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France's waning influence in coup-hit Africa appears clear while few remember their former colonizer
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FILE - Supporters of Capt. Ibrahim Traore protest against France and the West African regional bloc known as ECOWAS in the streets of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Oct. 4, 2022. In Sept. 2023, The era of France's arm-twisting interventionism in Africa may finally be over. France has sat by militarily despite moves by putschists to seize control of former French colonies in recent years. - photo by AP Photo/Kilaye Bationo, File
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — When Gabon’s longtime leader was detained in the latest coup in Africa last week, France condemned the takeover but did little to intervene — despite having hundreds of troops in the country. It was a striking break from the past. African and French observers say that France, under pressure, is finally shedding its postcolonial tradition of “Françafrique” — an unflattering term that smacks of paternalistic influence and quiet deal-making among elites — as its economic and political powers wane and an increasingly self-confident Africa looks elsewhere.