Senegal and Chad responded strongly to French President Emmanuel Macron's comments about African countries' lack of gratitude for France's role in helping fight the jihadist insurgency.
Macron said on Monday that the Sahel countries “forgot” to thank France for its role, amid the continued withdrawal of French forces from West African countries.
He said that no country in the Sahel region would be a sovereign state without France's intervention, which prevented it from falling under the control of extremists.
In response, Chadian Foreign Minister Abderrahmane Kalamallah said that Macron's statements revealed his disdain for Africa.
He said in a statement broadcast on national television, “Chad expresses its deep concern following the statements made by (the French President) recently, which reflect a disdainful attitude towards Africa and Africans.”
“French leaders must learn to respect the African people and recognize the value of their sacrifices,” he said.
Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko said that France had contributed in the past to “destabilizing some African countries such as Libya,” which had “serious consequences” for the security of the region.
He said in a statement: “France neither has the capacity nor the legitimacy to guarantee Africa’s security and sovereignty.”
Macron made his remarks during the annual ambassadors' conference in Paris, saying that France was reorganizing its strategic interests in the region and rejecting the idea that it was forced to withdraw from Africa.
French forces were sent to Mali in 2013 in response to an Islamist rebellion. A year later, the mission was extended to include other countries in the region, including Niger and Burkina Faso.
“We were right (to deploy). I think someone forgot to say thank you. That's okay, it will come with time,” Macron said on Monday.
“But I say this to all African heads of state who did not have the courage in the face of public opinion to hold this view. None of them would be a sovereign nation today if the French army had not been deployed in the region.”
Sonko said that if Senegal decided to ask French forces to leave, Macron's statements were “completely wrong.”
He said that there were no negotiations with France regarding the step to close its military bases in the country.
He said that the decision stems from “Senegal's sole will as a free, independent and sovereign state.”
Both Sonko and Kalam Allah also referred to the role of African soldiers in liberating France in the world wars.
“If African soldiers, who were sometimes forcibly mobilized, abused and ultimately betrayed, had not been deployed during World War II to defend France, it might still be German today,” Sonko said.
Chad, Senegal and Ivory Coast recently ended security agreements with France, while Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger asked French forces to leave after the coups.
France's influence in the region has declined in recent years, amid accusations of neocolonialism and exploitative relations with its former colonies.
The governments led by the military junta in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso approached Russia after the French withdrawal from their countries.
Chad's foreign minister said on Monday that France's contribution to the country was limited to its “own strategic interests” even as Chad struggled with instability and other issues during the 60-year partnership.
Chad ended its defense agreement with France in November, saying that “the time has come for Chad to assert its full sovereignty and redefine its strategic partnerships in accordance with national priorities.”
