Editor’s Note: Every Friday, WPR Senior Editor Robbie Corey-Boulet curates the top news and analysis from and about the African continent.
In many respects, the Africa policy of French President Emmanuel Macron has looked similar to that of his predecessor, Francois Hollande. Both men have overseen large-scale military deployments on the continent while stressing the need for African governments to, eventually, provide for their own security in combating terrorism and other threats. Both men have also talked about the potential of economic development to curb the migration of Africans to Europe.
But in his management of one relationship that has significant implications for France’s reputation in Africa, Macron is charting a somewhat different path: He is pursuing a more vigorous rapprochement with Rwandan President Paul Kagame, a leader with whom French officials have had a stormy relationship since the 1994 Rwandan genocide.