In the aftermath of the military coup in Niger and the French threat to intervene, Jahangir Mohammed calls for all those genuinely concerned about Africa to work toward ending the ongoing exploitation of former African colonial states.

The French Exploitation of Africa Must Come to An End

A military coup in Niger overthrowing the pro-Western government has led to the threat of military action and sanctions by France and the USA to restore “democracy”. There have also been public demonstrations against France in some African countries. Whilst military interventions tend not to be long-term political solutions for any country, this coup, and others like it in Africa, appear to have popular support. The coup has brought to attention the dire economic conditions of African states and the strength of feeling against French post-colonial exploitation of their resources. That is why so many Africans try to escape the continent in search of a better life elsewhere, especially in the last two decades.

African Economic Migration and Racism

The recent riots in France triggered by the killing of a young Algerian boy by French police, unleashed vile racism on social media against African and Muslim migrants. An ugly part of that racism was many offensive comments about Africans wanting to come to France and Europe because it is civilized and wealthy. This was somehow linked to European (white) racial and cultural supremacy (characteristics) rather than the European legacy of colonialism. Africans on the other hand were portrayed as racially inferior and lawless people, who cannot run their own countries and create successful economies. Such a view is not limited to those on the fringes of Western politics. Politicians in Europe infer such ignorant and racist prejudices in comments about Africans, Muslims, and their states.

Perhaps the white supremacists in the West should also reflect on their history. The USA, the world’s leading power was built on the back of economic migrants seeking a better life and African slaves. Europeans went all around the world seeking a better future and ended up colonising other lands whilst plundering local resources, mainly through military means – violence.

A much more historically honest understanding of the causes of African migration has recently emerged among right-wing Italian politics. Italy is a country that has become a gateway to Europe for migrants escaping economic misery or persecution. In 2019 the former Italian Deputy Prime Minister, Luigi di Maio, blamed France for forcing poor African migrants to flee their countries.

“France has never stopped colonising tens of African states,” said Di Maio, leader of the populist Five Star Movement. “The EU should sanction France, and all countries like France, that impoverish Africa and make these people leave, because Africans should be in Africa, not at the bottom of the Mediterranean.”

The current Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has also blamed European exploitation of Africa’s wealth for the migration problem.

‘This is called the CFA Franc,’ Meloni began as she held up a West African CFA franc bank note. ‘It is the colonial currency that France prints for 14 African nations to which it applies seigniorage (a profit made by issuing currency) and by which it exploits the resources of these nations.’

‘So, the solution is not to take Africans and bring them to Europe. The solution is to free Africans from certain Europeans who exploit it and allow these people to live off what they have.’ Giorgia Meloni November 2022.

Even in France, there has been recognition that its former colonies are what made and sustain France as a global power. In 1957 former President François Mitterrand stated that: “Without Africa, France will have no history in the 21st century”

Former French President Jacques Chirac said in 2008“… Without Africa, France will slide down into the rank of a third-rate power.”

How French Colonialism Continues to Exploit African States

France colonized a large part of Western Africa. Twenty African states once came under the rule of the French colonial empire. These states are still rich in mineral wealth such as gold, diamonds, uranium, petroleum, and important agricultural produce.

Colonial France realising its era of direct colonialism would come to an end ceded “independence” to some of its colonies in the mid-20th century. However, colonial exploitation of those countries continued under exit arrangements.

This happened in several ways. When Guinea decided in 1958 to become independent, the French administration and its elite in the country decided to take all their property out of the country. They also destroyed everything that they believed represented the benefits of their colonial rule. Infrastructure from schools to public buildings and businesses were destroyed or set on fire. Other African states wanting to avoid this scenario then signed up to French conditions for leaving colonial rule. This included the payment of a colonial debt for what France claimed it had spent on developing the country. Also included in colonial debt was the repayment of French reparations paid to European slave owners in return for the abolition of slavery. The victims were made to pay the oppressors for the end of their own oppression.[i] There are no accurate figures for how much colonial debt has been paid to France by African states, but estimates run into hundreds of billions of dollars a year.

After Guinea, independence was only accepted for colonies who signed “Cooperation Accords” effectively colonisation continuity pacts. The African peoples were powerless to resist, lacking military means and being divided by European states into less-populated borders.

Since the 1950’s there are many conditions of these agreements that tie former African colonial states into exploitative relations with France. As well as payment of colonial debt some of these conditions included: –

• French first right to buy any raw material or natural resource found in the land of ex-colonies before they are allowed to seek other partners.
• French priority in the award of contracts regardless of better value for money elsewhere. This has led to large swathes of the economies of these countries ending up in the hands of French companies.
• French exclusive right to provide military equipment and train the country’s militaries. This has made France into one of the world’s largest military hardware suppliers.
• Under “defence agreements” France has a right to intervene militarily in African countries, and to station its troops permanently in military bases and facilities run totally by the French. Currently, France is refusing its troops should leave Niger after the coup.
• Military alliances cannot be entered into with any other country except with the approval of the colonial state.
• An obligation to ally with France in situations of war and global crisis. It is often forgotten that over one million Africans fought for France in the Second World War.
• French must be the official language of countries and their education systems. French culture is spread by “Francophonie” organisations under the French Foreign Affairs Ministry.
• They must send France an annual balance and reserve report without which colonial countries could not access their cash reserves.
• The real cash cow for France and a major reason for the impoverishment of Africa however is the obligation to use French colonial currency FCFA (Franc of French Colonies in Africa and French Community of Africa after independence or CFA)

French reserves (with large amounts from Africa) have been bolstered and used to build their public spending programmes and financial muscle globally. European Union members realised this during the introduction of the Euro, and some countries were appalled at this colonial system of exploitation.

