Au revoir, Sahel: Did 2023 crush France’s influence in Africa?

France’s hold on its African allies significantly shrunk in 2023. Here’s a timeline of how that unfolded.

Last week, the French embassy in Niger sent a letter to its staff announcing it would be shutting its doors and ending diplomatic services in the West African country. Simultaneously, the last set of French troops in the country boarded flights out from Niamey.

The letter marked the final straw in France’s long tumble from grace in Africa as relations with its former colonies – collectively known as “Francafrique” – deteriorated to a new low this year.

The former colonial power, which sees itself as a military power in the region and has intervened militarily in the troubled Sahel, faces growing anti-French sentiments across the region.

Although Paris still maintains a military presence in Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal, Gabon, Djibouti, and Chad, many see 2023 as the year that marked a significant shrinking of France’s hold on its African allies.

Here’s a timeline of France’s 2023 in Africa.