After France was finally forced to withdraw its forces from Mali, where it remained for 9 years within the so-called "Barkhane Force", questions continued about the future of the French presence on the African continent, which seems to be shrinking as a result of factors, some of which are related to France's policies and the view of Africans on it, and others are linked to it. With international powers increasing its influence on the continent at the expense of French influence.
The beginning of French ambitions in Africa was after a series of defeats for the famous French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte within the European continent as well as in the Middle East, where the French colonial machine gradually moved towards the south on the African continent, and it was not until the first decade of the twentieth century that France had extended its influence in a manner a third of the territory of the African continent.
After France had previously focused on East Asia through the French East India Company, Africa became the site of the new colonial influence. France occupied Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and Mauritania in the north of the continent, and also occupied other countries in the west and center of the continent: Senegal, Mali, Togo, Guinea Conakry, Benin and Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Niger, Chad, Comoros, Central Africa, Madagascar, Gabon, parts of The Gambia, among others.
Since the middle of the twentieth century, the colonial wave led by France - and Britain in particular - began to evacuate the countries it occupied, but France remained squatting on many African countries in one way or another, even if its occupying armies had already withdrawn.
France removed from Mali about 400 containers and a thousand vehicles, including hundreds of armored vehicles (Reuters)
The French forces withdrew from the brown continent or almost, but Paris imposed a kind of political and economic patriarchy, did not withdraw from its colonies until after it imposed its language on them to become French the official language and the language of education in nearly half of the African countries, which made this country remain under some kind of colonialism Cultural helped by France's creation of the so-called "society of la Francophonie".
France also imposed on these countries to deal in the CFA franc, which is printed and determine its purchasing power by Paris, in addition to the acquisition of the most important economic assets and control of major services such as water supplies, electricity and telephone, as well as transport, ports, banking institutions and even trade and agriculture.
The CFA franc is circulating in 12 countries that were formerly French colonies, in addition to Guinea-Bissau (a former Portuguese colony) and Equatorial Guinea (a former Spanish colony), and the circulating franc is divided into two types, the Central African Franc and the West African Franc, knowing that neither of them can be used. in the other region.
According to agreements concluded by France with these countries, the central bank of each African country is obligated to keep a large percentage that may exceed 50% of its foreign currency reserves in a commercial account with the French Central Bank, as these countries do not have the right to seize or exploit these funds, and if She had no choice but to borrow from the French treasury.
Some estimates suggest that thanks to this control, the French Treasury earns about $500 billion annually in profits and revenues from Africa.
According to the Senegalese historian and researcher, Mustafa Dieng, the pumping of colonies money into the French treasury dates back to the 19th century, when "the inhabitants of the colonies paid the so-called head tax to France, a tax imposed on each person and his property (basic materials and livestock), and paid personally or It is collected by local representatives.
The researcher added to Anadolu Agency that "the expropriation of property" and "the spirit of slavery" are still among the elements that form the foundations of French politics, and that the repercussions of this "hamper the progress of its former colonies", which it considers only a "back garden".
He stressed that this situation is based on treaties with public and secret clauses that still guide French-African relations and serve the interests of the stronger party in the equation at the expense of the interests of African countries and nations, even though that treaty was signed in other eras that have outlived time, he said.
In fact, French ambitions were not secret, as the leaders who succeeded in ruling France have always expressed the importance of the brown continent for their country, as President Charles de Gaulle was keen to take over direct supervision of the African affairs file, which became a tradition inherited by his successors, while President Francois went Mitterrand in 1994 argued that France would have no history in the 21st century without Africa.
But what the French did not realize, perhaps, is that Africa has developed a lot in recent decades, while the colonial mentality of Paris did not develop to the same extent, so it continued to view the brown continent as a mine of wealth and a source of benefit, without bothering to apply the standards that it always talks about of freedom A positive brotherhood for Africa.
The position on the coups that took place in several African countries was revealing, as France entrusted it with more than one measure, and supported those it found to be in its favour, while it opposed those who saw it otherwise, so its declared principles appeared at one time and disappeared at another time.
The French decline in Africa was not only related to France's actions, decisions, or even its decline in its European environment, but also found some of its tributaries in international forces that began to turn their eyes towards the brown continent and hope that it will also obtain some gains, and after France was the only player in Africa, it became Each has one or more competitors.
Russia
Russian interest in Africa is not recent, as some might think, but dates back to the fifties of the last century, when Moscow supported the rush to get rid of colonialism, and then returned in the last decade to search again for sites of influence, realizing the geopolitical and economic importance of the brown continent.
Recent years have witnessed Russian attempts to build new positions of influence in different parts of Africa, and Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed this when he said that developing relations with the countries of the continent has become one of the priorities of Russian foreign policy.
According to a study published in the Al Jazeera Center for Studies last year, Russia is trying to penetrate into Africa by being in the ports on the Red Sea and building military bases in strategic areas on the African shores to gain access to the continent, to compete with the Western alliances deployed in the region and to obtain shares of the continent’s resources. It provides logistical services, political and diplomatic support, defense and security assistance (especially through Wagner mercenaries), economic and disease control expertise, and some training in education and technology.
China
If the West - led by France - has imposed its influence on Africa by force of arms, then China - which is quietly proceeding to be a global pole - has in recent years, with the same calm, sought to extend its control in several areas of the brown continent, but through soft power.
In recent years, China has become Africa's largest trading partner, hundreds of its companies are operating in the continent, and China has become a major funder of many African countries, relying heavily on the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, which was established nearly two decades ago.
And the matter is not limited to the economy, but extends to the military and cultural aspects, as there is a Chinese base in Djibouti, and many countries of the continent have become centers of Chinese language education.
Turkey
As for Turkey, it has been the latest guest on the African continent in recent years, and it has become clear that its influence there is steadily increasing, and what is interesting is that the bulk of it comes at the expense of the French cake, which seems to be shrinking in size on the brown continent.
Ankara depends on its influence on the brown continent on economic and commercial projects as well as religious ties, and to a lesser extent security and military, and reports indicate that Turkish companies have concluded supply agreements with the armies of several African countries that were under the tutelage of France and its companies.
History and present
Recent history in the brown continent indicates that France remained clinging to the gains that it obtained by force thanks to its occupation of these countries and the subsequent independence agreements, and then to maintaining close relations with dictatorial regimes that breathed the souls of the peoples of these countries.
History also tells us that the countries that tried to get out of the French sphere of control faced military coups or orchestrated assassinations, as well as the direct targeting of their economy.
But the matter began to witness a clear change in the past years, especially with the change of authority in Mali and in neighboring countries in a way that was not in the interest of France and opened the door to the extension of the influence of other powers, most notably Russia.
France's withdrawal from Mali recently came after a military operation that lasted for nine years, claiming to fight what Paris describes as extremist Islamists.
The matter is not only related to the withdrawal of the former superpower, but also to what is symbolized by the failure of its mission in Mali. The operation that came years ago with the aim of eliminating the "armed Islamic groups" was ended by France without achieving the goal, but more than half of the country's area is now under the control of these groups, Even the official authority has become hostile to France, so that the only French success may be its ability to withdraw quietly.