The subject is always a little delicate, as the question of “Francafrique” can quickly come up on the carpet. Moreover, Emmanuel Macron had carefully avoided this part of the globe during his first term, unlike the Maghreb. But the growing influence of China in Africa and the withdrawal of the Barkhane force in Mali forced the French president to act. Monday evening, he arrived in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon, for a visit of several days which should also take him to Benin and Guinea Bissau. But what should we expect from this trip by the Head of State? Antoine Glaser, journalist and co-author of Macron’s African Trap (with Pascal Airault, ed. Fayard), answered questions from 20 minutes.
Why did Emmanuel Macron wait so long to go to West Africa? And why now?
It is true that during his first term, Macron shunned all those Central African presidents whom he considers autocrats. He was even quite aggressive, explaining that he “put pressure on President Biya” for the release of prisoners. Emmanuel Macron had rather gone to countries where the French army is present, because of the fight against terrorism. There was a desire to leave the backyard of French Africa to go to English-speaking countries, for the start of his second term we thought he would go to Angola for example.
But given the crisis in Ukraine and the departure of the Barkhane force from Mali, there is a re-engagement of France in its former colonies, which is disputed by Russia on the security level. We even felt a certain urgency to go to Cameroon. It is a strategic country from a logistical point of view for the French army in Chad. And France can be very worried. During the press conference, we saw President Biya, 89, very tired. If he disappears, Cameroon could be in danger overnight.
What are the challenges of this move? Will he make announcements?
Emmanuel Macron acknowledged that France has lost financial positions in Cameroon, it has gone from 40% of market share at the end of the 1990s to 10%, while China is booming. Moreover, Cameroon is the first economy of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (Cemac). There is therefore an attempt to reinvest French companies in Cameroon, even if we felt annoyed about competition and the fight against corruption. France must diversify its contribution to the local economy, particularly in agriculture.
At the same time, Emmanuel Macron is very offensive against Russian influence, especially against the media RT and Sputnik. He went far in his remarks, which are linked to the context of the war in Ukraine, and recalled that French soldiers had died in Mali before the arrival of the Wagner group. He also fell back into a form of paternalism by warning Cameroonians against their exploitation by the Chinese…
A collective called on Emmanuel Macron to recognize the “crimes of colonial France”. Can he ask for forgiveness in Africa?
No, but there is a desire to do as for Rwanda, with the establishment of memorial reports. It went less well with Algeria and the Stora report. Cameroon is the only country in the region where there has been a form of war of independence, a term on which Emmanuel Macron was hesitant. He commissioned historians from both countries to study this period, it is already something new.
During his first mandate his position was to stop talking about the colonial and postcolonial period. Playing on his youth, he had asked “let’s turn the page” to Burkinabe students, it was a way to pass the magic slate. We feel that now it responds to Cameroonian youth who want us to talk about their history, not only during the colonial period but also until the fall of the Berlin Wall. Nevertheless, France never apologized to Rwanda despite the Cairo report.