Françafrique
Encyclopedia
Françafrique is a term that refers to France's
relationship with Africa
. The term was first used in a positive sense by President Félix Houphouët-Boigny
of Côte d'Ivoire
, but it is now generally understood to denounce the neocolonial relationship France has with its African backyard. “Françafrique”’s sphere of influence takes root in the time of colonization and leans upon both official and underground networks. This phenomenon is particularly present in the former French colonies
such as the Republic of the Congo
as well as in other French speaking countries including Burundi
and Rwanda
; it is also prevalent in other non-French speaking countries like Equatorial Guinea
. From a critical point of view, the term “Françafrique” is broadly used today in the media to describe the complex economic and diplomatic relationship France keeps with its former colonies. Depending on the authors, “Françafrique” still exists or does not under Nicolas Sarkozy
’s government.
of Côte d'Ivoire
, who advocated maintaining a close relationship with France, while acceding to independence. Close cooperation between Houphouët-Boigny and Jacques Foccart
, chief adviser on African policy in the Charles de Gaulle
and Georges Pompidou
governments (1958–1974) is thought to have contributed to the "Ivorian miracle" of economic and industrial progress.
The term was subsequently borrowed by François-Xavier Verschave
as the title of his criticism of French policies in Africa: La Françafrique, le plus long scandale de la République (ISBN 2-234-04948-2). François-Xavier Verschave and the association Survie, of which he was president until his death in 2005, reused the expression of Houphouët-Boigny in order to name and denounce all the concelled bonds between France and Africa. He later defined Françafrique as "the secret criminality in the upper echelons of French politics and economy, where a kind of underground Republic is hidden from view". He said that it also means "France à fric" (fric is a slang
word for "cash"), and that "Over the course of four decades, hundreds of thousands of euros misappropriated from debt, aid, oil, and cocoa or drained through French importing monopolies, have financed French political-business networks (all of them offshoots of the main neo-Gaullist network), shareholders’ dividends, the secret services’ major operations and mercenary expeditions."
for two years and when Chirac finally gained the presidency in 1995 Foccart was brought back again to the Elysée palace
as an advisor. Foccart never stopped being an influential person in the French-African diplomatic relationship and it is commonly considered that he and De Gaulle were the founding fathers of the neo-colonial relationship between France and Africa. Throughout the successive French governments until President Nicolas Sarkozys’ appointment, the defence of the African backyard, despite the evolution of the forms and methods, has always remainded a high strategic imperative.
Initially, the “Françafrique” policy was motivated by three strategic concerns:
Detered the communist expansion in Africa by the presence of French military bases on the continent.
Since the end of the Cold War and after the implementation of a better regulation in France on the funding of political parties, these two last aspects of the “Françafrique” progressively disappeared while the first one gained in importance for the French government and the French multinational companies (Total group
- formerly Elf
, Areva
, Bouygues
, Bolloré
etc.).
, Republic of the Congo
, Democratic Republic of the Congo
, Rwanda
, Senegal
, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon
, Burundi
, Chad
, Comoros
, Gabon
, Burkina Faso
, Madagascar
, Benin
, Tunisia
, Morocco
, Guinea
, Niger
, Djibouti
, Mali
, Central African Republic
, Mauritania
, Algeria
, but also other countries, like Equatorial Guinea
, in which the French influence gained weight after independence.
All countries are not affected by “Françafrique” to the same extent. Indeed, petroleum dictatorship, like in Gabon and in the Democratic Republic of Congo, are the archetypes of “Françafrique”. In such countries, the relationships between the leaders and the French authorities are very closely knit, given the prevalence of the Total group in the economy. The situation is similar in the other autocratic countries like Togo, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad and Central African Republic.
On the other hand, in other former colonies like the Maghreb countries or Côte d’Ivoire that had a conflict relationship with France in the past, the French influence and networks are much less than in the countries mentioned above, even if the economic aspect shares some similarities with “Françafrique” practices.
Lastly, democratic countries like Mali and Senegal are less concerned by this phenomenon, both for economic and historical reasons.
