French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that France does not want to return to its past policy of intervention in Africa after he began a four-nation tour of the continent.
“The age of Francafrique is over,” Macron said in comments to the French community in Gabon, referring to France’s post-colonial strategy of supporting authoritarian leaders to defend their interests.
African tour
Macron is visiting four central African countries as France faces a wave of hostilities among its troubled former colonies in the Sahel, forcing it to withdraw its troops.
Ahead of the visit, Macron on Monday gave some details on the redeployment of French troops, after their departure from Mali and the Central African Republic in 2022 and from Burkina Faso last month.
Also read: France’s Macron makes four-nation tour of central Africa
He said there would be a “significant reduction” in the presence of French troops in Africa “in the coming months” and a greater focus on training and equipping the forces of allied countries.
In his speech in Libreville, Macron emphasized that the reorganization “is not a withdrawal or elimination, but an adaptation to the allies.
Macron in Gabon
Macron arrived late Wednesday in Gabon, a close supporter of France, for a conference on preserving tropical forests – an initiative launched by Gabon President Ali Bongo Ondimba at last year’s UN climate conference.
Also read: Macron says he will not apologize to Algeria for colonization
After attending the summit part of the conference on Thursday, he went to Angola before flying on Friday to the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo.