Giuseppe Sandro Mela.
2023-02-01.
Macron in visita nel Burkina Faso. Per poco lo accoppano. Incidente diplomatico.
«Durante un incontro con gli studenti a Ouagadougou, capitale dell’ex colonia Burkina Faso, l’inquilino dell’Eliseo, per invitarli a superare la visione di una Francia paternalista alla quale chiedere soccorso nella difficoltà, li ha esortati, con toni un po’ bruschi, a “non trattarlo come se fosse il presidente del Burkina Faso.
Christian Kaboré, Presidente del Burkina Faso, inizialmente reagisce con un sorriso e poi si alza, lasciando la sala.
Ma Macron lo incalza: «Ecco se ne va… Ma no resta qui… Niente, è andato a riparare l’aria condizionata»
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Midterm. Decapitato il boss i fedeli sostenitori sono esposti alle vendette in tutto il mondo.
Elezioni francesi. Non solo débâcle di Macron. È crollata l’architettura politica dei liberal.
Mali. Macron si è trovato in casa più di mille mercenari russi. Mr Putin lo ha sfregiato.
Francia. Lo tsunami Grüne nelle grandi città. Macron scomparso e sepolto.
Africa. Sahel. Cina e Russia hanno scalzato l’occidente. I popoli odiano francesi e Nato.
Cina penetra economicamente l’Africa subsahariana.
Pechino assorbe il 30% dell’export di 9 Paesi subsahariani.
Cina ed Africa. I rapporti collaborativi si stanno consolidando.
Cina ed Africa. Una politica di rapporti internazionali paritetici.
Cina. Consolida il suo impero in Africa.
I nuovi enormi investimenti della Cina in Africa
Cina. Prima base militare permanente a Djibouti in Africa. Prima non c’era.
Macron accusa Russia e Turchia di voler scalzare la Francia dall’Africa Centrale.
Russia. Penetrazione in Africa costruendovi centrali atomiche.
Putin. La Russia alla conquista dell’Africa.
Russia. Putin sta penetrando militarmente l’Africa, scacciandone americani e francesi.
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La Francia ritirerà i suoi militari dal Burkina Faso entro un mese, a seguito di una richiesta della giunta di governo del Paese dell’Africa occidentale. Il ritiro è l’ultimo segno del crollo dell’influenza dell’ex potenza coloniale nella regione, uno sviluppo che la Russia ha sfruttato con entusiasmo.
La fine della missione francese in Burkina Faso, composta da circa 400 persone, arriva 10 mesi dopo che le sue truppe sono state cacciate dal vicino Mali, dove le forze francesi hanno trascorso quasi un decennio a condurre una lotta persa contro una crescente insurrezione jihadista, che ha ucciso migliaia di persone e ne ha sfollate milioni mentre si diffondeva nel Sahel. In entrambi i Paesi, il ritiro francese è avvenuto mentre i leader governativi hanno rafforzato i loro legami con il Cremlino, che ha utilizzato il gruppo mercenario Wagner per prendere piede nella Repubblica Centrafricana, in Libia e in Sudan.
La Francia ha cercato di mantenere uno stretto rapporto con il Burkina Faso, ma la richiesta esplicita della giunta di ritirare le truppe è arrivata dopo una serie di iniziative sempre più ostili nei confronti di Parigi, tra cui la messa al bando dell’emittente francese RFI. Molte truppe francesi si sono già trasferite in Niger, che confina con il Mali e il Burkina Faso. Attraverso aziende che sfruttano le risorse naturali dell’Africa, operatori politici che minano gli attori democratici, società di facciata che si spacciano per ONG e manipolazione dei social media, Prigozhin diffonde disinformazione per influenzare la politica africana a favore della Russia.
