Did
you know many African countries continue to pay colonial tax to France since
their independence till today!
When Sékou Touré of Guinea decided in 1958 to
get out of french colonial empire, and opted for the country independence, the
french colonial elite in Paris got so furious, and in a historic act of fury
the french administration in Guinea destroyed everything in the country
which represented what they called the benefits from french colonization.
Three thousand French left the country, taking
all their property and destroying anything that which could not be moved:
schools, nurseries, public administration buildings were crumbled; cars, books,
medicine, research institute instruments, tractors were crushed and sabotaged;
horses, cows in the farms were killed, and food in warehouses were burned or
poisoned.
The purpose of this outrageous act was to send a
clear message to all other colonies that the consequences for rejecting France
would be very high.
Slowly fear spread trough the african elite, and
none after the Guinea events ever found the courage to follow the example of
Sékou Touré, whose slogan was “We prefer freedom in poverty to opulence in
slavery.”
Sylvanus Olympio, the
first president of the Republic of Togo, a tiny country in west Africa, found a
middle ground solution with the French.
He didn’t want his country to continue to be a
french dominion, therefore he refused to sign the colonisation continuation
pact De Gaule proposed,
but agree to pay an annual debt to France for the so called benefits Togo got
from french colonization.
It was the only conditions for the French not to
destroy the country before leaving. However, the amount estimated by
France was so big that the reimbursement of the so called “colonial debt” was
close to 40% of the country budget in 1963.
The financial situation of the newly independent
Togo was very unstable, so in order to get out the situation, Olympio decided
to get out the french colonial money FCFA (the franc for french african
colonies), and issue the country own currency.
On January 13, 1963, three days after he started
printing his country own currency, a squad of illiterate soldiers backed
by France killed the first elected president of newly independent
Africa. Olympio was killed by an ex French Foreign
Legionnaire army sergeant called Etienne
Gnassingbe who supposedly received a bounty of $612 from the local
French embassy for the hit man job.
Olympio’s dream was to build an independent
and self-sufficient and self-reliant country. But the French didn’t like the
idea.
On June 30, 1962, Modiba Keita ,
the first president of the Republic of Mali, decided to withdraw from the
french colonial currency FCFA which was imposed on 12 newly independent
African countries. For the Malian president, who was leaning more to a
socialist economy, it was clear that colonisation continuation pact
with France was a trap, a burden for the country development.
On November 19, 1968, like, Olympio, Keita will
be the victim of a coup carried out by another ex French Foreign legionnaire,
the Lieutenant Moussa
Traoré.
In fact during that turbulent period of African
fighting to liberate themselves from European colonization, France would
repeatedly use many ex Foreign legionnaires to
carry out coups against elected presidents:
- On January 1st, 1966, Jean-Bédel Bokassa,
an ex french foreign legionnaire, carried a coup against David Dacko, the first
President of the Central African Republic.
- On January 3, 1966, Maurice Yaméogo,
the first President of the Republic of Upper Volta, now called Burkina Faso,
was victim of a coup carried by Aboubacar
Sangoulé Lamizana, an ex French legionnaire who fought with french troops
in Indonesia and Algeria against these countries independence.
- on 26 October 1972, Mathieu Kérékou
who was a security guard to President Hubert Maga,
the first President of the Republic of Benin, carried a coup against the
president, after he attended French military schools from 1968 to 1970.
In fact, 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.
Number of Coups
in Africa by country
|
Ex French colonies
|
Other African countries
|
||
|
Country
|
Number of coup
|
Country
|
number of coup
|
|
Togo
|
1
|
Egypte
|
1
|
|
Tunisia
|
1
|
Libye
|
1
|
|
Cote d’Ivoire
|
1
|
Equatorial Guinea
|
1
|
|
Madagascar
|
1
|
Guinea Bissau
|
2
|
|
Rwanda
|
1
|
Liberia
|
2
|
|
Algeria
|
2
|
Nigeria
|
3
|
|
Congo – RDC
|
2
|
Ethiopia
|
3
|
|
Mali
|
2
|
Ouganda
|
4
|
|
Guinea Conakry
|
2
|
Soudan
|
5
|
|
SUB-TOTAL 1
|
13
|
||
|
Congo
|
3
|
||
|
Tchad
|
3
|
||
|
Burundi
|
4
|
||
|
Central Africa
|
4
|
||
|
Niger
|
4
|
||
|
Mauritania
|
4
|
||
|
Burkina Faso
|
5
|
||
|
Comores
|
5
|
||
|
SUB-TOTAL 2
|
32
|
||
|
TOTAL (1 + 2)
|
45
|
TOTAL
|
22
|
As these numbers demonstrate, France is quite
desperate but active to keep a strong hold on his colonies what ever the cost,
no matter what.
