On Wednesday 9 February 2022, a spectacular fire broke out at the CFA franc factory in Chamalières, near Clément-Ferrand. It is in this printing house, which celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2021, that currencies such as the Euro and the CFA franc are manufactured. Huge resources were mobilised to control the fire.
Around 70 firefighters and 24 engines were deployed in the vicinity of the Clermont-Ferrand area this morning to stop the fire. Several streets in the district bordering Clermont-Ferrand were closed to traffic. According to the prefect of the Puy-de-Dôme, Philippe CHOPIN, the fire, which started at 10.15am (local time) in a banknote design laboratory, was brought under control by mid-day. Thirty-four people were slightly injured and ten were evacuated to the university hospital, including two firemen, according to the prefecture.
The origin of the fire is not yet known. Nevertheless, Lieutenant-Colonel Mickaël Besseyre, site manager, stresses: “ There were difficulties of access as it is an enclosed building on the site. Our main objective was to identify the victims and to limit the spread of the disaster to adjacent and opposite buildings. This was done by our teams, who fought hard against the fire. As I speak to you now (12.20 p.m., editor’s note) we have a main focus to deal with. However, the fire is contained and we are not far from becoming firebenders. There is no risk of propagation to related buildings. The attack of the fire was completed by aerial means, which allow the fire to be fought from the roof. At the beginning, the fire was very violent, because of the calorific potential, nevertheless, with the means deployed, we were able to bring the fire under control fairly quickly “reported on Franceinfo.
In addition, it should be noted that before the fire, 387 people were present on the site. Announced years ago, the move of the printing plant and its 700 employees to the Vic-le-Comte site (Puy-de-Dôme) should be confirmed in the coming months, to take place by 2026.
Will this fire reignite African protests against the CFA?
The CFA franc in Africa has a long history. This currency is common to 14 African countries. It has been printed at the Bank of France for over 75 years. Long disputed, this fire could once again reignite the debate between user and printer countries. As a reminder, in 2019, Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara, together with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, announced in Abidjan the replacement of the CFA franc by the Eco for the countries of the WAEMU. The latter will be at a fixed parity with the euro and guaranteed by France.
On the other hand, the French-Beninese activist Kémi Séba, leader of the NGO Urgences Panafricanistes, known for his controversial comments on the CFA franc, burned a 5000f CFA note in Dakar, Senegal, on 19 August 2017. His position is clear: “In the 21st century, every people has the right to have its own currency”. He added that “No political future can be decided without total control over its economy. The Bank of France has the right to say whether or not it agrees with the economic decisions we take! For him, the CFA franc is an obsolete currency of slavery and submission. However, a serious debate needs to take place around this issue to allow both sides to fully enjoy their freedom and independence.
