BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 21. African media emphasize that France is grappling with significant internal and external challenges stemming from political turmoil, social unrest, and a waning presence on the global stage.
According to Echorouk News (Algeria), France is experiencing an "escalation of the political crisis" due to the lack of legitimacy of the new government.
"President Macron, whose positions continue to weaken, formed a cabinet that included some members of the previous government, which caused public dissatisfaction. Social tension has also increased due to economic difficulties, such as inflation and rising prices," Echorouk News noted.
In addition, Echorouk News stressed that France has faced a constitutional crisis, "during which four governments changed in a short time".
"The reason for this was Macron’s unwillingness to acknowledge the results of the legislative elections, which led to a conflict with the lower house of parliament. Macron made concessions to the far-right by appointing extreme right-wing politicians to the government. Some of them made racist comments about former colonial territories. This has increased social division and led to a growing mistrust of the authorities," Echorouk News added.
Loss of international influence
According to Al Araby TV (Qatar), French military presence in Africa continues to diminish.
"Côte d'Ivoire, where French troops had been stationed for decades, joined the list of countries announcing the withdrawal of French forces from their territory," the channel said.
Similar statements were made by Senegal and Chad, where the French government was forced to close military bases.
Besides, according to Radio Bouira (Algeria), France has lost influence over the African continent, which it "exploited for more than a century".
Natural resources, such as Mali’s gold, Niger’s uranium, and Chad’s oil, previously formed the basis of French economic power, but "now there is a powerful awakening of national consciousness in African countries," Radio Bouira said.
France and the US: Geopolitical dependency
TV3 (Algeria) noted that "the US is exerting pressure on France," limiting its international influence. An example of this was the breakdown of the submarine deal with Australia, which underscores that France "has no place in regions considered zones of American influence".
The channel also pointed out that France’s involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war, under US pressure, reinforced the view of its strategic weakness.
"France and Europe may possess economic and financial power but remain strategic and military 'dwarfs,'" TV3 claimed.
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