The Elysee’s Africa cell cannot be differentiated from its founding father, Jacques Foccart
, who was appointed by President de Gaulle and since then, became a specialist on African matters at the Elysee Palace. Between 1986 and 1992, Jean-Christophe Mitterrand
, the son of President François Mitterrand and former journalist of the AFP
in Africa, held the position of chief adviser on African policy at the Elysee, which got him nicknamed “Papamadi “ (translated as “Daddy told me”).
The suppression of this cell by President Nicolas Sarkozy (who replaced it by a mere diplomatic advisor on Africa) is only symbolic, as the new mentor on African matters at the Elysee is the General Secretary Claude Guéant
, a close aide to the president.
Many players have combined official and unofficial activities: for example, Maurice Robert
, former intelligence agent who became the chief executive of SDECE, the French External Documentation and Counter-Espionage Service (former DGSE, General Directorate for External Security) in Africa. In the ambit of his new appointment, he led many military actions in Africa, helping or deposing heads of state in accordance with the French interest in these countries (more particularly, he supervised operations for the notorious mercenary Bob Denard
). In 1973, he was pushed aside from the intelligence services and was then directly employed by the petroleum company Elf. Eventually, in 1979, he was appointed French ambassador to Gabon, on the demand of President Omar Bongo
of Gabon, whom he had helped to take power. In 1982, he changed position and came back to Elf where he finished his career before retirement.
Another of the most active unofficial intermediaries of the “Françafrique” is the Franco-Lebanese lawyer Robert Bourgi, close aide to the Bongo family and to many other African leaders, and also an informal advisor of President Nicolas Sarkozy. Robert Bourgi admitted that he supplanted the Secretary of State for Overseas Development, Jean-Marie Bockel
. Bockel wanted to break away from the “Françafrique”, and in response to a question from a journalist from Le Monde
in January 2008, he said that he wanted to "sign the death certificate of Françafrique", which displeased the African dictators who preferred to address Robert Bourgi as an intermediary. In 2009, Bourgi, on behalf of the French government, supported the presidential election of Ali Bongo
, son of former President Omar Bongo.
(French Development Agency) which handles the Government to Government funding and the PROPARCO (Promotion and Participation for Economic Cooperation, a subsidy of the AFD) which funds the private sector in developing countries.
. France has been accused of meddling in Angolan affairs through backing of separatist groups such as Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda
and harboring their leaders.
The former French African colonies’ presidents were invited for lunch at the Elysée Palace with President Sarkozy in July 2010. The invitation has brought a lot of criticism. France is being accused of not moving on from its post-colonial relationship with Africa, bringing back “La Françafrique”. President Sarkozy says that the African presidents were invited because the national day symbolizes 50 years of independence. French association “Survie” feels that France is still looking out for its own benefits, not Africa's, even though President Sarkozy has offered pension benefits to every former soldier in its African colonies. The African policy is now in the hands of President Sarkozy.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
relationship with Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. The term was first used in a positive sense by President Félix Houphouët-Boigny
Félix Houphouët-Boigny
Félix Houphouët-Boigny , affectionately called Papa Houphouët or Le Vieux, was the first President of Côte d'Ivoire. Originally a village chief, he worked as a doctor, an administrator of a plantation, and a union leader, before being elected to the French Parliament and serving in a number of...
of Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
, but it is now generally understood to denounce the neocolonial relationship France has with its African backyard. “Françafrique”’s sphere of influence takes root in the time of colonization and leans upon both official and underground networks. This phenomenon is particularly present in the former French colonies
French Colonies
"French Colonies" is the name used by philatelists to refer to the postage stamps issued by France for use in the parts of the French colonial empire that did not have stamps of their own...
such as the Republic of the Congo
Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo , sometimes known locally as Congo-Brazzaville, is a state in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Angolan exclave province of Cabinda, and the Gulf of Guinea.The region was dominated by...
as well as in other French speaking countries including Burundi
Burundi
Burundi , officially the Republic of Burundi , is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura...
and Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
; it is also prevalent in other non-French speaking countries like Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea where the capital Malabo is situated.Annobón is the southernmost island of Equatorial Guinea and is situated just south of the equator. Bioko island is the northernmost point of Equatorial Guinea. Between the two islands and to the...
