Abidjan (AFP)
After activating the end of the CFA franc, the symbol of Françafrique, French President Emmanuel Macron was welcomed on Sunday by thousands of residents of Bouaké, the former rebel capital, the last stop on his visit to Côte d'Ivoire d 'where he will fly to Niger, an ally in the anti-Jihadist struggle.
Thousands of people gathered on the roadsides to greet the French head of state who went from the airport to the old Descartes high school with his Ivorian counterpart Alassane Ouattara for a tribute to the nine French soldiers and an American killed there in 2004, during a bombing of the Ivorian army. A pivotal episode in the decade of Ivorian crisis in November 2004 and a dossier that keeps many gray areas.
During a very sober ceremony, the two presidents unveiled a stele "In memory of the American citizen and the nine French soldiers who died in the performance of their duty" and laid wreaths in Ivorian and French colors. They then observed a minute's silence as we heard the clamor of the crowd waiting outside.
This act must "work on the essential work of reconciliation which the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire so badly needs and which is the path on which it is advancing," Macron said the day before.
The two men then headed for the esplanade where the largest covered market in West Africa will be built. Costing 60 million euros, funded by France, the site will bring together 8,500 traders on nearly 9 hectares.
Tens of thousands of people are waiting for them. "This is the first time since Côte d'Ivoire has existed that a French president has come to Bouaké. And he has come to build our market, the only place of activity in Bouaké. We really thank him," said Sanata Traore, shopping.
"We can never thank President Macron enough. This market burned down more than 20 years ago and we, traders, were in distress and resourcefulness. We will have a new modern market", rejoiced Claude Kouassi, bookseller in Bouaké.
The Ivorian and French authorities hope that this infrastructure will revive the once flourishing economic activity and make it possible to forget the past of Bouaké, a barracks town regularly shaken by mutinies or military grumbling.
- Departure during the day for Niamey -
Mr. Macron will then fly to Niamey. He will participate in another tribute ceremony, this time in honor of the 71 Nigerien soldiers who recently died in the attack on a military camp.
Above all, he will be able to meet with his Nigerian counterpart Mahamadou Issoufou and prepare the summit in Pau (south-west of France) which is due to bring together on January 13 the Sahelian heads of state of the G5 Sahel force.
On the same wavelength as Mr. Issoufou, who reiterated his support for the French operation Barkhane, Mr. Macron once again demanded clarity from the Sahelian governments on Saturday on the French military presence in the area.
"If this political clarity is not established, France in certain countries will draw all the consequences from it," he warned.
"When he talks about clarification, President Macron is targeting IBK (Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, the Malian president) and Kaboré (Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, the Burkinabè president)", a security source told AFP recently.
On December 4, in the wake of the death of 13 French soldiers in Mali, Emmanuel Macron invited the Sahelian heads of state to this summit in Pau (where the majority of the soldiers were stationed). The announcement had been badly felt by many who had perceived it rather as a "summons" even when there is in the region a growing anti-French feeling.
President Keïta seemed to allude to this tension on Saturday on TV5, indicating that the countries united in the military force G5 Sahel wanted "a respectable and respectful partnership".
On Saturday, Mr. Macron presented himself as the builder of a new era of relations with French-speaking Africa by sounding the death knell for the CFA franc.
The abandonment of the CFA franc and this new relationship could, he said, change the image of France: "Too often today France is perceived" as having "a look of hegemony and the tinsel of colonialism which was a deep mistake, a fault of the Republic, "he said on Saturday.
© 2019 AFP