Macron slams 3 West African countries over skipping Africa-France 2026 Summit
By Ndiritu Wanjiru, May 11, 2026French President Emmanuel Macron has lambasted three West African nations for their failure to attend the current African Forward summit, claiming to have not given the impression they were rejecting the entire West African region.
Speaking during the official opening of the summit on Monday, May 11, 2026, Macron has noted the rise of anti-French sentiment in certain parts of West Africa, singling out three Sahel nations that were not present: Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. Macron, in his address, seemed to shrug off the countries, saying that several influential Francophone West African countries were there at the summit.
“You have three countries, and I do regret you decided because of the coup and the actions of some military men in Chad to cast their shadow aside from the rest of the club, either way, aside from ECOWAS, and it doesn’t mean West Africa is not part of this meeting. The biggest leaders of Western Africa will be here,” Macron said.
Macron acknowledged that the heads of state of other West African states that he referred to as ‘strong’, such as Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal, were there and were also dedicated to continuing to engage with France.
France’s breakdown with Sahel countries
The comments from Macron come amid growing anti-French sentiment in the Sahel region, where France has increasingly lost ground since it pulled its military forces from some countries and since a series of military coups have taken place.
Macron further spoke of the coups d’état in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, which are now governed by military regimes that have turned their backs on France and the regional bloc ECOWAS.
In recent years, the three countries have increased their cooperation with Russia and China, looking for security cooperation and financial assistance, while relations with Western countries are in a downward spiral.
The French presence in West Africa has been drastically reduced over the past several years after criticism of the French government’s still ongoing political and economic domination of its former colonies.
The summit in Kenya is considered a part of France’s efforts to reshape its image as a new neutral player in a region that was once dominated by its former colonies and to restore ties with African states.