https://sputnikglobe.com/20240312/redeployment-of-french-troops-from-africa-to-russias-borders-a-deadly-idea-1117291810.html
‘Redeployment’ of French Troops From Africa to Russia’s Borders a Deadly Idea
‘Redeployment’ of French Troops From Africa to Russia’s Borders a Deadly Idea
Sputnik International
As France's involvement in Africa faces scrutiny amid calls for a troop redeployment to NATO's eastern flank, tensions are rising with Azerbaijan over support for Armenia.
2024-03-12T21:23+0000
2024-03-12T21:23+0000
2024-03-12T21:23+0000
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maria zakharova
emmanuel macron
france
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nato
west africa
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During a televised Monday appearance, Maria Zakharova was, as usual, clear and outspoken. “Having failed in Africa, France is trying to make a semblance of peace-making activity in other regions, including the Trans-Caucasus. It is a way of compensating the damage dealt to the image [of the French President Emmanuel Macron] in the eyes of the public.”Zakharova obviously meant the recent shipments of French weapons to Armenia and France’s diplomatic support for the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, which caused a lot of ire in Armenia’s perennial adversary, Azerbaijan. And this is not even the first of his attempts to antagonize Russia’s neighbors. Just two weeks ago, Macron attempted to float the idea of sending NATO soldiers to Ukraine. Reacting to his statement on the matter, Zakharova called the mere idea of making French and Russian soldiers shoot at each other “a disgrace.”Meanwhile, the leading French newspaper Le Monde in a recent article went even further: it called for a “redeployment” of French military from “hopeless” Africa to NATO’s eastern flank, closer to Ukraine.“It would be wrong for France to confine its thinking solely to Africa,” states the article tentatively headlined, "The crisis of the French military presence in Africa can be an opportunity to rebalance in favor of Europe."The publication writes: “The war in Ukraine means that France’s presence in Africa is being called into question at a time when its NATO allies have set ambitious targets for their presence on Europe’s eastern flank… So, here is the question for France: does it still make sense to maintain more than 5,500 French troops in Africa, where their presence is highly contested, but less than 1,500 on Europe’s eastern flank, where our allies are constantly calling for reinforcements?”The article suggests placing the French troops in Romania or some other country next to the former Soviet border, as part of the “300,000 NATO force deployable in less than a month to oppose a possible invasion attempt by Russia.”However, the French military’s presence in Africa is indeed “highly contested.” In the last four years, one after another, several key states of what the French proudly called “our France-Afrique” got rid of the pro-Paris regimes on their land. In 2020, Mali; in 2021, Guinea and Chad; in 2022, Burkina Faso; and in 2023, Niger followed by Gabon – in all of these countries patriotic military together with disgruntled citizens toppled the neo-colonial regimes.These regimes were established by France in West Africa in order to control its resources, even after the French formally dismantled the remnants of their colonial rule in Africa in 1975. The experience of Algeria, once the “jewel” in France’s colonial crown that liberated itself in 1962, was quickly spread through Africa in the 1980s and 1990s. However, even if the French colonial governors left, the French companies stayed, continuing to extract the oil of Algeria and the uranium of Niger.“Usually the French companies got preferential access to Africa’s resources because of the French troops. They were stationed in almost all countries of 'French Africa' under the pretext of fighting Islamist insurgencies there. They willingly provided ‘protection’ to the French businesses, and not to those from other countries," explains Vyacheslav Matuzov, the head of the Russian Society of Business Cooperation with Arab-speaking countries, who spent several years in “French Africa” as a Soviet diplomat.When Russian private military companies revealed themselves much more effective in providing anti-terrorist security, French troops were kindly asked by the local authorities to leave Mali and later the uranium-rich Niger. All in all, the process of French military withdrawal is nearing its final stage in the region.Russian officials have long been saying that should French military appear in Ukraine, they will be considered “legitimate targets,” or even “priority targets.” The Russian Defense Ministry has reported on several occasions regarding the elimination of French nationals near the battle line, leaving little doubt about the methods by which they planned to deter direct Western interference in the conflict.On Monday, early in the morning, the Russian Geran drones hit the building of an Aeroport hotel in the city of Kharkov, which is still controlled by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s troops. The local residents reported the deaths of dozens of people in military fatigues, who were placed in the hotel by Ukrainian generals and frequently talked to each other in French.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20240301/macrons-idea-to-send-nato-troops-to-ukraine-made-him-look-very-foolish--1117069472.html
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‘Redeployment’ of French Troops From Africa to Russia’s Borders a Deadly Idea
As France's involvement in Africa faces scrutiny amid calls for a troop redeployment to NATO's eastern flank, tensions are rising with Azerbaijan over support for Armenia as French media propose shifting focus from Africa to Europe, prompting concerns over the country's military presence in the region.
