This is well worth the watch.
HistoryLegends points out something related to what I’ve been saying consistently, i.e. the French military in those Sahelian countries was there to help those countries. This was nothing colonial because those troops were there at the invitation of those governments. These are independent nations that make their own decisions. French troops could not be in those countries unless the governments wanted the French to be there. Just as the French troops are told to leave and they abide by that sovereign nation’s order, it proves that this is nothing colonial. In fact, those countries, including Chad, should thank France for protecting their governments since independence.
The relationship between Chad and France, for example, as HistoryLegends points out, was love/hate, as every time Chad had trouble with rebels, including war with Qaddafi’s Islamic Legions moving into Chad, Chad’s government always asked for French military assistance, and France went in.
And never a thank you.
The French were winding down their forces in Africa anyway for a variety of reasons, and one of those reasons, buried in their psyche somewhere, was because of the lack of gratitude. So, the French being told to leave from various African nations right now works well for France as they were leaving and bidding adieu or reducing troop numbers to two bases with a handful of men in Djibouti and Gabon.
Meanwhile, after the French left, the Russians in a colonial-like fashion protect mining and resource interests, and do their geopolitical military and strategic maneuvering, through what was their PMC Wagner Group, now rebranded and revamped as The Africa Corps (TAC), as the terrorist attacks and threats have increased and Russian mercenaries have been losing large numbers of men.
Be careful what you wish for.
–RdM
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