Molti burkinabé vogliono che la Russia sia il partner principale nella lotta al terrorismo. La Russia vuole il sostegno di tutti i suoi alleati africani, ha risposto Saltykov. Stiamo cercando di rafforzare i nostri sforzi nella lotta per un mondo multipolare. La Francia ha mantenuto un’influenza notevole sulla politica, sull’economia e sulla sicurezza dei Paesi saheliani nei decenni successivi alla rivendicazione della loro indipendenza dall’ex potenza coloniale negli anni Sessanta. Questa storia, insieme all’incapacità delle truppe francesi di fermare la diffusione di attività estremiste nella regione, ha contribuito a far crescere un senso di risentimento. Queste dinamiche hanno creato un’opportunità per il Gruppo Wagner, che la giunta militare al potere in Mali ha assunto nel dicembre 2021 per assistere i suoi sforzi di controinsurrezione. La presenza di Wagner sta anche causando il lento collasso della forza di pace delle Nazioni Unite, composta da 13,000 uomini, che opera in Mali dal 2013. Alla fine dello scorso anno, Germania, Regno Unito e Costa d’Avorio hanno annunciato il loro ritiro dalla missione, dopo la decisione di Danimarca e Svezia di fare lo stesso.
Come in Mali, il sentimento antifrancese si è intensificato e la russofilia è cresciuta con il peggiorare della situazione della sicurezza. Il colpo di Stato di settembre che ha portato al potere la giunta del Burkina Faso è stato accompagnato da un attacco all’ambasciata francese e applaudito da sostenitori che sventolavano bandiere russe.
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«France will withdraw its military from Burkina Faso within a month following a request from the West African country’s governing junta. The removal is the latest sign of the former colonial power’s collapsing influence in the region—a development that Russia has eagerly exploited.»
«The end of France’s roughly 400-person mission in Burkina Faso comes 10 months after its troops were kicked out of neighboring Mali, where French forces spent nearly a decade leading a losing fight against a growing jihadist insurgency, which killed thousands and displaced millions as it spread across the Sahel. In both countries, the French withdrawal occurred as government leaders strengthened their ties to the Kremlin, which has used the mercenary Wagner Group to gain a foothold in the Central African Republic, Libya and Sudan.»
«France has sought to maintain its close relationship with Burkina Faso, but the junta’s explicit demand that the country withdraw its troops came after a series of increasingly hostile moves towards Paris, including banning French broadcaster RFI. Many French troops have already relocated to Niger, which borders Mali and Burkina Faso. Through companies that exploit Africa’s natural resources, political operatives who undermine democratic actors, front companies posing as NGOs, and social media manipulation, Prigozhin spreads disinformation to influence African politics in Russia’s favor»
«many Burkinabe want Russia to be the main partner in the fight against terrorism. Russia wants the support of all its African allies, Saltykov responded. We’re looking to reinforce our efforts in the fight for a multipolar world. France has maintained outsized influence over the politics, economies and security of Sahelian countries in the decades since they claimed their independence from the former colonial power in the 1960s. That history, alongside French troops’ failure to stop the spread of extremist activity in the region, has contributed to a growing sense of resentment. These dynamics created an opportunity for the Wagner Group, which Mali’s ruling military junta hired in December 2021 to assist in its counter-insurgency efforts. Wagner’s presence is also causing the slow-motion collapse of the 13,000-troop UN peacekeeping force that has operated in Mali since 2013. Late last year, Germany, the UK and the Ivory Coast announced that they were withdrawing from the mission, following Denmark and Sweden’s decision to do the same»
«As in Mali, anti-French sentiment has intensified and Russophilia has grown as the security situation has worsened. The September coup that brought Burkina Faso’s ruling junta into power was accompanied by an attack on the French Embassy and cheered on by supporters waving Russian flags. The unpopularity of France.»
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Russia’s Footprint Grows in Africa as France Leaves Burkina Faso
January 29, 2023.
France will withdraw its military from Burkina Faso within a month following a request from the West African country’s governing junta. The removal is the latest sign of the former colonial power’s collapsing influence in the region—a development that Russia has eagerly exploited.
The end of France’s roughly 400-person mission in Burkina Faso comes 10 months after its troops were kicked out of neighboring Mali, where French forces spent nearly a decade leading a losing fight against a growing jihadist insurgency, which killed thousands and displaced millions as it spread across the Sahel. In both countries, the French withdrawal occurred as government leaders strengthened their ties to the Kremlin, which has used the mercenary Wagner Group to gain a foothold in the Central African Republic, Libya and Sudan.
