THE CHALLENGES OF COLONIAL RULE IN WEST AFRICAN SAHEL -THE CASE OF FRENCH WEST AFRICA 1900 -1930 (original) (raw)

Périodiser la fin de l'esclavage: Le droit colonial, la Société des Nations et la résistance des esclaves dans le Sahel nigérien, 1920-1930

Annales. Histoire, Sciences Sociales, 2017

RésuméQuand, comment et pourquoi l'esclavage a-t-il disparu dans le Sahel nigérien – si tant est qu'il ait complètement disparu ? Quels processus ont favorisé l’émancipation des personnes réduites en esclavage ? Quelles étaient les stratégies des administrateurs coloniaux, des propriétaires d'esclaves, des trafiquants, des esclaves eux-mêmes et de leurs descendants ? Au cours des deux premières décennies de l'occupation française du Sahel central, l'abolition légale n'a pas abouti à l’éradication de l'esclavage car les lois n’étaient pas appliquées. Mais, à partir des années 1920, l'internationalisation de l'abolition qui a suivi la création de la Société des Nations a entraîné la mise en œuvre des lois contre l'esclavage. Cet article entend montrer que l’émancipation a connu une impulsion initiale grâce à la mise en place de mécanismes internationaux de surveillance en mesure de (dé)légitimer le pouvoir colonial à un moment où personne ne che...

Кривушин FRANCE AND SUB SAHARAN AFRICA IN THE POST COLONIAL ERA

The article examines the history of relations between France and its former colonies in Western and Central Africa after independence, and the Françafrique as a neo-colonial phenomenon and a specific Gaullist instrument of great power politics. The author studies the main trends in France's African policy, its objectives, postures and bottlenecks, and he tries to answer why these lost its efficacy in the post-Cold War era. The article shows how France's political and economic role in Africa gradually diminished in the 1990s -2000s, and proposes a possible scenario for the future development of relationships between France and African countries for the near and medium term.

Sahel, Sahara and Savannah (Sahvara) Responses to Uneven Development in West Africa

International Journal of African Studies, 2024

A systematic and comprehensive study of Sahel, Sahara and Savannah ("Sahvara") responses to uneven development in West Africa since the colonial period has not been undertaken. This paper attempts to begin to close this gap. Drawing largely on the secondary literature, it outlines the north-south tensions that existed in several West African territories under colonial rule, which persisted during the period of decolonization. During the postcolonial period, economically lagging northern regions increasingly asserted centralised power in different countries through military coups and/or electoral victories, although this was not an option for demographically and politically weak lagging regions such as northern Mali and northern Ghana. The high level of military coups in West Africa, Mano River Region crisis and expansion of terrorism in the Sahara, Sahel, Lake Chad Basin and, potentially, northern regions of Gulf of Guinea countries, should be interpreted in light of this long-term tension associated with uneven development in West Africa.

The Sahel and the Malian crisis

The French intervention has created a totally new situation on the ground and generated effects and consequences of various natures that are assessed in reference to the end-states desired by Mali and relevant international actors. For the international community it is important to address the local, national, regional and international dimensions of the crisis. The International Community should pay attention to three interlocking processes. In the first place the process of stabilization of Mali and the reconstruction of the State and of the social contract between the State and its citizens. In the second place the international Community should focus increasingly its attention to the regional dimension of the crisis as AQMI and affiliates will engage in asymmetric attacks across the larger Sahara-Sahel region. The third dimension to pay attention to relates to the struggle against radicalization and the spread of religious intolerance. Better approaches are required to fight in this war of ideas and values. The International Community needs a better strategic concept to deal with the crisis in Mali and in the Sahel, integrating all tools at its disposal, military and security, diplomatic, economic and aid cooperation, mediation, etc in a real, and not rhetorical, “comprehensive approach”.

