French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech to French ambassadors around the world on Monday, 6 January 2025, at the Elysee Palace in Paris. Photo: Aurelien Morissard/Reuters
French President Emmanuel Macron said that his country had played a key role in protecting African states in the Sahel region from Islamist militants and expressed hope that these countries would later recognise Paris’ achievements.
Macron said this at the annual conference of French ambassadors dedicated to foreign policy in 2025, Reuters reports.
The 2013 intervention and its consequences
Macron stressed that France intervened in 2013 to fight terrorists in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger in a timely manner, which allowed these countries to maintain their sovereignty.
“I think they forgot to thank us, but that’s okay. The gratitude will come in time,” the president said ironically.
Reorganisation of the French presence
In recent years, France has withdrawn its troops from Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso due to political instability and military coups in these countries. The gradual withdrawal of French forces from Chad, Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire is also underway.
However, Macron rejected accusations that Paris had been “expelled” from the region:
“France is not retreating, it is only reviewing its strategy. We want to act smarter and more efficiently,” he stressed.
A new stage of cooperation
The President noted that the current departure of France was not a weakness, but rather a conscious step towards a new model of cooperation with African countries.
“None of these countries could have remained sovereign without our support. We are not looking for gratitude, but the facts speak for themselves,” Macron concluded.