. From a critical point of view, the term “Françafrique” is broadly used today in the media to describe the complex economic and diplomatic relationship France keeps with its former colonies. Depending on the authors, “Françafrique” still exists or does not under Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
’s government.
Origin of the expression
The term “Françafrique” seems to have been used for the first time in a positive sense, in 1955, by President Félix Houphouët-BoignyFélix Houphouët-Boigny
Félix Houphouët-Boigny , affectionately called Papa Houphouët or Le Vieux, was the first President of Côte d'Ivoire. Originally a village chief, he worked as a doctor, an administrator of a plantation, and a union leader, before being elected to the French Parliament and serving in a number of...
of Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
, who advocated maintaining a close relationship with France, while acceding to independence. Close cooperation between Houphouët-Boigny and Jacques Foccart
Jacques Foccart
Jacques Foccart was a chief adviser for the government of France on African policy as well as the co-founder of the Gaullist Service d'Action Civique in 1959 with Charles Pasqua, which specialized in covert operations in Africa.From 1960 to 1974, he was the President of France's chief of staff...
, chief adviser on African policy in the Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
and Georges Pompidou
Georges Pompidou
Georges Jean Raymond Pompidou was a French politician. He was Prime Minister of France from 1962 to 1968, holding the longest tenure in this position, and later President of the French Republic from 1969 until his death in 1974.-Biography:...
governments (1958–1974) is thought to have contributed to the "Ivorian miracle" of economic and industrial progress.
The term was subsequently borrowed by François-Xavier Verschave
François-Xavier Verschave
François-Xavier Verschave was primarily known as one of the founders of the French NGO Survie , over which he presided since 1995, and as coiner of the term Françafrique, an expression designating the specific form of neocolonialism which has been endured by the former French Colonies.Verschave...
as the title of his criticism of French policies in Africa: La Françafrique, le plus long scandale de la République (ISBN 2-234-04948-2). François-Xavier Verschave and the association Survie, of which he was president until his death in 2005, reused the expression of Houphouët-Boigny in order to name and denounce all the concelled bonds between France and Africa. He later defined Françafrique as "the secret criminality in the upper echelons of French politics and economy, where a kind of underground Republic is hidden from view". He said that it also means "France à fric" (fric is a slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
word for "cash"), and that "Over the course of four decades, hundreds of thousands of euros misappropriated from debt, aid, oil, and cocoa or drained through French importing monopolies, have financed French political-business networks (all of them offshoots of the main neo-Gaullist network), shareholders’ dividends, the secret services’ major operations and mercenary expeditions."
Historical context
When French President Charles De Gaulle came back into power in 1958, anti-colonization movements and other international forces pressured France to give independence to the French colonies in Africa (except Algeria whose status was separate). In the meantime De Gaulle made Jacques Foccart, one of his close friends, in charge of maintaining a de facto dependancy. Therefore, from 1960 to 1974, Jacques Foccart held the function of chief advisor for the government of France on African policy. He was re-selected in 1986 by the new Prime minister Jacques ChiracJacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac is a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He previously served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 , and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.After completing his studies of the DEA's degree at the...
for two years and when Chirac finally gained the presidency in 1995 Foccart was brought back again to the Elysée palace
Élysée Palace
The Élysée Palace is the official residence of the President of the French Republic, containing his office, and is where the Council of Ministers meets. It is located near the Champs-Élysées in Paris....
as an advisor. Foccart never stopped being an influential person in the French-African diplomatic relationship and it is commonly considered that he and De Gaulle were the founding fathers of the neo-colonial relationship between France and Africa. Throughout the successive French governments until President Nicolas Sarkozys’ appointment, the defence of the African backyard, despite the evolution of the forms and methods, has always remainded a high strategic imperative.
