Macron seeks strategy shift in Africa visit
French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to outline new
Africa policy ahead of his visit to four African countries beginning from
Monday.
He is expected to visit Gabon for an environmental summit, then Angola,
Congo-Brazzaville and the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.
It comes as Paris seeks to counter
growing Russian and Chinese influence in the region.
Anti-French sentiment has been running high in some of its
former colonies in the Sahel.
Last month, Burkina Faso gave France a month to withdraw its 400 special
forces, and announced the official ending of the French military operation in
the country a week ago.
In
Mali, French troops withdrew from the country after the military government there
started working with the Russian private military contractor Wagner.
The Russian group has
also been operating in the Central African Republic.
