Sub-Saharan Africa and French National Security

Abstract

Is the African continent still a strategic priority for France? Most recent discussions about France in Africa focus on the closures of French bases on the continent starting in 2022 and continuing into 2025. The reductions in prepositioned forces in West and Central Africa represents a significant loss of operational capacity for the French Army to respond to crises in those regions. Despite these setbacks, sub-Saharan Africa remains a concern for the French Government, but has become less of a priority over the last three years, particularly with the French preoccupation with the Ukraine War. This paper will look at how the French Government has situated sub-Saharan Africa in its global strategic thinking after the base reorganization. The French Government has reoriented much of its military assets toward a rearmament program aimed at preparing for a high-intensity conflict in Europe. The military commitment to Africa remains a part of French strategy, however, due to concerns about the security of the French population in the region, the continuing threat of terrorism, including for the littoral states, the perceived weakness of ECOWAS after the Niger coup d’état and the influence of other actors in the region. There is also substantial disagreement within the French Government about the future of military cooperation in Africa.