France has sought to maintain its close relationship with Burkina Faso, but the junta’s explicit demand that the country withdraw its troops came after a series of increasingly hostile moves towards Paris, including banning French broadcaster RFI. Amid the turmoil, France stated that it would recall its ambassador to Burkina Faso while seeking clarity from authorities, and is expected to announce a revamp of its security presence in Africa. Many French troops have already relocated to Niger, which borders Mali and Burkina Faso.
Western governments have for years warned about the threat of Russian disinformation campaigns in the Sahel, spearheaded by companies linked to Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin. “Through companies that exploit Africa’s natural resources, political operatives who undermine democratic actors, front companies posing as NGOs, and social media manipulation, Prigozhin spreads disinformation to influence African politics in Russia’s favor,” the US State Department warned last May.
Relations between the Kremlin and political leaders in the Sahel have grown close as Russia is increasingly seen as an effective potential partner in the war against jihadists. During a state TV interview on Jan. 13, a journalist told Russian Ambassador Alexey Saltykov that “many Burkinabe want Russia to be the main partner in the fight against terrorism.”
“Russia wants the support of all its African allies,” Saltykov responded. “We’re looking to reinforce our efforts in the fight for a multipolar world.”
‘Malian blueprint’
France has maintained outsized influence over the politics, economies and security of Sahelian countries in the decades since they claimed their independence from the former colonial power in the 1960s. That history, alongside French troops’ failure to stop the spread of extremist activity in the region, has contributed to a growing sense of resentment.
These dynamics created an opportunity for the Wagner Group, which Mali’s ruling military junta hired in December 2021 to assist in its counter-insurgency efforts. Burkina Faso has denied doing the same.
The UN has accused the private military company of gross human rights violations, hiring mercenaries in exchange for Russian access to gold mines. The press service for Concord Group, the catering company owned by Prigozhin, didn’t respond to questions seeking comment about its activities in Africa.
Civilian deaths have roughly quadrupled to more than 2,000 since Mali deployed Wagner mercenaries in December 2021, up from about 550 in the previous year, according to data collected by ACLED, a Washington-based group. In 2022, at least 750 civilians were killed in attacks by Wagner fighters working alongside Malian soldiers.
Wagner’s presence is also causing the slow-motion collapse of the 13,000-troop UN peacekeeping force that has operated in Mali since 2013. Late last year, Germany, the UK and the Ivory Coast announced that they were withdrawing from the mission, following Denmark and Sweden’s decision to do the same.
Ornella Moderan, a Bamako-based research associate fellow at the Dutch Clingendael Institute, described Burkina Faso as following the “Malian blueprint.” A key step, she said, is “pushing out inconvenient partners —those who insist on human rights, erect democracy-related conditions to their military support, or citizen transitional authorities too openly.” Both countries have ejected UN officials, French diplomats, and finally, the French military, all while forging closer ties to Russia.
Dramatic collapse
No country in the Sahel has suffered as precipitous a collapse as Burkina Faso, which just eight years ago was seen as relatively stable and a tourism destination. Now huge swathes of its territory are outside government control, thousands have died and about 2 million people—or a tenth of the population—are displaced.
As in Mali, anti-French sentiment has intensified and Russophilia has grown as the security situation has worsened. The September coup that brought Burkina Faso’s ruling junta into power was accompanied by an attack on the French Embassy and cheered on by supporters waving Russian flags.
President Emmanuel Macron has accused Moscow of using disinformation to stoke anti-French sentiment and to pursue a “predatory” strategy in Africa that serves its own interests. But the young soldiers who have taken over leadership in Mali and Burkina Faso are tapping into a rich vein of resentment and re-establishing Cold War-era links: Russia has for decades provided training and weapons to African countries, including in the Sahel.
According to Moussa Mara, who served as prime minister under Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, the French-aligned president ousted in a 2020 coup, the pro-Russian tilt in Mali has little to do with “the popularity of Russia.” Rather, he said, “it is an expression of the unpopularity of France.