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The foreign affairs minister of Chad didn’t hold back on Monday, leveling serious accusations against French President Emmanuel Macron for what he called an expression of disdain. Macron’s comments, which suggested African leaders had neglected to thank France for its role in curbing jihadist violence across the Sahel, were seen by many as a deeply insulting remark.
“The government of the Republic of Chad expresses its deep concern following the remarks made recently by the president of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, which reflect a contemptuous attitude towards Africa and Africans,” Abderaman Koulamallah said in a statement read on state television.
While expressing that he had “no problem” with France, Chad’s foreign affairs minister stressed that it was crucial for French leaders to understand the importance of respecting Africans. He reminded France of the significant role that Chad and other African nations played in liberating France during the two world wars—a historical fact, he asserted, that had never been truly recognized by the French.
Further emphasizing his criticism, Chad’s foreign affairs minister stated that, throughout France’s long-standing presence in Chad, the contributions made by France have often been rooted in its own geopolitical strategy, with little consideration for the lasting needs of the Chadian people.
He claimed that these interventions, though frequent, have failed to translate into tangible, long-term advancements for the country’s development. November saw a significant diplomatic shift as Chad officially terminated its defence and security agreements with France, which had anchored Paris’s military presence in the Sahel for years. The Chadian government dismissed these agreements as “obsolete,” signaling a decisive end to a relationship rooted in colonial history.
Read also: The African Sahel States Forgot To Thank France – Macron
Around a thousand French military personnel were stationed there, and are in the process of being withdrawn.
Macron’s comments were made in a speech to the country’s diplomatic corps earlier Monday.
France intervened in Mali in 2013 to repel an offensive by jihadist rebels, which later saw it station troops in several neighbouring Sahel countries.
Macron said Monday that no country in the Sahel would be a sovereign nation without that intervention. But France is now reconfiguring its military presence in Africa after being driven out of three Sahelian countries governed by juntas hostile to Paris — Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
Senegal and the Ivory Coast have also asked France to leave military bases on their territory.
Senegal’s Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko also denounced Macron’s claim of “ungratefulness” among African leaders, after he allegedly told diplomats that some leaders on the continent would not be in place without France’s military support over the years.
“France has neither the capacity nor the legitimacy to assure Africa’s security or sovereignty,” Sonko said in a statement on social media.
He also rejected as “completely false” Macron’s claim that France’s military withdrawal from Senegal was the result of negotiations over a reorganisation of France’s deployment in the Sahel.
“No discussion or negotiations have taken place and the decision by Senegal stems from its own determination as an independent and sovereign country,” Sonko said.