In March 2008, former French President Jacques Chirac said:
“Without Africa, France will slide down into the
rank of a third [world] power”
Chirac’s predecessor François Mitterand
already prophesied in 1957 that:
”Without Africa, France will have no
history in the 21st century”
At this very moment I’m writing this article, 14
african countries are obliged by France, trough a colonial pact, to put
85% of their foreign reserve into France central bank under French minister of
Finance control. Until now, 2014, Togo and about 13 other african
countries still have to pay colonial debt to France. African leaders who refuse
are killed or victim of coup. Those who obey are supported and rewarded
by France with lavish lifestyle while their people endure extreme poverty,
and desperation.
It’s such an evil system even denounced by
the European Union, but France is not ready to move from that colonial system
which puts about 500 billions dollars from Africa to its treasury year in year
out.
We often accuse African leaders of corruption
and serving western nations interests instead, but there is a clear explanation
for that behavior. They behave so because they are afraid the be killed or
victim of a coup. They want a powerful nation to back them in case of
aggression or trouble. But, contrary to a friendly nation protection, the
western protection is often offered in exchange of these leaders renouncing to
serve their own people or nations’ interests.
African leaders would work in the interest of
their people if they were not constantly stalked and bullied by colonial
countries.
In 1958, scared about the consequence of
choosing independence from France, Leopold Sédar Senghor
declared: “The choice of the Senegalese people is independence; they want
it to take place only in friendship with France, not in dispute.”
From then on France accepted only an
“independence on paper” for his colonies, but signed binding “Cooperation
Accords”, detailing the nature of their relations with France, in particular
ties to France colonial currency (the Franc), France educational system,
military and commercial preferences.
Below are the 11 main components of the Colonization
continuation pact since 1950s:
#1. Colonial Debt for the benefits
of France colonization
The newly “independent” countries should
pay for the infrastructure built by France in the country during colonization.
I still have to find out the complete details
about the amounts, the evaluation of the colonial benefits and the terms of
payment imposed on the african countries, but we are working on that (help us
with info).
#2. Automatic confiscation of national
reserves
The African countries should deposit
their national monetary reserves into France Central bank.
France has been holding the national reserves of
fourteen african countries since 1961: Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau,
Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo, Cameroon, Central African Republic,
Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.
“The monetary policy governing such a diverse
aggregation of countries is uncomplicated because it is, in fact, operated by
the French Treasury, without reference to the central fiscal authorities of any
of the WAEMU or the CEMAC. Under the terms of the agreement which set up these
banks and the CFA the Central Bank of each African country is obliged to keep
at least 65% of its foreign exchange reserves in an “operations account” held
at the French Treasury, as well as another 20% to cover financial liabilities.
The CFA central banks also impose a cap on
credit extended to each member country equivalent to 20% of that country’s
public revenue in the preceding year. Even though the BEAC and the BCEAO have
an overdraft facility with the French Treasury, the drawdowns on those
overdraft facilities are subject to the consent of the French Treasury. The
final say is that of the French Treasury which has invested the foreign
reserves of the African countries in its own name on the Paris Bourse.
In short, more than 80% of the foreign reserves
of these African countries are deposited in the “operations accounts”
controlled by the French Treasury. The two CFA banks are African in name, but
have no monetary policies of their own. The countries themselves do not know,
nor are they told, how much of the pool of foreign reserves held by the French
Treasury belongs to them as a group or individually.
The earnings of the investment of these funds in
the French Treasury pool are supposed to be added to the pool but no accounting
is given to either the banks or the countries of the details of any such
changes. The limited group of high officials in the French Treasury who have
knowledge of the amounts in the “operations accounts”, where these funds are
invested; whether there is a profit on these investments; are prohibited from
disclosing any of this information to the CFA banks or the central banks of the
African states .” Wrote Dr. Gary K. Busch
It’s now estimated that France is holding close
to 500 billions African countries money in its treasury, and would do anything
to fight anyone who want to shed a light on this dark side of the old empire.
The African countries don’t have access to that
money.
France allows them to access only 15% of the
money in any given year. If they need more than that, they have to borrow the
extra money from their own 65% from the French Treasury at commercial rates.
