The French president launched a trilateral tour of Africa on July 25, demonstrating France’s relationship with the continent, which is expected to dominate food security, violence, and talks with African leaders.
French President Emmanuel Macron sharply criticized African leaders’ reaction to the Ukrainian war at a press conference in Yaoundé.
Macron criticized “hypocrisy, especially on the African continent,” denying that the conflict in Ukraine was a war. Some African countries have refrained from openly criticizing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In March, 17 African countries abstained in a UN vote condemning the aggression.
He also said that decentralization is the only solution to the Anglo-Saxon crisis in Cameroon. “Through this political process of dialogue and reform, we can find a lasting solution,” quoted Macron on the privately owned website Journal du Cameroun. He spoke with President Paul Biya of Cameroon in Yaoundé.
According to the Journal du Cameroun, the two leaders also discussed “the threat of jihadistism in northern Cameroon involving Boko Haram” and the conflict between the Cameroon Armed Forces and armed separatist groups.