Françafrique: How France Maintained a Shadow Empire Over Its Former African Colonies

Countries & Cities · Published 10 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: For decades, a clandestine network of political, economic, and military ties linked France to its former African colonies. Known as Françafrique, this system aimed to preserve French global influence long after formal decolonization. Today, as military juntas reject these old agreements, the legacy of this complex, controversial arrangement remains deeply contested.

The term Françafrique, originally coined by Ivory Coast President Félix Houphouët-Boigny in 1955 to describe close ties, was later reclaimed by François-Xavier Verschave in 1998 to expose what he termed a neocolonial scandal. Following the independence of African colonies in 1960, French President Charles de Gaulle sought to maintain France's status as a global power. To achieve this, he relied on the African cell—a group of close advisors and intelligence agents—and a web of personal networks managed by Jacques Foccart, who served as Secretary-General for African and Malagasy Affairs.

Central to this system were the CFA franc currency union and a series of cooperation treaties that allowed France to intervene militarily in the internal affairs of its former colonies. Education also played a role, as young African elites were trained in France to return home and occupy senior civil service positions. While successive French presidents, from Valéry Giscard d'Estaing to Emmanuel Macron, have periodically promised to end these practices, the system proved remarkably resilient, often shifting rather than disappearing. Critics argue that the lack of oversight in these networks facilitated corruption and state racketeering.

In recent years, the regime has faced significant decline. Since 2022, several Sahelian nations, including Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, have denounced defense agreements and expelled French forces. A 2025 report by the French Defense and Armed Forces Commission acknowledged the failure of efforts to renew these relations. As France pivots toward new strategies, such as the 2026 'Africa Forward' summit in Nairobi, the influence of other powers like Russia has grown, further complicating the landscape. The history of Françafrique serves as a stark reminder that the process of decolonization remains an unfinished and highly volatile project.

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