dyton mupawaenda
Professor Noel Miterand
While many Western countries gave independence to African countries, France was never genuine and it remains until today, very unreasonable to the total liberation of its former colonies.
France’s former colonies have been subjected to inhuman neo-colonial treatment and three countries Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali are leading a revolution for total independence and they need support from the whole of Africa. France is notoriously known for the Francophone Africa Pact, an agreement that continues to place France as a colonial master at the expense of its former colonies.
The pact is cruel, unjust and a perpetration of colonial thinking. It is a big shame. It is plausible that Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have started an orchestrated fight to give their citizens real independence. They are severing from France’s colonial hegemony that has promoted Neo-colonialism.
The withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger is a huge blow to Ecowas and France. At 50 years old, Ecowas is considered Africa’s most important regional group, but most importantly it has given France unnecessary advantage over its former colonies. France has also been brazenly trying to use its influence to help Ukraine financially and also recruit Africans to join the war on Kiev’s side, instead of giving its former colonies more freedom, more independence and the right to better life.
The irony of it is that, France is prepared to spend more than US$300 million in supporting Ukraine’s war against Russia, but not prepared to give Africans in its former colonies a chance to live better. Africans in the Sahel are ill-treated and seen as people who should not enjoy their independence and democracy, things which France ironically says, is promoting in Ukraine.
The Ukraine package includes 155mm shells and air-to-surface missiles, among other things, and it is plainly stupid for France not to invest in former colonies, but invest in Ukraine. Now we all know how Ukraine is getting expensive weapons from the West and corruptly selling them at a very cheap prize on the black market.
Not all weapons given to Ukraine by Western countries and the US, are going to the prescribed war. Many of them are being sold to the black market by Ukraine, very, very cheaply. There is massive corruption in Ukraine on weapons. It is shame how France believes Ukraine is more important than the Sahel region, its former colonial area and yet the Sahel sponsored the growth of the French empire during colonial era.
France and the UK want to move ahead with an initiative to send European troops to Ukraine if a peace deal materialises. Currently, troop numbers and participating countries are unclear, but details are expected soon. This must be stopped. It is unreasonable for France to push for troops in Ukraine when its former colonies have economic problems.
It is plain silly for France to invest in Ukraine in the name of democracy while down-trodding on its former colonies; while dehumanising Africans in its former colonies. Where is the democracy? Is democracy for Ukranians and not Africans?
Online Reporter