ANALYSIS. Under the umbrella of la Francophonie as an economic and political entity amalgamated by the French language, France proceeded to a gradual substitution of traditional Gaullist paternalist colonialism by that of neocolonialism under the heading of ”guarantor of Human Rights”.
By Germán Gorraiz, Political Analyst
Thus, after assuming the role of Western gendarme with the blessings of the United States, France would have continued to deplete natural resources, especially uranium, platinum, cobalt, manganese, gold, and diamonds in addition to the media coltan, taking advantage of endemic tribal conflicts to perpetuate routine coups d’état that would bring pro-Western governments to power.
According to an article by political scientist Adem Kiliç entitled ”The system of western exploitation in Africa and the case of France”, published at United World and edited by the PIA Global team, ”71% of the African countries where the 67 military coups of the last decades have occurred would be former French colonies”.
Neocolonial currency
Also, according to the aforementioned article, in the decolonization agreements, the French metropolitan imposed on its former colonies included in the ”Commonwealth of French-speaking countries” the obligation to use the African franc CFA, as a neocolonial currency as well as the implementation of a tax to pay the infrastructure built by France during the colonial period, imposed accepted by 14 of its former colonies.
Also, according to these agreements, the former colonies had to deposit 65% of their foreign exchange reserves with the Bank of France to cover the alleged debts contracted with the metropolis, so the French treasury annually received about $500 billion in profits and returns from Africa.
Likewise, according to the signed settlement agreement, France reserved the right to intervene militarily in African countries and to deploy troops permanently in military bases and installations managed by the French.
Putin and the ”colonial pathos” doctrine
Putin would have dusted off in 2006 the doctrine of colonial pathos implemented by Nikita Khrushchev and based on helping Arab nationalist regimes in their fight against Western influence.
This would take the form of renewed economic and military cooperation projects with Egypt and Syria and the design of a new geopolitical dashboard in the Sahel, using the stylus of the Prigozhin Wagner group.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, known as ”Putin’s chef”, admitted to having founded and financed the Wagner Group that had its baptism of fire in the Crimea campaign of 2012 and also, would have intervened in Syria and various African countries with the blessings of Putin, in particular in Sudan, Libya, Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso, and the Central African Republic.
The president of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum was a key ally for the economic and geopolitical interests of France and the United States because both countries have military bases it is also vital for France because 10% of the uranium used in French nuclear power plants comes from the mines of Niger exploited by the French semi-state enterprise Orano.
However, the uranium was deposed after a coup d’état perpetrated by the military who have appointed General Abdourrahmane Tiani as head of state after which Niger could follow the path of its neighbors, Burkina Faso and Mali, and start pivoting in the Russian orbit.
Consequently, military intervention by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) would not be ruled out by France and the United States who have taken the lead in bringing these former wayward colonies back to the countries controlled by Western neo-colonialism.
Such intervention could trigger a regional conflict extending from Mauritania to Ethiopia and also affecting Libya, Sudan, and Nigeria and having Morocco and Algeria as continental carriers of the US and Russia from which a new geopolitical board could emerge.
By Germán Gorraiz, Political Analyst
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