Chad’s foreign affairs minister, Abderaman Koulamallah, has sharply criticized French President Emmanuel Macron, accusing him of displaying a “contemptuous” attitude towards Africa after comments he made about African leaders’ failure to thank France for its role in fighting militant insurgencies across the Sahel region.
In a statement broadcast on state television, Koulamallah expressed Chad’s deep concern, urging that French leaders must learn to show greater respect towards Africa. While emphasizing that Chad has no issue with France itself, the minister reminded France of Africa’s critical contributions to the liberation of France during the World Wars, particularly Chad’s role, which he believes has never been fully acknowledged by Paris.
Koulamallah further pointed out that France’s long-term involvement in Chad had often been driven by its own strategic interests, rather than a commitment to the development of the Chadian people. He suggested that France’s influence in the country had failed to bring about meaningful, lasting progress.
This latest dispute comes after Chad terminated its defense and security agreements with France in November, declaring them “obsolete.” The move marked the end of France’s military presence in the Sahel, where around 1,000 French troops are currently in the process of withdrawing.
Macron’s comments, made during a speech to the French diplomatic corps on Monday, defended France’s military interventions in the region, specifically its 2013 intervention in Mali, claiming no Sahelian country could have maintained sovereignty without French support. However, these statements have intensified growing hostility towards France in the region.
The French military’s presence in the Sahel has faced increasing resistance, particularly from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, which are now governed by military regimes hostile to France. Additionally, both Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire have recently requested that France remove its military bases from their territories, signaling a broader shift in the region away from France’s historical influence.
As France reassesses its military strategy in Africa, African nations continue to assert their sovereignty, seeking alternatives to the colonial-era partnerships that have long shaped the continent’s relations with former colonial powers.