2023-12-29 00:07:40
According to an article published on December 19, 2023 by the newspaper Le Monde, numerous changes have taken place within the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding African issues. Christophe Bigot, director of Africa and the Indian Ocean since 2020, was replaced by Emmanuelle Blatmann, French ambassador to Nigeria.
This reshuffle, described as a “game of musical chairs” by Le Monde, comes after “the succession of coups d’état in the Sahel and the decline of French influence in the region” and marks, according to the newspaper, the desire “to open a new chapter.” Christophe Bigot, recognized for his competence but also criticized for his crisis management, did not inform his teams of his replacement.
This summer, France also experienced a failure in Niger with the military coup of General Abdourahamane Tiani, the third Sahelian country to fall into the hands of soldiers hostile to the French presence. Emmanuel Macron toughened his tone but the junta demanded the departure of the ambassador and French soldiers.
Another sign of the crisis, the position of Africa advisor at the Elysée remained vacant for a long time before Jérémie Robert, former African affairs advisor to Jean-Yves Le Drian, agreed to take charge. According to Le Monde, these changes aim to “rebuild a political line in Africa” in a difficult regional context.
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