France’s Waning Influence in Africa

In a recent article in the Le Figaro newspaper, three right-wing French senators and 96 members of the parliament attacked French president Emmanuel Macron’s policies concerning Africa (The Telegraph, 12 August 2023). Referring to the current coup and chaos in Niger, they wrote, “Today Niger, yesterday Mali, the Central African Republic and Burkina Faso rejected France, French forces, French businesses.” France is unable to control the political unrest in West Africa, a region that was once part of France’s colonial empire. Also, Jean-Herve Jezequel, a project director with the International Crisis Group, concluded that there is “now also a question mark over [France’s] future in West Africa.”

Anti-France sentiment is spreading, even among nations traditionally close to France—including Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire. As France’s influence falters, the Russian Wagner Group is stirring up support for dictators opposed to France. Some warn of the spread of upheaval in Africa if the situation in Niger does not change.

Bible prophecy reveals that at the end of the age, the modern Israelite-descended nations, including France, that have led much of the world will fall from dominance because of their disobedience to God. Moses warned that their adversaries would rise against them and they “shall be the tail” (Deuteronomy 28:44). France has long prided itself on being a “secular” nation. Yet, France has been blessed because of ancient promises to the patriarch Abraham. Now, along with many of the other Israelite-descended nations, the pride of France is fading (cf. Leviticus 26:19) and the nation is reaping the consequences of rejecting the God who was the source of its blessings. To gain a deeper understanding of what is happening in our world today, be sure to read or listen to The United States and Great Britain in Prophecy or Les pays de langue française selon la prophétie.