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William Ruto receives his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron at State House, Nairobi. [PCS]
President Emmanuel Macron’s promise of a ‘partnership of equals’ in France’s post-colonial engagement with Africa would have been optimistic if it weren’t a centuries-old contradiction.
France has always preferred puppets in Africa, with a yes-person in Addis Ababa, the headquarters of the African Union Commission. Moussa Faki Mahamat, the Chadian whose tenure ended in February 2025, fired AU ambassador to the Americas Arikana Chihombori-Quao for ‘criticising’ France. He was acting at the behest of his Paris patron.
Chihombori, from Zimbabwe, is an eloquent voice for pan-Africanism. She was fired for denouncing French colonialism, monetary imperialism, and the resource exploitation of Africa. Her message — one Africa for Africans — offended lords of neocolonialism.
