Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger Pull Out of OIF

Last week, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger announced their withdrawal from yet another French neocolonial institution, the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF).

Although its stated purpose is to promote the French language and greater cooperation among Francophone countries, a joint statement by the three countries accuses that the OIF has, however, become “a remote-controlled political instrument” operated from Paris to suit its “geopolitical considerations”.

The three countries were founding members of the OIF. Its precursor was established in 1970 at a summit in Niger’s capital Niamey as the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation (ACCT), which transformed into the Intergovernmental Agency of French-speaking World (AIF) in 1998 before being re-christened as the OIF in 2005.

Despite their 55 years of contribution to strengthening this organization, the trio complained that the OIF showed a “disregard for their sovereignty” by “selective implementation of sanctions” after the ouster of former France-backed regimes in these countries.

Western-backed institutions attempt to undermine AES states

Amid mass protests demanding the expulsion of French troops from their countries, their armies sided with the anti-imperialist movement, ousting what were domestically perceived as puppet governments of their former colonizer: in Mali in 2020, Burkina Faso in 2022, and Niger in 2023.

The popularly supported military governments that replaced these regimes severed diplomatic ties with France and expelled its troops from the countries.

“Instead of accompanying these countries in achieving the legitimate aspirations of their peoples, in accordance with its objectives of peace, cooperation, and solidarity,” the statement added that the OIF was quick to retaliate by suspending and sanctioning these countries.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), another institution in the region regarded as neocolonial and linked to France and the US, had gone beyond suspensions and imposition of crippling economic sanctions, even threatening a France-backed military invasion of Niger in 2023.

However, the three Sahelian neighbors stood their ground, uniting to form a military pact that evolved into a confederation called the Alliance for Sahel States (AES).

AES’s withdrawal from ECOWAS last year came into effect this January, reducing the land area under the regional bloc to less than half of its original size. Following this, on March 17, Niger and Burkina Faso announced their exit from OIF. Mali followed suit on March 18.

“Mali cannot remain a member of an organization whose actions are incompatible with constitutional principles founded on state sovereignty,” read its Foreign Ministry’s statement.

“It’s never good news to learn that a state wants to leave,” OIF spokesperson Vande Weghe told the RFI. “Of course, we regret the impact this could have on ongoing projects,” she said, adding that the organization will “seek the opinion of states to see to what extent the OIF can remain engaged with the populations of these countries.”

Only 3.7 million of the over 23 million Malians speak French. Nevertheless, French was the designated official language until mid-2023, when the new pro-sovereignty government demoted its status to a ‘working language’ while elevating the multiple African tongues as the “official languages of Mali.”

It is in continuation of this anti-colonial direction that the AES countries announced their withdrawal from OIF, described by Le Monde as “a post-colonial entity that resembles the Commonwealth”.

Their withdrawal will reportedly take effect in six months. Presently, the OIF has 93 member states. However, amid the growing strength of popular movements in France’s former colonies in the Sahel and West Africa – including in Benin, Ivory Coast, Chad, etc – its ability to continue exerting influence through such institutions is weakening fast.

Courtesy: Peoples Dispatch