At least one African country still likes France: Rwanda. Otherwise, it’s been a near constant string of setbacks for France in Africa, as former African colonies cut their final ties to France. One of the latest to tell France to get lost: Senegal. … I’ve been fascinated with France’s post-colonial role in Africa, particularly West Africa, ever since I lived in Cameroon for nearly six months in the early 2000s. Anyone who has spent time in one of France’s former African colonies learns that France never really let go of its former African colonies, continuing to exert tremendous military, economic and political influence over nations across the continent. 

Now that influence is waning fast, creating voids filled by Islamic extremists, Russia, China etc. It’s as if an entire continent is now up for geopolitical grabs. The U.S., which has effectively backed France, is scrambling to reset its continental strategy.