Editor’s Note: Every Friday, WPR Senior Editor Robbie Corey-Boulet curates the top news and analysis from and about the African continent.
French President Emmanuel Macron’s latest Africa trip took him to a region where France doesn’t wield much influence. But the themes he stressed over four days in Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya this week were familiar, underscoring the priorities of a government that, while unhappy with certain aspects of its role in Africa, has no plans to fundamentally alter it.
Macron’s first stop was Djibouti, a former French colony that is home to a French naval base as well as military installations from countries including the U.S., Japan and China. During an appearance with President Ismail Omar Guelleh, Macron raised Western leaders’ favorite Africa-related topic these days: the risks of China’s ramped-up engagement.