‘France not forced out of Africa,’ Macron to French ambassadors
French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday dismissed suggestions that his country had been forced out of Africa’s Sahel region, adding that Paris is still awaiting acknowledgment for its efforts in combating militants.
Speaking to French ambassadors at the annual foreign policy conference for 2025, Macron defended France’s intervention in 2013 to fight Islamist militants, despite Sahel states moving away from French military support.
“I think they forgot to thank us, but that’s okay; it will come in time,” Macron remarked.
He further stated, “None of them would have a sovereign state if the French army had not deployed in this region.”
Macron’s comments follow the withdrawal of French troops from Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso in recent years, as relations with these countries soured after successive military coups.
France is also in the process of withdrawing from Chad, Senegal, and Ivory Coast.
Macron rejected the idea that Paris had been expelled from the region, emphasizing that the move was part of a strategic reorganization.
“No, France is not on the back foot in Africa; it is simply being realistic and reorganizing itself,” he said.