Initially, the “Françafrique” policy was motivated by three strategic concerns:
- Economic : provided and secured access to strategic raw materials (oil, uranium, etc.) and offered preferential investment outlets for French multinational companies.
- Diplomatic : Maintained the declining status of France as a global powerhouse with a network of ally countries supporting the French vote in international institutions.
Detered the communist expansion in Africa by the presence of French military bases on the continent.
- Political : Embezzlement for illegal funding of French political parties.
Since the end of the Cold War and after the implementation of a better regulation in France on the funding of political parties, these two last aspects of the “Françafrique” progressively disappeared while the first one gained in importance for the French government and the French multinational companies (Total group
Total S.A.
Total S.A. is a French multinational oil company and one of the six "Supermajor" oil companies in the world.Its businesses cover the entire oil and gas chain, from crude oil and natural gas exploration and production to power generation, transportation, refining, petroleum product marketing, and...
- formerly Elf
Elf Aquitaine
Elf Aquitaine was a French oil company which merged with TotalFina to form TotalFinaElf. The new company changed its name to Total in 2003...
, Areva
Areva
AREVA is a French public multinational industrial conglomerate headquartered in the Tour Areva in Courbevoie, Paris. AREVA is mainly known for nuclear power; it also has interests in other energy projects. It was created on 3 September 2001, by the merger of Framatome , Cogema and...
, Bouygues
Bouygues
Bouygues S.A. is a French industrial group headquartered in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France. Bouygues is listed on Euronext Paris exchange and is a blue chip in the CAC 40 stock market index. The company was founded in 1952 by Francis Bouygues and since 1989 has been led by his son Martin...
, Bolloré
Bolloré
Bolloré is a French investment and industrial holding group headquartered in Puteaux, on the western outskirts of Paris, France. The company, a paper-energy-plantations-logistics conglomerate, employs 28,000 people around the world....
etc.).
Countries concerned
All of French-speaking Africa, which includes TogoTogo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
, Republic of the Congo
Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo , sometimes known locally as Congo-Brazzaville, is a state in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Angolan exclave province of Cabinda, and the Gulf of Guinea.The region was dominated by...
, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
, Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
, Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
, Burundi
Burundi
Burundi , officially the Republic of Burundi , is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura...
, Chad
Chad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
, Comoros
Comoros
The Comoros , officially the Union of the Comoros is an archipelago island nation in the Indian Ocean, located off the eastern coast of Africa, on the northern end of the Mozambique Channel, between northeastern Mozambique and northwestern Madagascar...
, Gabon
Gabon
Gabon , officially the Gabonese Republic is a state in west central Africa sharing borders with Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, and with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. The Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean is to the west...
, Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...
, Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
, Benin
Benin
Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...
, Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, Guinea
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
, Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
, Djibouti
Djibouti
Djibouti , officially the Republic of Djibouti , is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the east...
, Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
, Central African Republic
Central African Republic
The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,...
, Mauritania
Mauritania
Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest...
, Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, but also other countries, like Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea where the capital Malabo is situated.Annobón is the southernmost island of Equatorial Guinea and is situated just south of the equator. Bioko island is the northernmost point of Equatorial Guinea. Between the two islands and to the...
, in which the French influence gained weight after independence.
All countries are not affected by “Françafrique” to the same extent. Indeed, petroleum dictatorship, like in Gabon and in the Democratic Republic of Congo, are the archetypes of “Françafrique”. In such countries, the relationships between the leaders and the French authorities are very closely knit, given the prevalence of the Total group in the economy. The situation is similar in the other autocratic countries like Togo, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad and Central African Republic.
On the other hand, in other former colonies like the Maghreb countries or Côte d’Ivoire that had a conflict relationship with France in the past, the French influence and networks are much less than in the countries mentioned above, even if the economic aspect shares some similarities with “Françafrique” practices.
Lastly, democratic countries like Mali and Senegal are less concerned by this phenomenon, both for economic and historical reasons.
