Link to article: https://apnews.com/article/france-chad-military-senegal-sahel-russia-85f2cf5066033db4b0bd044a7ed80438
France has had a major sphere of influence in Africa since decolonization in the 1960s. However recently they have been experiencing some turmoil with their military presence in states they had previously considered their closest African partners. First off Chad announced on its independence day that it would be regaining its sovereignty by ending defense cooperation. Then later that day Senegal said that it was “obvious that soon French soldiers wouldn’t be on Senegalese soil.” These incidents came as a schock to France since Paris had been working on a knew military strategy to reduce their military troop presence in Africa whilst reviving their influence over the continent. France made no comments for 24 hours after Chads announcement, then finally said that they were in “close dialouge” with them.
This shows that power is the key to security. African countries used to have little to no power in any way. However after decolonization they have had room to grow both economically and militarily. Now that they don’t have a larger country directly explioting them and their natural resources they can make much larger amounts of profits off of their labors. And now that these countries are gaining more power they are able to enhance their security by maintaining full sovereignty and removing other countries influence from their own. With Frances military presence in their country they would never be able to fully make their own choices and they would never be fully in the clear of France taking them over. So with new found power they are able to enhance their security by getting rid of a threat that has loomed over them for years.
Many believe that this will be the end of France’s “rule” in Africa. This could then lead to a power vacuum in Africa which many countries would be vying for. Africa has a Plethora of natural resources that many hegemons would give a lot to get. But will they be able to if the African countries continue to work together to rid other states presences there. Who knows what the future of international relations in Africa will look like now.