Voice of Russia
December 11, 2013
France seeking to tighten grip on Africa
Sergey Duz
The French military seems to be holding its ground in Africa. Observers point out that Paris’s formally peacekeeping operations amount to an attempt to make the most of its presence in France’s former colonies politically and economically.
The French launched a challenging operation in the Central African Republic a week ago to disarm militants who are involved in religious conflicts. Paris has since reported casualties and said it will beef up its military presence there. Some observers believe that Paris is clearly trying to gain a competitive edge on the international scene through restoring its influence on its former colonies. This is what the Head of the Centre for Euro-Atlantic Studies and International Security, Tatyana Zvereva, says about it in a comment.
“All major world players have been showing interest in the African continent recently, such as the United States, the European countries and, of course, China. Beijing has long-standing ties to Africa. European countries, too, have long since built ties with many of their former African colonies. This is true of France, too. General de Gaulle laid the foundation of stable relations with these countries, and France is interested in cementing the ties in question, because it needs markets for its goods and is interested in Africa’s rich mineral resources”.
Last week, the UN Security Council unanimously voted for a military invasion of the Central African Republic following another aggravation of the 40-year long political crisis there. The international mandate that Paris has been granted is a kind of shield that fends off all accusations in a bid to make a profit on the colonial drama. Commenting on the situation is the Head of the Centre for French Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Europe, Yuri Rubinsky, and this is what he says.
“The UN Security Council has approved the latest two operations involving the French armed forces in Mali and the Central African Republic. France has grown noticeably more active in Africa over the past year, firstly, because Paris has encountered problems in its main foreign policy area, the European Union. By stepping up activities in a region that’s outside Europe but is closely linked to Europe it is kind of making up for France’s weakened positions in the EU. Secondly, France is clearly concerned about the fact that its influence has been lowering under the US and China’s pressure. In short, France has launched a struggle for an important bridgehead. Paris makes it clear that it is not about to withdraw from Africa, but is, conversely, going to expand its positions. Whether the effort will prove successful or not is another pair of shoes”.
Notably, Paris played host last week to a summit on peace and security in Africa. According to Western press reports, the agenda logically reflected France’s concern about its diminishing influence on such former French colonies as the Congo [fprmer Belgian colony] and Cote d’Ivoire.
France has invariably seen the region as its sphere of influence. Meanwhile, major players in global economy are competing for business in Africa, and France is running the risk of being left behind. So, it’s easy to understand why Paris is prepared to invest in military operations there. If the effort proves successful, Paris will get political and economic dividends; for the colonial system, even if it’s dead, should nonetheless bear fruit.
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