Another crisis for Emmanuel Macron as he’s accused of insulting ‘the whole of Africa’

“insulted all Africans” when he suggested some leaders showed “ingratitude” over the deployment French troops in the Sahel region to battle Islamist extremism, Burkina Faso’s military leader has claimed.

Speaking at a conference in Paris earlier this month, the said that Sahel nations, which have been struggling with civil conflicts and violent extremism, remained sovereign only because French forces were present, as per .

Macron also rejected the suggestion that French troops had been expelled from the Sahel amid poor relations with local leadership, an area below the Sahara Desert, telling the conference: “We had a security relationship.

“It was in two folds: One was our commitment against terrorism since 2013. I think someone forgot to say thank you. It does not matter, it will come with time.

“Ingratitude, I am well placed to know, is a disease not transmissible to man.”

His comments prompted criticism from Chad’s foreign affairs minister as well as Senegal’s Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, who said that in the past, had contributed to “destabilising certain African countries such as Libya” which brought “disastrous consequences” for security in the region, as per

” has neither the capacity nor the legitimacy to ensure Africa’s security and sovereignty”, he added.

Burkina Faso’s military leader Captain Ibrahim Traore has since offered his own broadside against Macron’s comments, saying during a public ceremony on Monday: “We need to decolonise our mentalities”

In comments directed at Macron, quoted by Le Parisien and translated from French, Traore claimed: “He insulted all Africans (…) That’s how this gentleman sees Africa and Africans,” adding, “We are not human beings in his eyes’.

Relations between and Burkina Faso have continued to worsen since the Traoré, 36, seized power in September 2022.

French troops have already left Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, which are allies, and all ruled by military juntas.

Since the independence of French colonies in Africa, Paris has maintained a policy of economic, political and military sway which at the time had been dubbed Françafrique, including having thousands of permanent troops in the region.

France’s Defense Ministry said the role of French troops in Africa is to train local soldiers and reinforce their capacities to fight extremism, mainly in peacekeeping, intelligence and logistics. But critics say keeping boots on the ground also has allowed Paris to retain influence and protect political regimes favourable to France.

Last year, Macron’s government announced to reduce its military presence on the continent where it also has troops in Gabon and Djibouti promising to be more responsive to countries’ demands, as per .