 How France made these 14 African countries poor? In 2019, a diplomatic row erupted between France and Italy over increased migration to Europe, with Italy's Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio accusing France of impoverishing African countries, stating that if today we still have people leaving Africa, it is due to several European countries, first of all France, that didn't finish colonizing Africa. He further said that France was controlling the economies of 14 African countries that used the CFA Frank, a CFA Frank backed currency pegged to the euro. He then added, if France didn't have its African colonies, because that's what they should be called, it would be the 15th largest world economy. Instead, it's among the first, exactly because of what it is doing in Africa. It's been a few years since Italy's Prime Minister made the statement, and even before that, questions have been asked like, is France really robbing its former African colonies? Is the current relationship between African countries and France preventing successful African development and sovereignty? In this video, we will take a look at facts that will answer these questions and prove that France is truly destroying Africa. To be sure, African leaders can be corrupt and not work in the best interests of their citizens, but even if they wanted to be honest leaders, they would be unable to do so. The big question is, why? The answer is clear. It's simply because the powers that be, that is, the West, would not allow them to do so because they benefit more from Africa in its current state. Let's give a little background story. Following the Congress of Vienna, which sealed Napoleon Bonaparte's fate, France could no longer claim to be a European, let alone an international power. The fall of Alsace-Lorraine to Germany in 1870 was the final nail in the coffin of France's world power status, and it was at that point that they shifted their attention to Africa. They were among the leaders in the enslavement, colonialism, and raping of the African continent. For more than 300 years, France governed more than 20 countries in Western and Northern Africa, encompassing around 35% of the continent. Countries such as Senegal, Ivory Coast, and Benin were used as slave trade centres by France during those years, and all resources in the region were exploited. They stole African gold, diamonds, and other natural resources to construct all of the magnificent structures you see in Paris today. In addition, uprisings launched by individuals fighting for France in the world wars with the promise of independence were mercilessly suppressed. The five-century colonial period and wars of independence in the region killed more than two million Africans. Then, in 1958, President Charles de Gaulle reluctantly decided to hand independence based on French terms to former colonies. Secco-Turé of Gania, who saw the so-called independence, decided to pursue his own country's independence. However, this decision turned out to be a tragic one because when the French colonial elites discovered this, they became so furious, and in a historic act of fury, they destroyed everything in the country that represented what they called the benefits of French colonisation. They took all their possessions as they left and destroyed all they could not take, including schools, nurseries, buildings of the public administration, cars, books, medicines, and instruments of the Research Institute. Contractors were crushed and sabotaged, horses and cows on farms were killed, and stored foods were burned or poisoned. As scandalous and outrageous as this act was, it was obviously meant to send a message to all the other 14 colonies that the consequences of rejecting France's terms would be very high. This was how fear slowly spread through all the other African elites, and no other country found the courage to follow the example of Secco-Turé, whose slogan was We prefer freedom in poverty to opulence in slavery. Thinking of finding a solution to the problem, Sylvainus Olympieux, the first president of the Republic of Togo, a small country in West Africa, found a middle-ground solution with the French. Sylvainus didn't want his country to continue to be a French dominion, and so he refused to sign the colonisation continuation pact that Gao proposed but agreed to pay an annual debt to France for the so-called benefits Togo got from French colonisation. This was the only condition for the French not to destroy the country before leaving. However, the amount estimated by France was so large that the reimbursement of the so-called colonial debt was close to 40% of the country's budget in 1963. Consequently, the financial situation of just independent Togo was very unstable, and in order to get out of this situation, Olympieux decided to leave the monetary system set up by Colonial France, the FCFA, Frank of the French Colonies of Africa, and create the currency of the country. Sadly, on January 13, 1963, just three days after he started printing his country's own currency, a squad of illiterate soldiers backed by France killed the first elected president of newly independent Africa. Olympieux was reportedly killed by an ex-French foreign legionnaire army sergeant called Etienne Yosinbe, who supposedly received a bounty of $612 from the local French embassy for the hitman job, and his dream of a truly independent nation died with him. Olympieux Sylvaines was not the only leader who was killed by the French because they sought independence from France. On June 30, 1962, Maudibicata, the first president of the Republic of Moli, decided to withdraw from the French colonial currency FCFA, which was imposed on 12 newly independent African countries. For the Moli and president, who was leaning more toward a socialist economy, it was clear that the colonization continuation packed with France was a trap and a burden for the country's development. And again, like Olympieux, Cata became a victim of a coup carried out by another ex-French foreign legionnaire, Lieutenant Moussa Traoré, on November 19, 1968. In fact, during that turbulent period of African fighting to liberate themselves from European colonization, France repeatedly used many ex-foreign legionnaires to carry out coups against elected presidents, including David Deco, the first president of the Central African Republic, Maurice Yumiogo, the first president of the Republic of Apovolta, now called Burkina Faso, and President Hubert Mega, the first president of the Republic of Benin. In sum, during the last 50 years, a total of 67 coups happened in 26 countries in