Congolese political analyst Guy Magloire Mafimba Motoki said Burkina Faso’s decision to cut diplomatic ties with France shows how Paris is losing influence across Africa after failing to break with the legacy of ‘Francafrique.’
Motoki said President Ibrahim Traore’s move had been shaped by deeper frustration over French influence, the growth of national sovereignty and President Emmanuel Macron’s ‘failure’ to deliver on promises that his country would change its approach.
“It is rather this African policy, commonly referred to as ‘Francafrique’, which has gone on for far too long and which President Emmanuel Macron has failed to truly do away with. This is what is causing France to lose its influence,” he said.
“There is a historical consciousness, through (revolutionary former Burkina Faso president) Thomas Sankara, among African peoples and African youth, of the fact that Thomas Sankara had made sovereignty a key marker. So President Ibrahim Traore, who has taken up the torch, is, I believe, acting in this spirit,” he said.
Motoki also said the relationship between the two countries had been worsened by clashing leadership styles.
“On the one hand, President Emmanuel Macron, and on the other, President Ibrahim Traore, are young and hot-blooded. They’re not like Mitterrand, who could take a step back,” he said.
He argued that perceptions of French interference still resonated across West Africa, pointing to the 2011 removal of former Ivorian president Laurent Gbagbo, who accused France of helping force him out.
“That dispute has not been resolved, and this has been picked up on, albeit to a very small extent, by all African countries,” he said. “The onus is always on France to reset its diplomatic approach. Is President Macron still capable of doing so?”
Burkina Faso announced on June 26 that it was severing diplomatic relations with France, accusing Paris of undermining its sovereignty and interfering in its internal affairs. France rejected the allegations.
In May, Macron co-hosted the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi with Kenyan President William Ruto, announcing €23 billion in investment commitments as part of efforts to reset France’s relationship with African countries.
Source: Viory
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