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Ministère de la Défense - Operations

Two reforms have had a significant impact on France’s military cooperation with the African states. First, the reform of the French armed forces and the redefinition of French defence policy in 1997-98, in a context of cutbacks in military spending. Second, the 1998 reform of cooperation itself, when the former Cooperation Ministry was integrated into the Foreign Ministry, which resulted notably in the scrapping of the Military Cooperation Mission which was in charge of the African countries of the "champ" – broadly, the former French colonies – and the establishment in the Foreign Ministry of a new Military Cooperation and Defence Directorate covering a broader field and a broader geographical area.

The new guidelines for military cooperation with Africa, adopted by the Defence Council on May 3, 1998, are situated within the framework of a new, broader doctrine based on several major principles: a more restrictive recourse to bilateral military interventions, limited in principle to ensuring the security of French nationals; a reduced permanent presence of French forces in Africa (reflected notably by the closing down of French military installations in the Central African Republic); a "multilateralisation" of the French approach to new forms of insecurity in the continent, in particular through the United Nations.

Support for Africans’ own efforts to take over the management of crises and conflicts – which has translated into the setting up of RECAMP, the program for a strengthening of African peacekeeping capacities – and for further "regionalisation" – involving the creation of multiple national military schools on a regional basis, which has, over a period of a few years, become the key structure for the policy of African military training backed by France.

The 1998 reform was implemented after a period of considerable discussion in France about past practises. Although the French "military umbrella" had worked rather well and contributed to limiting both conflicts and military spending, from the time of the independences until the upheavals of the Cold War or the fears of Libyan ambitions, the 1990s constituted a major turning point.

The changes since 1998 also favored a significant redeployment of military cooperation beyond France’s traditional partners. First, in the direction of non-francophone African states such as Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana and Ethiopia. And then towards the Maghreb and the Middle East. There has also been an extension towards the eastern and central European countries in the context of the broadening of the membership of the European Union and NATO. Also worthy of notice is the rapprochement with the United States and Britain with a view to strengthening cooperation in support of African peacekeeping capacities.

This overhaul has not had any marked impact on the military cooperation and technical assistance agreements concluded by France with 25 countries of sub-Saharan Africa. A more stringent and more concerted management system has been developed and implemented within the framework of more clearly defined projects. At the same time, there has been no review or formal renegotiation of any of the defence agreements, public or secret, concluded with a limited number of African countries. France has visibly not wanted to hint at any form of disengagement in this field.