With France’s military influence in Africa, can it rely on soft power? , Political news

After more than six decades, the French soldiers completed their return from Chad this week before the time limit of 31 January, the latest blow for France’s shrinking military grip in their East and Central Africa strongholds.

N’Djamena suddenly cut relations with Paris in December and ended a military agreement, with 1,000 French soldiers deployed in the country. The huge nation is a prominent place to monitor and launch the mission against the herd of armed groups working in a vast nation, but also to monitor activities in neighboring war-watchers Libya.

This wind-down is part of a recent trend, which has seen the pre-French colonies cutting or downgrated with the former ruler, due to resentment from the alleged French intervention in its countries.

In military -led Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, some 4,000 French soldiers have gone out, while Russian soldiers have flooded to help armed groups.

Chad, Senegal and Ivory Coast have since followed the suit.

“For these countries, it’s about sovereignty,” Frankophone Africa security analyst with Beverly Ochig, the control risk consultancy told Al Jazira.

“If you have a foreign force in your country, it means that you are somehow surrendered to sovereignty, and these countries see it as freeing yourself from that intervention.”

The popular outrage against France has been spread over “La Franfrics” since colonial time, but has now exploded. In the last decade, protesters from Abidadan to Niyam have marched on the streets, blaming France for everything from electoral intervention to instability.

However, even French military bases have been closed, analysts say Paris continues to continue subtle but deep power. From a common currency to phone networks and backgots between French language and former colonies, France’s influence appears in the everyday life of people in these countries and is omnipresent, which can divorce the total to the impossible.

French: ‘Number one language’

France’s biggest soft power lies in the reach of French language.

According to an organization of French speaking countries, 50 percent of the 300 million French speakers in the world lived in Africa by 2022. For example, the Congo is a more French speaker in the democratic Republic than France than elsewhere.

Across the continent, locals have adapted the rules-kiss language over time. In Cameron, where French and English are official languages, mixed phrases such as TU Go O, means where you are going, are common.

However, in many Frankone countries, official communication, such as public communal, news, or even lectures, are distributed in standard French. In Mali, where the military government left the French language for a non-official position in August, the French is still a working language after several months.

Recognizing the power of the French language, in 2018, the administration of President Emmanuel Macron launched a campaign to offer French text in most African cities. In a speech for students at Burkina Faso that year, before the two countries move out, Macron announced that French “number-a language in Africa … and perhaps the world would be”.

Already, the language is seen favorablely in English-speaking countries like Nigeria, where the elite schools entice parents with the promise that their children will learn French.

Senegal President Basiro Domay Fay, who was voted on the promise of voting in the office in April 2024 and reducing relations with France, however, attempted to shake the language grip.

His official speeches are given in both French and major Volof language.

Fay has also moved to establish a new agency that will change the names of roads and classes across the country to honor the local people.

The rule of the country for a long time for centuries of France was so involved that the roads, bridges and classes were named after colonial authorities, or the French words were tolerated.

Scholars say that such tricks are important for a country like Senegal who are eager to rebuild an identity independent of France. Ferdinand de Jong, a researcher at the University of East Anglia at the United Kingdom, told Al Jazira, “It is part of a process of decolonization, which is to achieve self-esteem and contribute to healing the trauma of colonialism. “

CFA: complex general currency

The way there are strong economic relations, which have converted France into their former colonies since independence.

Mobile network providers, supermarket chains or nuclear firms Orano are all French owned businesses that are now part of the business scene in many French speaking countries. Although these companies have been targeted in anti-violent protests, there is no indication that they are planning to leave.

Then, the normal CFA is currency area. In December 1945, at a time when the calls for freedom were already growing, the CFA currency sector includes 14 West and Central African countries. It was originally known as the “Frank of Africa of the French colonies”, cheating the original intentions of France with the currency. Today it is known as Frank of the African financial community and is voluntary. Only Guinea-Kankri and Mauritania left the region on independence.

Some sees currency as a strong stabilizer against inflation, but the dispute is surprising on its terms: countries should keep their 50 percent of their 50 percent reserves in French Treasury to put in currency for the Euro of France. Many scholars and African leaders noted that it limits the development of CFA, and in turn, the economies of the countries using it. Others have called it the neo-colonial tool of French.

In August 2015, the former President of Chadian Idris Debbie said in the speech of an anniversary of freedom, “We should dare to say that there is a cord to prevent development in Africa that should be dissected, “Debbie said.

However, any African leaders, including military people, have left the zone.

In Senegal, President Faye promised to diga the CFA during his election campaign and work with Western monetary institutions such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, but has vice versa.

Mahmud BA, a professor of international relations at Cornell University in New York, said, “He has quietly allowed the CFA question to die.” “He has also continued a very close working relationship between the state and the IMF and the World Bank, despite his strong criticism for these institutions.”

Analysts say that the country may be afraid of the backlash of France: After Guinea voted to leave the CFA zone in 1960, the French government has a secret mission, Operation Persil to the new guinea Frank and engineer hyperinflection Launched for Paris also planned to ship arms to start local conflicts, although its operation was interrupted.

Except the CFA zone and establishing a new local currency, at least in West Africa, complicated by a regional push in the Economic Community of West African states to create a common currency to rival the Euros of the European Union. Is happening However, that process has been delayed several times, and France has been blamed a few times for this: In 2019, a day earlier Ecowas countries were designed to adopt the final terms for “Eco” currency, Evorian The CFA region’s countries were designed to adopt a new currency of the President Alasen Autara – a staunch French colleague – a staunch French colleague. its name? Also “Eco”. So far, neither currency has come out.

Since the countries continue to pive from France, Paris has also begun to implement a new Africa strategy launched at the end of 2024: plans to permanently reduce the presence of Troop in countries that have now French forces have not been excluded like Gabon, where there are still 300, where there are around 300 French soldiers.

Jean-Marie Bokell, President Macron’s special messenger, France said in May that France “wants to reduce its visual appearance, but wants to maintain logical, human and physical access to these countries, while answering their aspirations Strengthens our action in “.

France is also having a close relationship with former British colonies such as Nigeria and Kenya, who do not take the same injury and outrage against Paris as their Francoophone neighbors. In December, Macron used Pizin English at his welcome address to Nigerian President Ahmed Tinubu.

“For France, it is like a clean slate,” analyst Oching said.