“A number of forces, who want to spread their influence in Africa, are doing this to hurt France, to hurt its language, to sow doubts, but above all to pursue specific interests,” Macron said.
The French president Emmanuel Macron blamed Russia that feeds her anti-French propaganda in Africa in order to serve “predator” ambitions in troubled African countries, where France has suffered a military retreat and a wider loss of influence in recent years.
Speaking on the sidelines of one summit of francophone countries in TunisiaMacron was asked to respond to critics who say France is exploiting historical, economic and political ties to its former colonies to serve its own interests.
“This perception is fueled by others, it’s a political plan”, Macron said in an interview with TV5 Monde. “I’m not a fool, many who are influential [influencers], who speak on your shows sometimes, are paid by the Russians. We know them,” he said.
“A number of forces, who want to spread their influence in Africa, are doing this to hurt France, to hurt its language, to sow doubts, but above all to pursue specific interests,” he added.
France, the former colonial power in most of west and central Africa, has long-standing military ties across French-speaking Africa and French troops have been stationed in Mali for a decade as part of an anti-terror operation.
Critics call France’s operation a failure and accuse it of further destabilizing the region.
France has also been vying for influence with Russia in recent years, with the expansion of the private military contractor Wagner Group in several countries, including the Central African Republic and Mali.
Paris was forced to withdraw its troops from Mali after the military seized power in the African country in a 2020 coup amid a breakdown in relations. Military leaders then invited Wagner to help with a decade-long battle against Islamist militants and cut ties with France.
Russia says Wagner does not represent the Russian state or is paid by it. But the European Union has imposed sanctions on Wagner, accusing it of conducting covert operations on behalf of the Russian government.
Last year, a United Nations report said Russian military trainers and local troops in the Central African Republic targeted civilians with excessive violence, carrying out indiscriminate killings, occupying schools and looting on a large scale.
The Kremlin says it is a lie that Russian trainers have taken part in murders or robberies in the gold- and diamond-rich country of 4.7 million people.
Today, Macron said Russia’s behavior was “predatory”.
“Just look at what’s happening in the Central African Republic or elsewhere to see how the Russian plan going on there, when France is pushed aside, is a plan of usurpation,” Macron said.
“It is being done with the connivance of a Russian military junta,” he said.
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With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
