Macron Refrains from Traveling to Sahel African Countries
Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, will travel to four Central African countries as France changes its strategy on the African continent.
This diplomatic trip by Mr. Macron will begin with a visit to Gabon. Mr. Macron’s trip takes place after France withdrew its forces from Mali and Burkina Faso.
Now, the French President will not visit Mali, Burkina Faso, or other Sahel countries, which Paris has been criticized for failing to curb Islamist militants. Both Mali and Burkina Faso have now invited a Russian private military company to combat extremist militias.
French diplomats hope that Mr. Macron’s trip will be diplomatically significant in countering Russian and Chinese influence in Africa. Since 2013, military forces from Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Chad, known as the G5 Sahel, led by France, have attempted to weaken and eliminate the insurgents and extremist Muslim groups in the Sahel region.