Next week, President Emmanuel Macron will embark on a trip of four Central African nations. This is in an effort to offset China and Russia’s expanding influence in the region.
President Macron will attend the One Forest Conference in Gabon on March 1, according to an unnamed French presidential official.
His visit comes at a time when France is growing increasingly concerned about Russia’s expanding presence in French-speaking Africa. In addition to the recent spike in Chinese influence.
France and its western allies accuse the Russian mercenary organization Wagner of operating in Mali and forcibly withdrawing French troops from anti-jihadist missions and the Central African Republic.
Paris has accused Moscow of disseminating disinformation in order to harm French interests in its former colonies.
A French presidential official who didn’t want to be named said that Macron will go to Gabon on March 1 to take part in the One Forest Summit, which aims to protect the forests in the huge Congo Basin.
Thereafter, he will fly to Angola in an effort to boost French ties with Portuguese-speaking Africa.
His voyage concludes on March 3rd and 4th in the adjacent Democratic Republic of the Congo, after the Republic of the Congo.
In July 2017, Macron also went to Cameroon, Benin, and Guinea-Bissau. To the West’s disappointment, many African countries, including India and China, didn’t stay neutral. They also fought back against the Russian invasion.
