anger is spreading in neighboring Sahel countries, and the rise of young, new-age politicians like Sonko, who in the past have launched inflammatory campaigns against Senegalese leaders considered cozy with France and Paris. Statements have been made. People in Senegal have become hostile.

In 2023 protesters targeted French businesses, looted and burned shops after Sonko, then an opposition leader, was detained on rape charges by the government of former President Macky Sall. Sonko, who said the charges were politically motivated, was acquitted of rape but jailed for “corrupting the youth”, stripping him of his eligibility for the presidency, prompting his ally Faye to oust him. Had to stand in place.

During their campaign in February, both promised greater transparency and said they would review extraction contracts with Western-owned businesses, including French and other European firms.

He also pledged that Senegal would not work with Western lenders, and that it would stop using the CFA franc, a currency that was used by 14 predominantly former French colonies in sub-Saharan Africa and which was heavily influenced by France’s neocolonialism. Is seen as the clearest symbol of. But analysts say these things are better said than done.

“They have quietly let the CFA question lapse and there has been no renegotiation of contracts with foreign companies, which they had promised,” Omar Ba, a professor of international politics at Cornell University, told Al Jazeera.

Ba said he has also continued to work with lenders such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund as the economy has slowed this year.

He said, “I think highlighting the potential consequences of the French military presence only serves to keep the symbolic sovereigntist discourse alive.”

Some analysts say Faye is more likely to emphasize the realization of the “eco” – a proposed West African common currency that is in development.

a new relationship

France’s deteriorating relations with its former African allies, including Senegal, has seen it rethink its alliances in the region by upgrading its already weak military architecture to focus on other areas such as trade.

Paris earlier this year committed to reducing the number of troops in Senegal and Gabon from 350 to 100 and in Ivory Coast from 600 to 100. Before Chad expelled French troops in November, Paris had planned to reduce their number from 1,000 to 300.

Instead, France is focusing on economic ties and engaging more African countries outside its traditional sphere of influence. In November, President Macron welcomed Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Elysee Palace and also spoke colloquial Nigerian Pidgin English in his welcome speech.

“They need new friends and they need powerful friends,” Ochieng said. “If they have a huge team like Nigeria, they can still survive,” he said. Important West African economies such as Ivory Coast, Gabon and Benin are still friendly with Paris.

As for Senegal, President Faye has indicated that the ultra-close relations that the country had with France will remain even more so in the trade sphere, making it clear that breaking military ties does not mean ending trade.

“France remains an important partner for Senegal,” he told reporters. “Today, China is our largest trading partner in terms of investment and trade. Does China have a military presence in Senegal? No. Does this mean our relationship is over? No,” he said.

However, President Thiaroye also wants reparations for the killings. In addition to France closing its military bases, Faye said he would demand a formal apology from France. Such an apology would require France to make reparations, which could translate into monetary compensation for the families of the victims.

PM Sonko has long demanded compensation for the killings. In June, as France celebrated its liberation from Nazi Germany, he criticized Paris’s move to officially recognize six of the killed West African soldiers with the honor of “died for France”, Which is a title given to people who die in the service of the country. It is unclear why six were chosen.

“It is not up to (France) to determine the number of Africans betrayed and murdered after helping to save them, nor to unilaterally decide the type and extent of recognition and reparations,” Sonko posted on Facebook, signing the message. Is.” As head of the ruling PASTEF party, rather than as head of government.