French President Emmanuel Macron called on young Algerians and Africans in Algiers on Friday to “not get carried away” by the “huge manipulation” of “underhand” remote-controlled “networks” by foreign powers who present the France as the “enemy” of their countries. “I simply want to say African youth: explain the problem to me and don’t get carried away because your future is not anti-France”, declared Emmanuel Macron, questioned by the press on “the disenchantment of France” in some African countries, on the second day of his visit to Algeria.
“Yes, France is criticized. It is criticized for the past, (…) because misunderstandings have been left to settle for too long, and also because there is immense manipulation”, he said. -he adds. “Let’s be clear: many political Islam activists have an enemy: France; many of the networks that are pushed covertly, which by Turkey, which by Russia, which by China, have an enemy: France”, he continued, denouncing the “influence, neo-colonial and imperialist agenda” of these countries. “There is an enemy, it’s France. Everyone agrees, it’s too easy”, according to him. “It may have been the fight of your grandparents, of your parents, but, everywhere in Africa, you are told cracks, carabistouilles”.
“Time to restore trust”
“Let’s move on,” he added, acknowledging that it took “time to rebuild trust.” “But I do it with patience, commitment and affection for the African continent and for Algeria”. Emmanuel Macron had made a similar speech during a visit at the end of July to three African countries, including Cameroon, where he had strongly denounced the “hybrid presence” of Russia in Africa, which “goes through disinformation and militias”, and which “is a concern first and foremost for the African continent”.
In Algiers, he pleaded to “strengthen the partnership with Algeria” in the fight against the terrorist threat in the Sahel. This includes “avoiding that mercenaries can flourish in the region, in particular those of Wagner”, he added, referring to the private Russian group active in Mali, from where the l ‘French army.