Emmanuel macron addresses Sahel military regimes: a frank assessment

Emmanuel Macron has adopted a highly direct approach, describing the current state of relations between France and the Sahel’s military governments as a “settling of accounts.” By asserting that Paris was met with “ingratitude” in return for its efforts, the French head of state unequivocally signaled the conclusion of a diplomatic era that spanned over a decade. His unusually candid remarks are clearly directed at the juntas currently holding power in Bamako, Ouagadougou, and Niamey – three capitals that have successively informed France of the termination of bilateral military cooperation.

A presidential critique solidifying sahelian rupture

The tone employed by the Élysée occupant stands in stark contrast to the diplomatic prudence typically observed when engaging with African partners. By highlighting France’s substantial commitment, which came at a significant cost in both human lives and financial resources, Emmanuel Macron intends to place the responsibility for this diplomatic breakdown squarely on the transitional authorities that emerged from the coups of 2020, 2022, and 2023. His statements also resonate with a domestic audience, as the Sahelian experience is widely perceived in France as a major strategic setback, particularly following the forced withdrawal of Operation Barkhane in 2022.

Nevertheless, the presidential rhetoric risks further exacerbating an already precarious situation. In both Bamako and Niamey, the official narrative has been built upon condemning a French presence deemed intrusive, even neo-colonial. Each declaration of grievance from the Élysée inevitably fuels the sovereignist discourse championed by leaders such as Colonels Assimi Goïta, Ibrahim Traoré, and Abdourahamane Tiani. European chancelleries, closely observing these developments, fear that such strong language could also complicate their own remaining diplomatic channels with the Sahelian capitals.

The alliance of Sahel states confronts french withdrawal

Since the establishment of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) in September 2023, which evolved into a confederation by July 2024, the three military regimes have dramatically accelerated their diplomatic reorientation. Their geopolitical repositioning is proceeding rapidly, marked by withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), closer ties with Moscow through Africa Corps (succeeding Wagner), and outreach to Ankara and Tehran. France, which once maintained considerable economic leverage through institutions and companies like the CFA franc, Orange, TotalEnergies, and Eramet, now sees its influence diminishing.

Concretely, the announced departure of the last French troops from Chad and Senegal by the end of 2024 will complete Paris’s military disengagement from the Sahelo-Saharan region. The French presence in West Africa, which numbered over 5,000 personnel in 2020, is now reduced to a residual footprint, primarily focused on training and intelligence. This significant contraction fundamentally transforms the framework of French influence, which for so long relied on projecting military force.

A double-edged rhetoric for Paris

By publicly invoking the “ingratitude” of African partners, Emmanuel Macron risks reinforcing a postcolonial interpretation that has already gained significant traction among Sahelian public opinion, particularly within urban and youth demographics. The term, whether intended or not, evokes a paternalistic vocabulary that the French executive had ostensibly sought to dismantle since the Ouagadougou speech of November 2017. The stark contrast between initial promises of a renewed Franco-African relationship and the current reality of rupture is now undeniable.

Furthermore, the presidential statement comes at a time when Paris is actively seeking to rebuild its African partnerships around states deemed more stable, from Morocco to Côte d’Ivoire, including Bénin and Mauritania. This strategy of bypassing the Sahel necessitates measured public communication, lest it contaminate the entire spectrum of France’s African relationships. Several African diplomats, even in allied nations, privately express discomfort with what they perceive as an overly personal register.

In Dakar, Abidjan, and Nouakchott, these developments are being closely monitored, as they illustrate France’s challenge in cleanly concluding one chapter without reopening old wounds. The core question remains: how can Paris restore its credibility as an attentive partner on the continent while simultaneously defending a Sahelian record it believes has been unfairly judged? Macron’s remarks undeniably mark a further step in the symbolic closure of the French Sahel dossier.