French FM visits African nations to 'renew partnerships'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
6 Apr 2024 16:18
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Following a harrowing series of events in Africa's Sahel, the new French Foreign Minister embarks on a three-nation trip to ensure French influence in Africa is maintained.

French Foreign Minister, Stephane Sejourne, speaks during a press conference with his counterparts, Egyptian Sameh Shoukry and Jordanian Ayman Safadi after their meeting at Tahrir Palace in Cairo, Egypt, March 30, 2024. (AP)

France aims to renew ties with several African nations after a series of events saw its influence in the continent harrowingly diminish.

The country's top diplomat Stephane Sejourne said on on Saturday that Paris will look to build "balanced partnerships" with African nations. The top Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, appointed in January this year, traveled to Kenya on Saturday ahead of later visits to Rwanda and the Ivory Coast.

"France's vocation will be to renew and build balanced, mutually respectful partnerships with African countries, for the benefit of all countries," he said at a press briefing alongside his Kenyan counterpart Musalia Mudavadi.

"That's what our roadmap is all about: diversifying these partnerships and making them beneficial for the countries in which we are going to invest."

The top diplomat stressed Africa as a "priority" of French foreign policy since the "continent is on the way to becoming a cultural, economic and diplomatic power... that will count in the world's balance."

As is the case with several other former Western colonies in the African nations, France has established a trade imbalance in its favor in Kenya, as part of its efforts to strengthen "economic cooperation".

The East African economic powerhouse hosts 140 French companies, however, it has to yet balance out its sheets with Paris.

"It is a work in progress," said Mudavadi on this point.

"The process of us addressing the trade imbalance requires consistent programs and joint efforts like we are doing," he said.

France aims to stop domino effect in Africa

In East Africa's Sahel, French influence took a resounding blow after several nations saw an unfavorable turn of events for Paris. The three countries that went against French interests in East Africa, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, ended up forming a security alliance and have taken gradual steps to achieve their national interests.

Earlier in March, the army chiefs of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso announced the creation of a joint force to battle long-running terrorist insurgencies raging in their countries which France failed to do during its military campaigns in the region. The new force "will be operational as soon as possible to take into account the security challenges in our space," Niger's army chief Moussa Salaou Barmou said in a statement following talks in Niamey.

"We are convinced that, with the combined efforts of our three countries, we will manage to create the conditions for shared security," he added.

Security is one of many aspects that countries in East Africa are working on to advance their national interests. Other efforts have concentrated on protecting highly prized natural resources from Western exploitation.