African Elysee’s cell
France's African policy has always been directed apart from the French foreign ministry: it is managed from the Palais de L'Elysee, and more precisely from the Elysee’s Africa cell (at 2 rue de l’Elysée, Paris), where the President and his advisors take decisions on military support for African countries or for the ruling governments.The Elysee’s Africa cell cannot be differentiated from its founding father, Jacques Foccart
Jacques Foccart
Jacques Foccart was a chief adviser for the government of France on African policy as well as the co-founder of the Gaullist Service d'Action Civique in 1959 with Charles Pasqua, which specialized in covert operations in Africa.From 1960 to 1974, he was the President of France's chief of staff...
, who was appointed by President de Gaulle and since then, became a specialist on African matters at the Elysee Palace. Between 1986 and 1992, Jean-Christophe Mitterrand
Jean-Christophe Mitterrand
Jean-Christophe Mitterrand is the son of former French president François Mitterrand. He was an advisor to his father on African affairs from 1986 to 1992, and earned the nickname Papamadit in Africa.- Life and career :Mitterrand was born in Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine...
, the son of President François Mitterrand and former journalist of the AFP
Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse is a French news agency, the oldest one in the world, and one of the three largest with Associated Press and Reuters. It is also the largest French news agency. Currently, its CEO is Emmanuel Hoog and its news director Philippe Massonnet...
in Africa, held the position of chief adviser on African policy at the Elysee, which got him nicknamed “Papamadi “ (translated as “Daddy told me”).
The suppression of this cell by President Nicolas Sarkozy (who replaced it by a mere diplomatic advisor on Africa) is only symbolic, as the new mentor on African matters at the Elysee is the General Secretary Claude Guéant
Claude Guéant
Claude Guéant is a French civil servant. The former Chief of Staff to Nicolas Sarkozy, he has been Minister of the Interior since 27 February 2011. He is a member of the conservative Union for a Popular Movement .-Biography:...
, a close aide to the president.
Underground diplomacy
The French consular network in Africa is deeply concentrated, although this is also generally the case in many other regions worldwide (France has the second most concentrated consular network worldwide after the U.S.). But the “Françafrique” is more a matter of concealed networks and unofficial emissaries rather than a matter of “official” diplomacy. Around the official representative of the French interests, there is also a maze of power consisting of political leaders, businessmen, intelligence agents, and military corps or mercenaries.Many players have combined official and unofficial activities: for example, Maurice Robert
Maurice Robert
Adjutant Maurice Joseph Emile Robert was a World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories.-References:...
, former intelligence agent who became the chief executive of SDECE, the French External Documentation and Counter-Espionage Service (former DGSE, General Directorate for External Security) in Africa. In the ambit of his new appointment, he led many military actions in Africa, helping or deposing heads of state in accordance with the French interest in these countries (more particularly, he supervised operations for the notorious mercenary Bob Denard
Bob Denard
Colonel Bob Denard , born Gilbert Bourgeaud, was a French soldier and mercenary. He was known for having done various jobs in support of Françafrique for Jacques Foccart, in charge of French president Charles de Gaulle's policy in Africa...
). In 1973, he was pushed aside from the intelligence services and was then directly employed by the petroleum company Elf. Eventually, in 1979, he was appointed French ambassador to Gabon, on the demand of President Omar Bongo
Omar Bongo
El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba , born as Albert-Bernard Bongo, was a Gabonese politician who was President of Gabon for 42 years from 1967 until his death in office in 2009....
of Gabon, whom he had helped to take power. In 1982, he changed position and came back to Elf where he finished his career before retirement.
Another of the most active unofficial intermediaries of the “Françafrique” is the Franco-Lebanese lawyer Robert Bourgi, close aide to the Bongo family and to many other African leaders, and also an informal advisor of President Nicolas Sarkozy. Robert Bourgi admitted that he supplanted the Secretary of State for Overseas Development, Jean-Marie Bockel
Jean-Marie Bockel
Jean-Marie Bockel has been Secretary of State for Defence and Veterans in the government of Prime Minister François Fillon since 18 March 2008, having previously been Secretary of State for Cooperation and La Francophonie since June 2007...