During a televised Monday appearance, Maria Zakharova was, as usual, clear and outspoken. “Having failed in Africa, France is trying to make a semblance of peace-making activity in other regions, including the Trans-Caucasus. It is a way of compensating the damage dealt to the image [of the French President Emmanuel Macron] in the eyes of the public.”
Zakharova obviously meant the recent shipments of French weapons to Armenia and France’s diplomatic support for the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, which caused a lot of ire in Armenia’s perennial adversary, Azerbaijan. And this is not even the first of his attempts to antagonize Russia’s neighbors. Just two weeks ago,
Macron attempted to float the idea of sending NATO soldiers to Ukraine. Reacting to his statement on the matter, Zakharova called the mere idea of making French and Russian soldiers shoot at each other “a disgrace.”
Meanwhile, the leading French newspaper Le Monde in a recent article went even further: it called for a “redeployment” of French military from “hopeless” Africa to NATO’s eastern flank, closer to Ukraine.
“It would be wrong for France to confine its thinking solely to Africa,” states the article tentatively headlined, "The crisis of the French military presence in Africa can be an opportunity to rebalance in favor of Europe."
The publication writes: “The war in Ukraine means that France’s presence in Africa is being called into question at a time when its NATO allies have set ambitious targets for their presence on Europe’s eastern flank… So, here is the question for France: does it still make sense to maintain more than 5,500 French troops in Africa, where their presence is highly contested, but less than 1,500 on Europe’s eastern flank, where our allies are constantly calling for reinforcements?”
The article suggests placing the French troops in Romania or some other country next to the former Soviet border, as part of the “300,000 NATO force deployable in less than a month to oppose a possible invasion attempt by Russia.”
However, the French military’s presence in Africa is indeed “
highly contested.” In the last four years, one after another, several key states of what the French proudly called “our France-Afrique” got rid of the pro-Paris regimes on their land. In 2020, Mali; in 2021, Guinea and Chad; in 2022, Burkina Faso; and in 2023, Niger followed by Gabon – in all of these countries patriotic military together with disgruntled citizens toppled the neo-colonial regimes.
These regimes were established by France in West Africa in order to control its resources, even after the French formally dismantled the remnants of their colonial rule in Africa in 1975. The experience of Algeria, once the “jewel” in France’s colonial crown that liberated itself in 1962, was quickly spread through Africa in the 1980s and 1990s. However, even if the French colonial governors left, the French companies stayed, continuing to extract the oil of Algeria and the uranium of Niger.
“Usually the French companies got preferential access to Africa’s resources because of the French troops. They were stationed in almost all countries of 'French Africa' under the pretext of fighting Islamist insurgencies there. They willingly provided ‘protection’ to the French businesses, and not to those from other countries," explains Vyacheslav Matuzov, the head of the Russian Society of Business Cooperation with Arab-speaking countries, who spent several years in “French Africa” as a Soviet diplomat.
When Russian private military companies
revealed themselves much more effective in providing anti-terrorist security, French troops were kindly asked by the local authorities to leave Mali and later the uranium-rich Niger. All in all, the process of French military withdrawal is nearing its final stage in the region.
“Hence the desire of certain circles in France to redirect the spearhead of French military might from Africa to eastern Europe,” explains Matuzov. “This is a doomed enterprise, but it can be very dangerous. If the French were unable to outdo the Russian military companies in Africa, they have an even lesser chance of outdoing the Russian army on its turf, in Eastern Europe. But the French are good at provocations, and this ‘redeployment’ looks like a huge provocation to me. A lot of people may die for nothing.”
Russian officials have long been saying that should
French military appear in Ukraine, they will be considered “legitimate targets,” or even “priority targets.” The Russian Defense Ministry has reported on several occasions regarding the
elimination of French nationals near the battle line, leaving little doubt about the methods by which they planned to deter direct Western interference in the conflict.
On Monday, early in the morning, the Russian Geran drones hit the building of an Aeroport hotel in the city of Kharkov, which is still controlled by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s troops. The local residents reported the deaths of dozens of people in military fatigues, who were placed in the hotel by Ukrainian generals and frequently talked to each other in French.
