France Shifts Africa Focus to Kenya After Sahel Withdrawals

France is preparing to hold the Africa-France Summit in Kenya next week, the first time the event has occurred in a non-Francophone, English-speaking African country since 1973. Kenyan leaders are focusing on infrastructure upgrades amid rising fuel costs linked to the U.S.-Israel war on Iran.

The summit follows a new five-year defense cooperation agreement between France and Kenya, along with the deployment of 800 French soldiers to Mombasa for joint training. These steps indicate a change in French policy toward Africa after withdrawals from West Africa and the Sahel.

Starting in 2020, military coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger led new leaders to demand the removal of French troops. Senegal, Chad, and the Ivory Coast later made similar requests.

Regional Shifts and U.S.

troops from an air base near Agadez where the U.S. had invested about $280 million for counter-terrorism operations. Kenya hosts U.S. bases in Mombasa and Manda Bay, used for drone strikes in Somalia and Yemen. Kenya also participates in a U.S.-backed police operation in Haiti and joined Operation Prosperity Guardian to address attacks on Red Sea shipping. U.S.

and Concerns French President Emmanuel

Macron invited President William Ruto to the G7 summit in France this June, while excluding South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. France has offered business deals, investments, and partnership agreements to summit attendees. Kenyan officials stated the defense pact aims to enhance Kenya's capabilities in maritime security, intelligence exchange, and disaster relief through French training and technology.

The agreement is automatically renewable for another five years. Kenyan lawmakers have raised concerns about national sovereignty, noting that it grants French troops immunity from prosecution in Kenyan courts. These concerns reference the 2012 murder of Agnes Wanjiru, last seen with a British soldier in Nanyuki, where the soldier has not been tried despite extradition requests.

“Shielding foreign soldiers from prosecution presents the perennial challenge of uneven treaties for Kenya and Africa in general.”