THE FRENCH ARMY AS A EUROPEAN LEADER: THE SAHEL'S SECURITISATION AND STABILISATION

2021

The Sahel is a region located to the south of the Sahara Desert stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in Mauritania to the shores of the Red Sea in Sudan and Eritrea. It covers Mauritania, Burkina-Faso, Mali, Niger and Chad, an area of three million square kilometres. It is a transitional biome between the arid Sahara and greener savannahs further south. Due to its harsh weather and desertification since the second half of the twentieth century, the region has become increasingly uninhabitable and has been characterised by famines, droughts, and social conflict.

FRANCE'S AFRICAN COLONIAL POLICIES IN THE EXAMPLE OF NORTH AFRICA

2023

Between the 18th and the 20th century, France built a great colonial empire in Africa. The French Colonization had its authentic mentality since France as a state passed many historical developments, which consequently affected its colonial methods. The study aims to review summarily the French colonial policy by identifying general determinants for its methods by taking North Africa as a study case. The study starts with a brief look at the history of French colonialism and the philosophy of French colonialism. Then, the study reviews North Africa as a study case briefly as a practical example of those colonial styles. Throughout the essay, the study uses the historical approach and deduction from specific to general, and from the study case to generalize the whole scope of the study, to reach the result that the French colonization was more direct and violent compared to the British one. However, the French colonization was still influenced by the British methods in some areas, and North Africa is one of them. Moreover, the French colonization was based more on the idea of making those colonies part of the homeland of France, especially after the French Revolution.

Francafrique - A literature review and statistical analysis of historic and contemporary policies and practices perpetuating French neo-colonialism and neo-crusades in the Sahel region of Africa

Neo-Colonialism is a relatively well-known concept though most people don’t really understand the specific details as to how it is implemented. This paper examines those details - the economic and military mechanisms of Neo-colonialism in conjunction with another aspect of that combined process herein dubbed “Neo-Crusading,” which thus far has effectively and conveniently “slipped under the radar” of the western mainstream press and even the alternative press. Statistical data is provided and analyzed to support the belief that “Neo-crusading” is a significant part of the Neo-colonial process in 14 participating CFA franc scheme nations in Western Africa as demonstrated by correlations between UNDP development data and relative percentages of Muslims and Christians in the participating nations. The four most developed of the 14 nations studied have high percentages of Christians in those nations, above 50% whereas four of the five least developed nations in the 14 participating CFA franc scheme countries have high percentages of Muslims in those nations, above 50% with three of those four Muslim countries being natural resource rich countries (Niger, Chad & Mali). Market fluctuations in oil prices alone cannot explain why Niger is according to UNDP figures the single least developed country in the world while simultaneously being one of the natural resource richest countries in the world. Niger provides almost half the uranium France needs for its energy consumption. That both African Christian and Muslim populations are disproportionately poor given their natural resources is certainly true, however strong correlations suggest African Catholic nations are being robbed less than African Protestants, who are robbed less than the most discriminated against people on earth, African Muslims. Numerous potential solutions are offered at the end of this analytic study and literature review.

FRENCH COLONIALISM TO NEO-COLONIALISM IN MALI: AN ANALYTICAL STUDY

The history of colonialism is very interesting and has had a noteworthy impact on the contemporary world. Between 1870 to the mid twentieth century, the continent of Africa encountered the full force of European colonialism. European powers fought each other to establish their footprint on the continent. Around 17th century, France began to establish its historical, economic and political footprint in Africa. Amongst other European countries, France expanded the most and by the 19th century it had conquered vast territories in West Africa. Nevertheless, a process of decolonization began in the latter half of the 20 th century against the backdrop of the Second World War. Although France ceased to govern these territories directly, it still retained substantial politico-economic clout in the region. Paris also cultivated strategic security partnerships with its former colonies in Africa. Between 1963 and 2013, France undertook several interventions. Mali, located in West Africa, officially got independence from France in 1960. Still, it carries vestiges of its colonial past. This paper studies the continuing French influence in Mali, and how this former French colony in West Africa became victim of a resource war.