Africa, 16 of those countries are French ex-colonies, which means 61% of the coups happened in Francophone Africa. This demonstrates that France is quite desperate but active to keep a strong hold on his colonies, whatever the cost, no matter what. The colonial pact signed between France and the African colonies maintained French control over the African states' economies, it took possession of their foreign currency reserves, it controlled the country's strategic raw materials, it stationed troops in the country with free passage, it demanded that all military equipment be acquired from France, it took over the training of the African police and army, it required that French businesses be allowed to maintain monopoly enterprises in key. Areas such as water, electricity, ports, transport, energy, etc. France not only imposed import restrictions on a variety of commodities from outside the franc zone, but it also imposed minimum volumes of French imports. These treaties, as inhumane as they are, are still in force and operational. For the past half century, the clandestine and powerful African cell has handled France's strategic interests in Africa, reporting only to one person, the French president. Some of the obvious repercussions of a dependency policy for African countries include reliance on the French economy, reliance on the French military, and an open-door policy for French private enterprise. So, in fact, what Italian Prime Minister Luigi stated is correct. France is the West's gendarm in Africa. Its dominion is exercised through a murky network of informal empires, with dominance in trade, banking, military, and political control. Till today, all the Francophone countries remain slaves to the French. They continue to pay an unfair colonial tax as compensation for non-existent benefits of French colonialism, which makes no sense because they are the ones who came to colonize Africa and are therefore supposed to compensate Africa for centuries of enslavement, colonization, rapin, and outright grand larceny. Aside from the colonial debt, all Francophone countries have their national reserves kept by France in the central bank of France. According to estimates, France has almost $500 billion in African countries' money in its treasury each year and will go to any length to maintain it. Furthermore, African countries do not have access to this money. In fact, France forced its former colonies, CFA countries, to deposit 65% of their foreign currency reserves in the French treasury, plus another 20% for financial liabilities, leaving them with only 15% of their own money. And if they require additional funds, they must borrow from France at market rates. Thus, these African republics are French taxpayers, but their populations are not French and do not have access to the public goods and services that their money helps to fund. It's no surprise that France is so developed because it funds itself with money from Africa. One major question is, do French people realize they have been living off the wealth of African countries for over a half century? And if they do know, do they care at all? Aside from that, France has the first right to purchase any natural resources discovered on the territory of its former colonies. African countries are also not free to seek other partners because French interests and enterprises are given preference in public procurement. They have the final say when it comes to natural resources. France also has the sole right to offer military equipment and training to African militaries, as well as to deploy soldiers and intervene in African countries to safeguard France's interests. This means they may violently topple any regime that does not dance to their tune and must only ally with France in times of war or disaster. In addition, France's former colonies are required to use the colonial currency FCFA, the CFA franc, and to submit an annual balance report to France. The Bank of France issues CFA currency and sets the general framework for economic and monetary policy. As a result, countries that use the CFA franc, known collectively as the CFA franc zone, have little to no control over domestic inflation rates. As a result, France reserves the right to depreciate the CFA franc anytime it sees fit, as it did in 1994 when the CFA franc was devalued from 50 CFA francs to 100 CFA francs. By controlling this currency, France keeps its ex-colonies, mostly in western and Sahel Africa, in constant debt, enticing them to borrow more and more. So how do you expect African countries to truly develop when they're busy using all the money they've generated for the past 50 years to pay a so-called colonial debt? This system used by France to continue the colonisation of African countries is an evil one that has even been denounced by the European Union, but France is not ready to move from that colonial system, which puts about $500 billion from Africa into its Treasury Year in and year out. Former French President Jacques Chirac rightly stated. Without Africa, France will slide down into the rank of a third world power. His predecessor, the enigmatic François Mataend, predicted in 1957 that, without Africa, France will have no history in the 21st century. Africa cannot grow as long as France views the continent just as a means of enriching France and advancing France's worldwide political dominance. The French and European invasion of Africa is and has always been a tool used to destroy cultures, cripple civilizations, and reduce societies to ruins. Thankfully, today's African leaders have realized that they have power and don't need France or other Western nations. They now understand that they can refuse to be bullied and will not just follow the lead of the West. Anti-French sentiments have been growing rapidly and spreading all around Africa. The coups in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and most recently Niger have led to these African countries pulling away from France. France's military troops have completely been withdrawn from Mali and Guinea, and if the coup in Niger is successful, they will follow suit. Recently, Mali dropped France as its official language, and it has been seen as a welcome development, signifying an end to the colonial power exercised by France. There is still a lot to be done before African countries can truly be free from the colonial shackles they have been bound in. Hopefully, in the coming years, we will see more changes occur and complete freedom enjoyed by Africans. What do you think? Do leave your comments down below, and don't forget to like and subscribe to our channel.