. Bockel wanted to break away from the “Françafrique”, and in response to a question from a journalist from Le Monde
Le Monde
Le Monde is a French daily evening newspaper owned by La Vie-Le Monde Group and edited in Paris. It is one of two French newspapers of record, and has generally been well respected since its first edition under founder Hubert Beuve-Méry on 19 December 1944...
in January 2008, he said that he wanted to "sign the death certificate of Françafrique", which displeased the African dictators who preferred to address Robert Bourgi as an intermediary. In 2009, Bourgi, on behalf of the French government, supported the presidential election of Ali Bongo
Ali Bongo
Ali Bongo was a British comedy magician, and president of The Magic Circle who performed an act in which he was known as the "Shriek of Araby"....
, son of former President Omar Bongo.
Development aid
French Development Aid in Africa is based on two organizations: the AFDFrench Development Agency
French Development Agency is the French international development agency.The Agence Française de Développement is a public institution providing development financing...
(French Development Agency) which handles the Government to Government funding and the PROPARCO (Promotion and Participation for Economic Cooperation, a subsidy of the AFD) which funds the private sector in developing countries.
The “Françafrique” today
The “Françafrique” policy has come under the spotlight once more after the January 8 attacks on Togo's national football teamTogo national football team attack
The Togo national football team bus attack was a terrorist attack on the team bus of the Togo national football team that occurred on 8 January 2010 as the team traveled through the Angolan province of Cabinda on the way to the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations tournament, which began on 10 January...
. France has been accused of meddling in Angolan affairs through backing of separatist groups such as Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda
Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda
The Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda is a guerrilla and political movement fighting for the independence of the Angolan province of Cabinda. Formerly under Portuguese administration, with the independence of Angola from Portugal in 1975, the territory became an exclave province...
and harboring their leaders.
The former French African colonies’ presidents were invited for lunch at the Elysée Palace with President Sarkozy in July 2010. The invitation has brought a lot of criticism. France is being accused of not moving on from its post-colonial relationship with Africa, bringing back “La Françafrique”. President Sarkozy says that the African presidents were invited because the national day symbolizes 50 years of independence. French association “Survie” feels that France is still looking out for its own benefits, not Africa's, even though President Sarkozy has offered pension benefits to every former soldier in its African colonies. The African policy is now in the hands of President Sarkozy.
Quotes about 'Françafrique'
- Omar Bongo, former president of Gabon: "Gabon without France is like a car with no driver. France without Gabon is like a car with no fuel..." (1996) reported during an interview for the newspaper LibérationLibérationLibération is a French daily newspaper founded in Paris by Jean-Paul Sartre and Serge July in 1973 in the wake of the protest movements of May 1968. Originally a leftist newspaper, it has undergone a number of shifts during the 1980s and 1990s...
- François Mitterrand, former president of France: "Without Africa, France will have no history in the 21st century" (1957)
- Jacques Godfrain, former French foreign minister: "A little country [France], with a small amount of strength, we can move a planet because [of our]…relations with 15 or 20 African countries…"
See also
- Françafrique, album and song by Tiken Jah FakolyTiken Jah FakolyTiken Jah Fakoly is a reggae singer from Côte d'Ivoire.Tiken Jah was born into a family of griots and christened Doumbia Moussa Fakoly on June 23, 1968 in Odienné, north-western Côte d'Ivoire. He discovered reggae at an early age, assembling his first group, Djelys, in 1987...
- Pompafric, song by Tryo
- Le Professionnel, action movie by Georges Lautner (1981)
- Fratricide in Burkina:Thomas Sankara and French Africa, movie by Didier Mauro and Thuy-Tiën Ho (2008)
- FRANÇAFRIQUE, movie by Patrick Benquet, (2010)
- Mme Bâ, novel by Erik Orsenna (2003)
External links
- François-Xavier Verschave about what Françafrique means.(English)
- 50 years later Françafrique is alive and well Christophe Boisbouvier, Radio France Internationale (English)
- Africa: 50 years of independence Radio France Internationale (English)
- French foreign policy in Africa: between pré carré and multilateralism by Sylvain Touati (English)