France must be sanctioned for its neo-colonial policy in Africa

France maintains monetary control on 14 African countries which are former French colonies through a shared currency: the CFA-franc. CFA (which CFA initially stood for French Colonies of Africa and which now stands for Financial Community of Africa) comes together with a set of regulations or so-called monetary agreements. One is to have 50% of the foreign exchange reserves of the 14 African countries held at the French Treasury in Paris. This amounts to about 500 billion USD per annum. Those countries, let us recall that, dramatically lack basic infrastructures (roads, schools, hospitals) and are unable to ensure good public services to their populations. Also, the currency is produced in France which reinforces France’s monetary control on those countries
Military interventions: The list of French military interventions in Africa is long and although they are all carried out in the name of human rights protection, democracy or the fight against terrorism they have proven to be driven by ulterior objectives mainly securing French interest on the continent. All in all there have been 37 French military interventions in Africa during the terms of three recent French presidents (Jaques Chirac 33, Nicolas Sarkozy 2, François Hollande 2) after François Mitterand (1981-1995) had sent 60 000 troops in Africa. Apart from the provision of security for governing elites in pro-French regimes and/or for French business people, those interventions have resulted in regime change to install a pro-French regime (Côte d'Ivoire), extended occupation (Central Africa, Mali and Chad) and State destruction and Chaos (Libya).
Control over natural resources : French companies have a quasi-monopoly over the most strategic areas in Francophone economies (electricity, telecommunications, infrastructure, oil, airports and harbours) and this is primarily due to defence agreements signed in the early 60s and the 70s between France its former colonies Central African Republic (1960), Côte d'Ivoire (1961), Togo (1963), Senegal (1973), Cameroon (1974), Djibouti (1977), Comoros (1978). These agreements which were renewed during Nicolas Sarkozy’s term (2007-2012) include clauses which were not made public. These clauses which guarantee priority access to France to strategic commodities and products including liquid or gaseous hydrocarbons; uranium, thorium, lithium and beryllium.
It’s important to remember that every African president who tried to challenge the above mechanisms of French grip over his country has been either been sabotaged, removed from power or killed. Below are three examples.
Sékou Touré ( Guinea): He decided in 1958 to get out of French colonial empire, and opted for the country’s independence, the French colonial elite in Paris got furious, and destroyed everything in the country which represented what they called the benefits from French colonization and flooded the Guinean economy with counterfeit bank notes
Sylvanus Olympio (Togo): He was killed because he wanted to separate France from Togo in terms of currency. After Togo's independence he didn’t want Togo relying on France in any way especially on Frances money known as (CFA franc) to build the country up he wanted to create Togo's own currency and be independent of any aid
Laurent Gbagbo (Ivory Coast): He was removed from power in 2011 by French Forces in Ivory Coast after an electoral dispute and deported to Hague, charged with crime against humanity. Laurent Gbagbo has just been acquitted and liberated with condition after having been detained and kept away from the Ivorian political scene for more than 7 years. He is still prevented from returning to his home country. In between France reinforced its grip over Ivory Coast by, inter alia, doubling the number of its troops in that country.
The economic consequences of that neo-colonial policy can be illustrated by the following facts :No French speaking country ranks among the 12 richest in countries in Africa and 12 of them rank among the 25 poorest countries in the world.