Ten Years’ War: France faces accusations re-colonizing Africa, calls of Europe to cooperate

Sarah Rashad

France is preoccupied with the African security situation, as it is the most prominent military force confronting extremist groups on the continent, in particular the Sahel region.

Despite its admission more than once of the difficulty of its mission in Africa after initially expecting it to be swift and easy, Chief of Staff of the French Army General Francois Lecointre’s statements to Le Figaro newspaper are the first in which a French official speaks about the future of battles against extremists.

Mission continues

The general said that Europe’s involvement in the Sahel region will continue to exist after ten years and “probably more than today.”

Lecointre revealed that Europe “is currently guaranteeing a mission to train the Malian army,” adding, “It is necessary to expand the objectives to move from not only training but to rebuilding the army, and even building it.”

“We must move from tasks that may seem limited to tasks for structural cooperation in the military field,” he added.

Chaos zone

General Lecointre stressed that without joint action in the Sahel, “this region will become a region of chaos” with “illegal waves of immigration that are impossible to control and will destabilize our aging European countries.”

The general intended these warnings to direct criticism at Europe, which France is trying to use to help it control the African security scene.

Thanks to the French efforts, several European countries, such as Sweden, Italy, Czechia and Estonia, are participating with special forces in the field, along with France, as part of Task Force Takuba.

Paris is counting on this force to make a difference on the ground in the fight against the terrorist organizations.

Accusations of colonialism

France is facing accusations of trying to re-colonize Africa through the military deployment of 5,000 French soldiers, as this is one of the obstacles to the completion of the French mission, especially since some African citizens and tribes prefer not to deal with the French forces as a rejection of the French presence that reminds them of old French colonialism.

France does not negate these accusations, as the chief of staff said that the presence of Europe alongside France in Africa will reduce these concerns.

Lecointre pointed out that “the risks (such accusations) will be less if Europe is the proposing one and not France alone, even if our behavior is based on the request of the Sahel countries.”

Sharing efforts

The general stressed that “it is necessary to share efforts among member states to enhance the force.”

He pointed out that Europe has “weaknesses”, in particular “slow decision-making”, although at the same time it has “strengths.”

Lecointre said that it is “a global player, unlike NATO, which is a military alliance.”

He explained that in addition to military action, Europe has other tools for action on the levels of “governance and development” to help those countries establish more robust state structures and “take over their destiny.”

Complex scene

The terrorist scene in the African Sahel region is complex, as African countries have fragile security systems through which they are unable to confront terrorist organizations that are equipped with technology in carrying out their operations. The geography of the region, the tribal nature and the economic situation are all in favor of the terrorist groups.

According to observers, Africa, specifically the Sahel region, is the most suitable area for terrorist groups, next to Southeast Asia, after ISIS’s caliphate in Syria and Iraq failed.