Macron: France will reduce military presence in Africa
Macron declared his intentions of reducing French military presence in Africa before announcing his tour of some central African countries.
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French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech ahead of his visit in Central Africa, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Monday, Feb. 27, 2023 ( Stefano Rellandini, Pool via AP)
On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron announced an initiative to significantly reduce French soldiers' presence in Africa, after Mali and Burkina Faso requested France to withdraw its troops from the country.
"The change will happen in the coming months with a noticeable reduction of our numbers and a greater presence in these bases of our African partners," Macron said before touring African countries.
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He then clarified that this reduction in french military presence is only a reorganization and not a withdrawal.
"We will remain but with a reduced footprint... We will do more training, more equipping, and better accompanying" he added.
He said that certain bases will be repurposed into training academies, while others would become "partner" bases (run by the national authorities).
Macron stated that they would adapt by deploying fewer French troops and "Africanizing" their staff.
He promised that there would be a significant increase in the operating activity of their African partners according to the goals defined following bilateral agreements.
Macron said he was "proud" of France's military record in Mali, and would not allow the country to be made a scapegoat for a worsening of the security situation in the Sahel.
"France's role is not to fix all the problems in Africa," he underlined.
Macron wistfully said that African nations would eventually stop turning to the Wagner Group [a Russian paramilitary organization] claiming with certainty that "they would see that it only sows misery."
The President of the Ex-Sahel region colonizer has accused Russia of fuelling anti-French propaganda in Africa to allegedly serve "predatory" ambitions.
Read more: Last 47 French troops left the Central African Republic
Anti-French sentiment has been on the rise in former French colonies like Mali and Burkina Faso following military coups that resulted in tensions with Paris and ultimately the expulsion of French troops from both nations.
Macron is scheduled for a four-nation tour of central African countries starting Wednesday, as part of France's strategy to counteract Russian and Chinese influence in the region.
Read more: Macron, President of colonial power, decries Russia presence in Africa
He is scheduled to visit Gabon for an environmental summit, then Angola, the Republic of Congo, and finally the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo.
