Vol 66 No 11 | FRANCEAFRICA Paris all at sea over Africa reset 30th May 2025 President Macron’s new policy ideas keep foundering on the domestic priorities of African leaders Two more sharp reminders of the cultural and political realities have jolted President Emmanuel Macron as he struggles to reshape France’s relations with Africa which have reached a...
DISPATCHES Vol 66 No 7 | LIBYAFRANCE Claims of secret deal with Gadaffi in Sarkozy’s corruption trial 31st March 2025 Prosecutors say ex-French president got campaign funds from Tripoli before NATO bombed Libyan leader The trial of former President Nicolas Sarkozy, who may face a seven-year sentence if convicted on corruption charges, is shedding light on France’s backchannel talks with the government... READ FOR FREE
Vol 66 No 5 | CHADFRANCE French troops bid a hasty adieu 7th March 2025 The departure ends an era amid mounting challenges to President Mahamat with a deepening social crisis and overspill from Sudan’s war On 31 January, a quiet ceremony took place at the Sergeant Adji Kossei air base in Ndjamena to mark the complete departure of all French troops from Chad,...
Vol 66 No 1 | CHADFRANCE Dropping France, Mahamat Kaka tilts to Turkey and the UAE 31st December 2024 Ndjamena’s strategic switch helps Abu Dhabi more than Russia for now Taking Paris by surprise on 20 December, the Chadian government ordered French troops to leave the country by the end of January, marking a final rupture after some...
Vol 65 No 25 | FRANCEAFRICA Macron tilts to Anglophone Africa after Sahelian exits 3rd December 2024 After a spate of reverses in the region, the French President is boosting ties with Ghana and Nigeria One data point sums up the commercial stakes: there are more French companies in Nigeria than there are in the rest of West Africa. It also painted the...
DISPATCHES Vol 65 No 25 | CHADFRANCE After Macron’s minister leaves, Déby cancels military accord 4th December 2024 France’s exit from the Sahel region speeds up as N’djamena ends its defence cooperation agreement with Paris Chad’s decision to end its military cooperation deal with France is another major blow to France which had been actively courting President Mahamat Idriss Déby aka ‘Kaka’ to... READ FOR FREE
Vol 65 No 23 | FRANCEAFRICA It’s the economy, Macron! 8th November 2024 Paris has lost power in its old chasse gardée but French companies are spreading their wings across the continent President Emmanuel Macron’s government is wheeling out the ministers of finance, trade and foreign affairs on 19-20 November to meet African businesses and official delegates to cut deals... READ FOR FREE
Vol 65 No 20 | FRANCEAFRICA Françafrique’s high priest gives up his secrets 2nd October 2024 A new book by the man who filled the brown envelopes casts scandalous light on the traffic in bribes between African and French politicians Robert Bourgi, the 79-year-old last éminence grise of Françafrique, has revealed all – mostly – in a book about his 40-year-career first as a trusted lieutenant of Jacques... READ FOR FREE
Vol 65 No 19 | FRANCEAFRICA President Macron plans military cuts 19th September 2024 Phasing down security operations in West and Central Africa, Paris keeps its diplomatic and economic ambitions Plans for a drastic pruning back of France’s military deployments in Africa could be confirmed within weeks as Paris adapts to the reality of widespread resentment of its...
Vol 65 No 16 | ALGERIAMOROCCOFRANCEWESTERN SAHARA Emmanuel Macron’s Saharan mystery 31st July 2024 The recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed region comes after personal intervention by the French President The interim French government’s decision on 29 July to in effect recognise Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara is another victory for Rabat – following a similar...