In pre-colonial times Africans used their precious mineral and agricultural goods as a means of economic transaction, exchange, and stability. Whilst money did exist it is was not the primary means of trade. When the colonial states came, they imposed their currency on the colonies, the Franc was introduced in 1795 and local methods of exchange lost influence. In the case of the British Empire, the pound sterling became dominant. Both France and Britain eventually abandoned the gold standard (the value of their currencies was backed up by gold). The pound and the Franc because of global empires became a source of exchange against which other state’s money could be pegged and measured.

In 1945 the CFA Franc was created across 14 West African states grouped into two separate economic Monetary Unions, using two distinct CFA Francs. Both CFA francs are pegged to the Euro through France which is credited with providing some stability to the exchange rates of those countries. The CFA Franc effectively binds these 14 African countries to France (Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Guinea Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, and Gabon). A fifteenth state Comoros uses the Comorian Franc.

The CFA Franc is simply a means of maintaining colonial control. For decades African Central Banks have been required to deposit a large proportion of their CFA currency reserves into the French treasury. At one point it was as high as 65% and more recently 50% of all the reserves of these 14 countries. After liabilities, it is claimed that African states are left with just 15% of their own cash reserves and if they wanted more, they would have to borrow at commercial rates of interest. So, whilst the French state was able to use the African reserves to bolster and strengthen its own economy and exchange rate, African states could not use the reserves to strengthen their economies. This has compounded debts which are then managed by the IMF and World Bank which then imposes further detrimental policies. The French argue this system provided economic stability to the CFA zones, but that is disputed. This situation existed unchanged until December 2019 when reforms were made. However African economists argue that this has made little difference and that the plans to introduce and create a new currency called ECO is just camouflage. [ii]

France’s post-colonial agreements have been maintained through military and political subterfuge in Africa’s political affairs. The French have been actively involved in coups in these countries and other parts of Africa. There have been 45 coups in the former French colonies and 22 in other African countries.

Why Africa Matters for the Muslim World

Whatever the arguments about the benefits of the French neocolonial system imposed on its former colonies, there is no doubt that those countries have not developed sufficiently and benefitting fully from their vast resources. Whilst France has benefitted and remains a global economic and military power on the back of African resources.

Poverty levels remain between 40-50% in nearly all the African colonial countries. European states themselves employ protectionist policies whilst hardly any of the European states have African trading partners for African exports (including to France). Whilst countries like Niger provide 7% of Uranium to France for its nuclear energy usage, it imports 70% of its energy from Nigeria. These states are unable to trade freely with other countries, use their reserves as they wish, or use another currency for trade. They are also dependent militarily on France.

All this matters for Muslims. Muslims are the majority population across these countries and those like Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali are majority Muslim. By 2050 the population of these countries will increase greatly and will be greater than the population of the EU. Africa matters for the revival of an Islamic civilisation given its past history.

Muslims have for far too long been indifferent/disinterested in the suffering of their brethren in Africa and generally of Africans.

Muslim Populations of Former French Colonies

Former French African Colonies
County	Population(millions)	Muslim %	Muslim No’s
Algeria	46	99%	45.54
Benin	14	28%	3.92
Burkina Faso	21	64%	13.44
Cameroon	29	30%	8.7
CAR	6	17%	1.02
Chad	18	58%	10.44
Comoros	1	97%	0.97
Djibouti	1	97%	0.97
Gabon	2	10%	0.2
Guinea	14	90%	12.6
Ivory Coast	29	43%	12.47
Madagascar	30	10%	3
Mali	23	95%	21.85
Mauritania	4	100%	4
Morrocco	38	97%	36.86
Niger	27	90%	24.3
Republic of Congo	6	14%	0.84
Senegal	18	97%	17.46
Togo	9	20%	1.8
Tunisia	12	99%	11.88
Total	348	67%	232.26

The Muslim world and all those genuinely concerned about poverty and underdevelopment (even African migration), must work to bring an end to the neocolonial exploitation of Africa by France and other European powers.

The OIC, European Union, and UN must all work to end all colonial systems of exploitation by former colonial powers. Until then, their programmes to end global poverty and deal with the refugee and migration crises are just window dressing for continued European and Western colonialism and imperialism.

Burkina Faso, Mali, and now Niger are threatening to exit the post-colonial system of exploitation by France. France will not let go easily, after all its own status as a global power is dependent on it. The Muslim world and African states must stand in solidarity with Niger and against French and US intervention. What we are seeing in Africa is the latest phase in the struggle for independence from colonialism.

[i] The French colony of Haiti in the Caribbean was also made to pay colonial debt and reparations for the abolition of slavery after it gained independence in 1825. This poor country was made to pay a crippling $21bn debt which was only paid up in 1947, after 122 years. Haiti is still under the colonial grip of France and the USA.

The British Empire also had its system of colonial taxes which it imposed on parts of its empire, including on the USA, which led to the Boston Tea Party and culminated in the American civil war and full independence.

[ii] France, some European states, and Western media try to downplay the extent of French neo-colonialism and the CFA Franc system, often trying to justify its benefits and dispute the extent of coercion. However, there is increasing anger at the French among Africans, and now a much better understanding of how it has exploited West Africa. A much deeper analysis is provided by Senegalese development economist in his book, Ndongo Samba Sylla in “Africa’s Last Colonial Currency: The CFA Franc Story”.