French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Gabon on Wednesday 1 March as part of a four-day visit to Central Africa where he will take part in the One Forest Summit on the protection of tropical forests in Libreville on Thursday.
Addressing the French community in Gabon in Libreville, the French Head of State said that his country is now a “neutral interlocutor” on the African continent. On Monday 27 February, from the Elysée Palace, President Macron presented the new diplomatic and military strategy of the Hexagon in Africa.
“This age of Françafrique is well past and I sometimes have the feeling that mentalities are not evolving at the same pace as us when I read, I hear, I see that people still attribute to France intentions that it does not have, that it no longer has,” he said before the French community.
“It also seems to be expected to take positions that it refuses to take, and I fully accept this. In Gabon as elsewhere, France is a neutral interlocutor who speaks to everyone and whose role is not to interfere in domestic political exchanges,” he added.
Addressing the issue of supporting Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba as he prepares to run for another term, Emmanuel Macron is very clear. “I have not come to invest anyone,” he said, insisting that his visit to Gabon is about his friendship and consideration “for a brotherly country and people.
On the question of the French military presence in Africa, Mr Macron argued that it will now be a reorganisation and that it is “neither a withdrawal nor a disengagement”. However, it aims to “adapt a system”, redefining the needs of partner countries and offering “more cooperation and training”.
France is a co-organiser of the One Forest Summit which ends today, Thursday 2 March 2023 in Libreville, Gabon. The summit aims to protect ecosystems (primary forests, peatlands, mangroves, etc.) that are vital reserves of carbon and biodiversity in the context of climate change. To this end, the French president reiterated his ambition to “build a balanced partnership” and to “take up common causes” with the countries of the continent, for the climate and biodiversity. He said that “helping to preserve (forests) is absolutely crucial for the fight against global warming and for biodiversity”.
It should be noted that the French President’s visit to Africa continues until 5 March. Emmanuel Macron is also due to visit Angola, Congo Brazzaville and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
