N'DJAMENA, Chad
Senegal and Chad have reacted strongly to remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron about African countries being ungrateful over France's role in helping fight militant jihadist insurgencies.
On Monday, Macron said that
Sahel states "forgot" to thank France for its role, amid the
continuing withdrawal of French troops from West African countries.
He said no Sahelian nation
would be a sovereign nation without France's intervention that prevented them
from falling under the control of militants.
In response, Chad's Foreign
Minister Abderaman Koulamallah said Macron comments had revealed his contempt
for Africa.
"Chad expresses its deep
concern following the remarks made recently by [the French president], which
reflect a contemptuous attitude towards Africa and Africans," he said in a
statement on national TV.
He said "French leaders
must learn to respect the African people and recognise the value of their
sacrifices".
Senegal's Prime Minister
Ousmane Sonko said France had in the past contributed to "destabilising
certain African countries such as Libya" which had "disastrous
consequences" for the region's security.
"France has neither the
capacity nor the legitimacy to ensure Africa's security and sovereignty,"
he said in a statement.
Macron made his comments at an
annual ambassadors' conference in Paris, saying France was reorganising its
strategic interests in the region and rejected the idea that it had been forced
to withdraw from Africa.
French troops were sent to
Mali in 2013 in response to an Islamist insurgency. A year later the mission
was extended to take in other countries in the region, including Niger and
Burkina Faso.
"We were right [to
deploy]. I think someone forgot to say thank you. It's ok it will come with
time," Macron said on Monday.
"But I say this for all
the African heads of state who have not had the courage in the face of public
opinion to hold that view. None of them would be a sovereign country today if
the French army hadn't deployed in the region."
Sonko said that in the case of
Senegal's decision to ask French troops to leave, Macron's remarks were
"totally wrong".
He said there had been no
negotiation with France regarding the move to close its military bases in the
country.
He said and the decision had
stemmed from Senegal's "sole will as a free, independent and sovereign
country".
Both Sonko and Koulamallah
also cited the role of African soldiers towards the liberation of France in the
world wars.
"Had African soldiers,
sometimes forcibly mobilised, mistreated and ultimately betrayed, not been
deployed during the Second World War to defend France, it would, perhaps still
be German today," Sonko said.
Chad, Senegal and Ivory Coast
have recently ended security agreements with France - while Mali, Burkina Faso
and Niger told French troops to leave following coups.
France's influence in the
region has been waning in recent years, amid accusations of neo-colonialism and
exploitative relationships with their former colonies.
The junta-led governments in
Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have moved closer to Russia after the French
withdrawal from their countries.
On Monday, Chad's foreign
minister said France's contribution in the country was limited to "its own
strategic interests" even as Chad had grappled with instability and other
issues during their 60- year partnership.
Chad ended its defence
agreement with France in November, saying it was "time for Chad to assert
its full sovereignty and redefine its strategic partnerships according to
national priorities".
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