Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, has criticized African leaders for what he called their “ungratefulness”
He made this statement when discussing regional developments.
We actually had a two-way relationship that was founded on security. On the one hand, we have been fighting terrorism since 2013. We were correct; I believe someone neglected to express gratitude. It will arrive with time, so don’t worry.
“I say this for all African heads of state who have not had the guts to stand up to public opinion, even though I know too well that being unappreciative is a disease that cannot be spread to men.”
“My heart goes out to all of our soldiers, some of whom have given their lives and fought for years, and without the French army in the region, none of them would be a sovereign nation today.”
“We made the correct decision. Due to coup de’tats, we departed. Sovereign states requested our presence and wanted France to accompany them.
“France no longer belonged there if it wasn’t for the coup d’etats and the people’s declaration that their goals were no longer combating terrorism.”
Recall that the Niger Republic drove French forces out of the nation in December 2023.
This came about following a military coup.
Niger’s new military rulers made a drastic policy shift and demanded that the French leave after President Emmanuel Macron publicly supported Bazoum, who is still being held in his presidential mansion, and publicly denounced the coup.
Relations with France became even more strained in November 2024 when Niger Republic authorities banned the Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (Acted), a French aid organization, from doing business there.
In recent years, Chad, Senegal, Mali, and other African nations have also requested that French troops withdraw from their nations.
