This four-day trip, which begins on Monday, will allow the French president to reaffirm his “commitment to the process of renewing France’s relationship with the African continent”, explains the Elysée. With this visit until July 28, the first outside Europe since his re-election, the president intends to “send a signal of political priority granted to the African continent”, specifies his entourage. He will visit Cameroon, a heavyweight in Central Africa, Benin, facing security challenges in the Sahel, and Guinea-Bissau.
During his first term, Emmanuel Macron favored visits to Sahelian countries fighting jihadism and non-French-speaking countries in Africa such as Nigeria, Ethiopia and South Africa. But he had neglected those of the former French precarious in Central Africa including Gabon, the DRC or Cameroon which, at the same time, developed their political and economic relations with other powers such as China, Russia or Germany. .
This visit comes as Emmanuel Macron announced last week his desire to “rethink by autumn all” of France’s military systems “on the African continent” while the anti-jihadist force Barkhane completes its departure from mali.
The threat of Boko Haram
Saying he wanted “less posed and less exposed devices”, the president judged that it was a “strategic necessity”. This question will be discussed in particular in Benin which, bordering Burkina Faso, has suffered jihadist attacks and to which France is ready to provide “concrete support”, particularly in intelligence or air support. This Sahelian issue will also be discussed in Guinea-Bissau, whose President Umaro Sissoco Embalo is preparing to take the helm of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), in the front line against the Malian junta. .
In Cameroon, talks with President Paul Biya, 89, who has ruled the country with an iron fist for nearly 40 years, should also focus on the threat of Boko Haram in the north of the country and the conflict between Northwest and Southwest for more than five years from separatist armed groups to law enforcement. Emmanuel Macron had provoked the indignation of power by declaring in 2020, after being arrested by an opponent, that he had “put pressure on Paul Biya” on the “intolerable” violence in these regions.
In addition, during the visit, “the issues of governance and the rule of law will be dealt with at each stage, without media injunction but in the form of direct exchanges with its counterparts”, underlines the Elysée. For whom “the line of the French president is in no way to set himself up as a giver of lessons”.
Discussions on the food crisis
In Yaoundé, Emmanuel Macron will debate with young people who participated in the Africa-France summit in Montpellier (south), prepared by Professor Achille Mbembe, who will be present with in particular the artist Greg-Belobo, the former coach of the Cameroon selection. Claude Le Roy and former French rugby player Serge Betsen.
Obviously, with the cereal crisis and the war in Ukraine, the discussions will focus on the food crisis caused by the war in Ukraine. In particular on the Farm initiative launched in March with the European Union and the African Union, the objective of which is to increase agricultural production. France intends to support projects in Cameroon, which has many advantages in this sector.
Wednesday in Benin, Emmanuel Macron should be hailed for having allowed the restitution last year of 26 works of the royal treasures of Abomey (south), looted in 1892 by the French colonial troops. The Head of State will be accompanied by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and the Armed Forces, Catherine Colonna and Sébastien Lecornu, the Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade Olivier Becht as well as the Secretary of State for Development, Chrysoula Zacharopoulou.