French military presence undermines sovereignty and independence of African countries, Gift Sambo, expert from the Department of Politics and Government, University of Malawi, told Trend.

According to him, globally, France projects an image of the champion of freedom.

He said that Paris has contributed a lot in areas such as humanitarian aid, peace initiatives, and a culture of humanity that emphasizes the sanctity of human beings.

However, according to the expert, this changes when the issue is about France's relations with its former colonies in Africa.

"France deliberately designs its relationship with the African states in a 'zero sum game' first of all in favor of France itself," Sambo explained.

As the expert pointed out, among others, French companies continue expropriating wealth generated from mineral resources of these countries, keeping them in the economic dependence situation.

Such a scenario has led to the emergence of deep poverty, fuelling discontent among both the elite and the ordinary citizens, as well as creating a ground for political instability, and then the eruption of military regimes among a number of African countries, Sambo mentioned.

Besides, according to the expert, French influence in these countries is often perceived as oppressive, creating psychological lack of will and perpetuating negative dependencies.

He stressed that the French military keeps their presence in former colonies in the name of fighting terrorism, which also undermines the sovereignty and independence of these countries.

Sambo further highlighted that the people of these countries are confident that their political systems remain entangled by the strong influence of the colonial past.

"These circumstances led African political elites to begin searching for new economic blocks for cooperation, seeking rapprochement with other international partners for counterbalance to the French manipulations," the expert added.

According to Sambo, France should review its approach to African countries.

"Firstly, France should embark on a paradigm shift by starting to view African countries as equal partners in development so as to build a win-win relationship. This can be achieved by allowing these former colonies to independently steer development policy in their countries.

Secondly, France should consider embarking on an incremental approach towards the eventual withdrawal of the French military from its former colonies. This will help in building trust between France and its former colonies," he concluded.