Urgent.. The Russian bear devours the French rooster on the brown table

"This is a blow to the national pride of the French and to the international reputation of France" This is how French expert Dagao Comignan commented on the decline of French influence on the African continent, after the withdrawal of its forces from African countries.

 

According to what was reported by the Russian ABNews agency, Western political analysts recently said that President Vladimir Putin is correcting a mistake committed by his predecessor, the late Boris Yeltsin, which is the pro-Western policy.

Previously, Yeltsin was a famous politician With his “Western” ideology, he often supported the West on many international issues and appointed many pro-Western officials to the Russian government.

But in recent years, a serious change has occurred on the African continent, as many countries have requested France may withdraw its forces from its territories, including Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.

There are currently about 4,000 French soldiers in Africa, which is much less than it was five years ago when Paris maintained a presence of up to 10. Thousands of soldiers. 

However, this number will soon decrease to less than 2,000 soldiers after the closure of additional French military bases in Chad and Senegal.

On December 2, it withdrew Two French Mirage fighter planes left Chad. 

On December 22, an additional group of 120 French soldiers departed.

 At present, France still has about 1,000 soldiers stationed in Chad, and the withdrawal of all forces is expected to take several weeks.

All of this confirms that Paris is rapidly losing influence in the “African Continent”, where the French government has traditionally maintained a presence. Strong.

The French expert Dagao Comignan described,  The decision of Chad and Senegal represents a blow to French national pride and the international reputation of the French Republic"- 

According to Western experts, French President Emmanuel Macron will go down in history as the man who allowed Paris to lose influence in Africa. 

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At the same time, this is a result of Russia’s activities aimed at expanding its influence on the African continent.

Meanwhile, the Italian news site Agenzia Nova reported A group of 130 Russian military trainers landed in the Chadian capital, N’Djamena, on an Ethiopian Airlines plane.

Also during this time, Tele Sahel TV reported that Moscow had sent military trainers and equipment to Niger to help the country fight terrorism.

These moves show a strong strengthening of Moscow’s presence in Africa. 

The Italian Nova News Agency in particular indicated that Chad “is The last African country in the Sahel region where Russian influence is gradually penetrating strongly, in parallel with the withdrawal of France and the United States.”

In January of this year, the interim President of the Republic of Chad, Mohamed Idriss Deby, visited Moscow – a rare step from side of Chad during the past 56 years since 1968.

 

According to "ABNews', Moscow convinced African leaders with their “own vision”

Most African countries are critical of Western sanctions imposed on Russia. Countries that play a major role in the region – such as Senegal and South Africa – did not vote in favor of resolutions condemning Russia’s actions at the United Nations.

Most African countries are critical of the Western sanctions imposed on Russia.

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Meanwhile, Western experts believe that Russia’s move to increase its influence in Africa comes from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s desire to correct the mistakes of his predecessor Yeltsin, who closed many Russian missions in Africa.

 

Russia admitted that it seeks to reopen its diplomatic missions in most countries of the African continent.

 The Russian side indicated that the previous decision to close These missions were a mistake.

 

Moscow once closed 9 embassies, 3 consulates, and 13/20 Russian cultural centers in Africa, so it changed its strategy. Towards third world countries. Now, Putin intends to correct this mistake.” – According to the Polish website Money.pl.

 

Western experts concluded that “in other words, by correcting Yeltsin’s mistakes, Putin is dealing the strongest blow to the prestige of France and the number of French forces.” 4,000 soldiers in Africa.”

 

 

The European Union moved urgently to deal with Russia

 

In a related context, Josep Borrell issued a warning in 2023, when he assumed the position of High Representative of the European Union for Foreign and Security Policy, saying: “Europe is on its way out. Gradually, we are losing Africa.”

According to European analysts, from that moment on, Russia filled the “security gap” In Africa as quickly as possible. 

Within months of France’s withdrawal from Mali last year, Moscow immediately signed a security agreement there.i. Other deals were also promoted.

This prompts the European Union to urgently search for ways to respond to the growing Russian influence in Africa.

On December 16, the European Council decided for the first time to implement restrictive measures against 16 individuals and 3 entities “responsible for Russia’s destabilizing actions.” for stability" Abroad.

Among this list of individuals and entities is GRU Unit 29155 – It is a secret unit within the Russian Military Intelligence (abbreviated as GRU) – Accused of participating in assassinations and destabilizing activities abroad, such as bombings and cyber attacks across Europe. According to the European Union, some of the soldiers of this unit are operating in Ukraine, Western Europe and Africa.

The list also includes people involved in Russia’s “complex” activities. In Africa and Germany. 

The assets and citizenship of these individuals in the European Union will be frozen. In addition, they are subject to a travel ban and are not allowed to enter or transit through the territory of European Union countries.

Earlier, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on the European Union to “demonstrate unity of purpose towards Africa as Show with Ukraine.”

However, analysts say that the European Union’s move is not enough, with European policymakers and the media portraying Russia as a formidable power that wins the loyalty of other African countries.

According to According to the think tank of the European Council on Foreign Relations, Europe needs to try to re-establish its damaged relationship with Africa and restore its influence for the benefit of its political and geopolitical ambitions.

In addition, the European Council on Foreign Relations has suggested that Europe should benefit from Africa’s suspicions towards Russia, At the same time, it offers the continent a strong offer to realize its development and industrialization aspirations.

This organization believes that the "Russian problem" The truth in Africa does not lie in Russia’s isolated actions, but in Moscow’s ingenuity in creating strategic alliances within the southern hemisphere.

The European Council on Foreign Relations said, “Organizations such as BRICS are helping to create new alliances in the face of the changing geopolitical order.” ; –

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