Macron in Guinea-Bissau, a key country holding the presidency of ECOWAS

Published on : 28/07/2022 – 06:02

Emmanuel Macron is this July 28 in Guinea-Bissau. The French president realizes this Thursday the third and last stage of his African tour following Cameroon and Benin. The Head of State will meet with his counterpart Umaro Sissoco Embalo. A visit in particular because Bissau has just taken over the rotating presidency of ECOWAS at the beginning of July.

The cap of president of ECOWAS makes Umaro Sissoco Embalo an essential interlocutor for Paris. The Bissau-Guinean head of state now has on his table the sensitive files of Burkina, Guinea and especially Mali. However, for the journalist Antoine Glaser, “ France no longer wants to appear in the front line. She prefers to highlight regional institutions he says.

However, Paris has been accused several times of manipulating ECOWAS. This is what Bamako said when in January the organization sanctioned the ruling junta. The putschists had accused her of being ” in the service of France ».

But according to one African diplomat, “ the Élysée cannot impose its views. There are six English-speaking countries in the organization, including the Nigerian heavyweight and Ghana. There may be a desire to influence but it’s hard to make it happen “, Indicates this connoisseur of the file.

But the latter adds that this does not prevent Emmanuel Macron from going through his longtime allies, Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara or Macky Sall, President of Senegal, to reach ECOWAS. ” The idea is to get the same results. We fade away, but we go through friends », Indicates this observer.

A source at the Élysée explains that France ” aligns with the positions of regional organizations “. So ” Paris sends messages to ECOWAS but it works both ways. We listen to their suggestions and concerns. But we don’t interfere in the balance of discussions “, indicates this diplomat.

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