Les relations franco-africaines : changement et continuité ?

The document examines the transition of French-African relations from the Gaullist 'Françafrique' model—characterized by personalized ties with authoritarian leaders—toward a more transparent, multilateral approach. It highlights the failures of the 'Baule doctrine' to enforce democratization and the shift in military strategy toward reinforcing African peacekeeping capacities (RECAMP). Economically, it notes a trend of disengagement, with France moving from a primary donor to an intermediary for international financial institutions and introducing conditionality via the 'Abidjan doctrine'. Under Nicolas Sarkozy, the document identifies a contradictory mix of provocative rhetoric and new promises of transparency in defense agreements and co-development funds, while noting that traditional practices of supporting authoritarian regimes persist.

• France's traditional African policy, known as 'Françafrique', was based on 'rapports personnalisés avec les dirigeants africains' to maintain influence following World War II, often supporting authoritarian regimes to secure diplomatic support at the UN and protect nuclear testing sites.
• The 'Baule doctrine' introduced by President François Mitterrand in 1990 attempted to link French aid to democratic progress, but this was undermined by a lack of consistency, as France continued to support authoritarian leaders such as Eyadema, Compaoré, Ould Taya, and Habyarimana.
• France has shifted its military strategy from acting as the 'gendarme de l'Afrique' to a doctrine of reinforcing African peacekeeping capacities (RECAMP), aiming to involve African troops in conflict zones rather than intervening directly.
• Economic relations have transitioned toward disengagement and conditionality; the 1994 'Abidjan doctrine' (or 'doctrine Balladur') subordinated French financial commitments to the conclusion of agreements between African partners and the IMF or World Bank.
• Under President Nicolas Sarkozy, France announced a move toward transparency by pledging to publish all future defense agreements and involve the French Parliament in the orientations of African policy.
• To stimulate economic growth and job creation, France proposed a 250 million euro investment fund via the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) for African companies, alongside a 2 billion euro program over five years targeting the private sector to create 300,000 jobs.

APA

Diaw, M. (2008). Les relations franco-africaines : changement et continuité ? Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SITREP071108.PDF

Chicago

Diaw, Moussa. Les relations franco-africaines : changement et continuité ? Institute for Security Studies, 2008. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SITREP071108.PDF.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Diaw |first1=Moussa |title=Les relations franco-africaines : changement et continuité ? |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=7 November 2008 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SITREP071108.PDF |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{diaw2008les, author = {Diaw, Moussa}, title = {{Les relations franco-africaines : changement et continuité ?}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2008}, month = nov, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SITREP071108.PDF}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }