The French head of state, Emmanuel Macron, begins an African tour on July 25, which will take him, in turn, to Cameroon, Benin and Guinea-Bissau. Since his re-election last April, this is his first tour on the black continent. The first stage of this trip will be Cameroon. With grandpa, sorry Paul Biya, Emmanuel Macron will address “the possibilities of French investment in Cameroonian agriculture” and the question of the anti-jihadist fight in the North of the country. A round table is also planned in Yaoundé to allow young Cameroonians who participated in the Africa-France summit in Montpellier, to interact directly with the tenant of the Elysée. After Yaoundé, Emmanuel Macron will drop off his suitcases in Cotonou. This stage will be used to discuss, with his Beninese counterpart, not only the question of the restitution of cultural property, but also the terrorist threat to which the North of the country is prey. On this subject, it should be recalled that the Beninese authorities wish, according to the Elysée, French support in terms of air support, intelligence and military equipment.
France intends to take the lead
Emmanuel Macron will complete his African tour via Guinea-Bissau, a country whose president, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, has just taken over as head of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Before wearing this cap which makes him an essential interlocutor in the sub-region, Embalo had made the trip to the Elysee Palace last October. On this occasion, Emmanuel Macron said that the visit of his counterpart testified to the renewal of the relationship between Paris and Bissau. We can therefore say that Yaoundé, Cotonou and Bissau are well worth a detour. Cameroon represents an investment opportunity for France. And the targeted area, ie agricultural production, is in line with the FAM initiative launched last March with the European Union, the G7 and the African Union. France therefore intends to take the lead in order not to be overtaken by other partners of Cameroon in this sector. And all those who know Cameroon, especially its geography, know that from this country, we can serve all the countries of Central Africa. In addition, Cameroon is full of vast land favorable to many speculations. Cameroon therefore represents a godsend on which we cannot spit. In addition to the fact that Cameroon is an agricultural mine, its subsoil is rich in oil. To this, we must add that the security context makes it possible to do real juicy business with this country in terms of military equipment. The best way to prevent Cameroon from eyeing the Russian side to buy weapons is to occupy the ground. And the almost simultaneous stay of Macron in Cameroon and the visit of the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergei Lavrov to Congo Brazzaville, could say a lot about the fierce competition between Paris and Moscow in Africa, in the field of sale of arms.
It is up to the peoples of countries in the grip of dictatorship to rid themselves of their dictators
It is this logic that also guides Macron’s steps in Benin. Guinea-Bissau is also of interest to France. Because, its president, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, is today at the head of a regional structure which has a political weight which should not be neglected. In these times when France is cold with Mali, Paris wins to maintain with the new boss of ECOWAS, the best possible relations. In general, it can be said that it is the interests that guide Macron’s steps in Yaoundé, Cotonou and Bissau. So don’t ask him to go and do dissertations on democracy and human rights in countries like Cameroon, whose president, Paul Biya, has ruled his country for 40 years. In any case, Macron has already warned all those who would be tempted to cry foul of seeing him appear alongside the sulphurous Biya, saying in essence this: “I am not going to these countries to give lessons or promote a model “. And it is this posture that all Western presidents adopt when they travel to countries that have nothing but contempt for democracy and human rights. Joe Biden has just visited one of them, in the Middle East. In this country, we did not hesitate for a moment to dissolve the body of a journalist after having assassinated him. And while Western countries put up with these predatory countries of human rights before the Eternal to preserve their interests, they do not hesitate to set themselves up as givers of lessons on democracy against the weak countries with which they have little interest. Their motto could therefore be: business first, democracy and human rights can always wait. That said, it is therefore up to the peoples of countries in the grip of dictatorship to get rid of their dictators themselves. It’s as simple as that.
” The country ”