Macron's defeat. The Story of the French Fall in Africa

Emmanuel Macron lands for the first time in Africa, at the Barkhane base in Gao, Mali, on May 14, 2017. His "determination is complete": "Operation Barkhane, will only stop the day there are no more Islamist terrorists in the region and the full sovereignty of the Sahel states is restored. Not before. Seven years on, the jihadists are on the increase, and the French army has been forced to leave Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad should follow in the short to medium term. This is not a military debacle, it's a political one. With the end of its influence in Africa, France has weakened its army, lost its allies at the United Nations and its singular voice on the international stage.
In this essay, Leslie Varenne traces Emmanuel Macron's itinerary in Africa since 2017. She recounts a long sequence of lack of strategy, vision, ignorance of African realities, technocratic approaches, mistakes and setbacks. To this inventory must be added Emmanuel Macron's personality and his relations with his peers.

Leslie Varenne has been an investigative journalist for 20 years, and is a recognized specialist in Africa, a continent she visits regularly and to which she has devoted numerous articles, reports and books. Her many investigations and publications have also focused on French and international politics and economics. Now an author and researcher, she is a regular speaker at international symposia and conferences.