Zuma's Paris Visit: The Africa Background

This briefing analyzes the context of President Zuma's visit to Paris, focusing on the instability of French foreign policy toward Africa and the diplomatic tensions between France and South Africa regarding the political crisis in Côte d’Ivoire.

• French foreign policy toward Africa has been marked by a struggle to distance itself from authoritarian regimes, despite President Sarkozy's 2007 promise to reform a role characterized by "indulgences, secrets and ambiguities". This is evidenced by continued military and intelligence support for President Deby in Chad in February 2008 and opaque links to the Bongo dynasty in Gabon.
• The resignation of French foreign minister Michele Alliot-Marie was driven by her family's business ties to the ousted Ben Ali regime in Tunisia and her offer of crowd control training for Tunisian security forces during the crisis.
• France has reduced its military footprint in Africa due to budget constraints and shifting geo-strategic priorities, closing permanent military bases in Dakar and Abidjan while maintaining bases in Libreville and Djibouti.
• France and South Africa hold conflicting positions on the Côte d’Ivoire crisis. While the French government recognizes Alassane Ouattara's victory in the November elections, South Africa, Angola, and Uganda argue the results were inconclusive and seek a compromise.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2011). Zuma's Paris Visit: The Africa Background. https://saiia.org.za/research/zumas-paris-visit-the-africa-background/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Zuma's Paris Visit: The Africa Background. 2011. https://saiia.org.za/research/zumas-paris-visit-the-africa-background/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Zuma's Paris Visit: The Africa Background |date=28 February 2011 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/zumas-paris-visit-the-africa-background/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2011zumas, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Zuma's Paris Visit: The Africa Background}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2011}, month = feb, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/zumas-paris-visit-the-africa-background/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }