France's Macron accuses Russia of 'predatory' influence in Africa
PARIS, (Reuters) President Emmanuel
Macron accused Russia of feeding anti-French propaganda in Africa to serve
"predatory" ambitions in troubled African nations, where France has suffered military setbacks and a wider loss of influence over recent years.
Speaking on the sidelines of a summit of
French-speaking nations in
Tunisia, Macron was asked to respond to critics who say France exploits historic economic and political ties in its former colonies to serve its own interests.
"This perception is fed by others, it's a political project," Macron told TV5 Monde in an interview. "I'm no fool, many influencers, sometimes speaking on your programmes, are paid by the Russians. We know them," he said.
"A number of powers, who want to spread their influence in Africa, are doing this to hurt France, hurt its language, sow doubts, but above all pursue certain interests," he added.
France, the former colonial power in most of Western and central Africa, has longstanding military ties across Francophone Africa and French troops were stationed in Mali for a decade as part of a counter-terrorism operation.
Critics describe France's operation as a failure and blame it for destabilising the region further.
It has also been jockeying for influence with Russia in recent years, with the deployment of private military contractor Wagner Group in several countries, including in the Central African Republic (CAR) and in Mali.
Paris had to withdraw troops in Mali after the African country's military took power in a 2020 coup amid a breakdown of relations. The military leaders subsequently invited Wagner to help with a decade long battle against Islamist militants and cut ties with France.