To make things more tragic, France impose a cap
on the amount of money the countries could borrow from the reserve. The cap is
fixed at 20% of their public revenue in the preceding year. If the countries
need to borrow more than 20% of their own money, France has a veto.
Former French President Jacques Chirac recently
spoke about the African nations money in France banks. Here is a video of
him speaking about the french exploitation scheme. He is speaking in
French, but here is a short excerpt transcript: “We have to be honest, and
acknowledge that a big part of the money in our banks come precisely from the
exploitation of the African continent.”
#3. Right of first refusal on any raw or
natural resource discovered in the country
France has the first right to buy any natural
resources found in the land of its ex-colonies. It’s only after France would
say, “I’m not interested”, that the African countries are allowed to seek other
partners.
#4. Priority to French interests and
companies in public procurement and public biding
In the award of government contracts, French
companies must be considered first, and only after that these countries
could look elsewhere. It doesn’t matter if the african countries can
obtain better value for money elsewhere.
As consequence, in many of the french
ex-colonies, all the majors economical assets of the countries are in the hand
of french expatriates. In Côte d’Ivoire, for example, french companies own and
control all the major utilities – water, electricity, telephone, transport,
ports and major banks. The same in commerce, construction, and agriculture.
In the end, as I’ve written in a previous
article, Africans
now Live On A Continent Owned by Europeans!
#5. Exclusive right to supply military
equipment and Train the country military officers
Through a sophisticated scheme of scholarships,
grants, and “Defense Agreements” attached to the Colonial Pact, the africans
should send their senior military officers for training in France or French
ran-training facilities.
The situation on the continent now is
that France has trained hundreds, even thousands of traitors and nourish
them. They are dormant when they are not needed, and activated when needed for
a coup or any other purpose!
#6. Right for France to pre-deploy troops
and intervene military in the country to defend its interests.
Under something called “Defence Agreements”
attached to the Colonial Pact, France had the legal right
to intervene militarily in the African countries, and also to
station troops permanently in bases and military facilities in those
countries, run entirely by the French.
countries, run entirely by the French.
When President Laurent Gbagbo of Côte
d’Ivoire tried to end the French exploitation of the country, France organized
a coup. During the long process to oust Gbagbo, France tanks, helicopter
gunships and Special Forces intervened directly in the conflit, fired on
civilians and killed many.
To add insult to injury, France estimated that
the French business community had lost several millions of dollars when in the
rush to leave Abidjan in 2006 the French Army massacred 65 unarmed civilians
and wounded 1,200 others.
After France succeeded the coup, and transferred
power to Alassane
Outtara, France requested Ouattara government to pay compensation to French
business community for the losses during the civil war.
Indeed the Ouattara government paid them twice
what they said they had lost in leaving.
#7. Obligation to make French the official
language of the country and the language for education.
Oui, Monsieur. Vous devez parlez français, la
langue de Molière!
A French language and culture dissemination
organization has been created called “Francophonie” with several satellites and
affiliates organizations supervised by the French Minister of Foreign Affairs.
As demonstrated in this
article, if French is the only language you speak, you’d have access
to less than 4% of humanity knowledge and ideas. That’s very limiting.
#8. Obligation to use France colonial
money FCFA
That’s the real milk cow for France, but
it’s such an evil system even denounced by the European Union, but
France is not ready to move from that colonial system which puts about 500
billions dollars from Africa to its treasury.
During the introduction of Euro currency in
Europe, other european countries discovered the french exploitation
scheme. Many, specially the nordic countries, were appalled and suggested
France get rid of the system, but unsuccessfully.
#9. Obligation to send France annual
balance and reserve report.
Without the report, no money.
Anyway the secretary of the Central banks of the
ex-colonies, and the secretary of the bi-annual meeting of the Ministers of
Finance of the ex-colonies is carried out by France Central bank / Treasury.
#10. Renonciation to enter into military
alliance with any other country unless authorized by France.
African countries in general are the ones with
will less regional military alliances. Most of the countries have only military
alliances with their ex-colonisers! (funny, but you can’t do better!).
In the case France ex-colonies, France forbid
them to seek other military alliance except the one it offered them.
#11. Obligation to ally with France in
situation of war or global crisis
Over one million africans soldiers
fought for the defeat of nazism and fascism during the second world war.
Their contribution is often ignored or
minimized, but when you think that it took only 6 weeks for Germany to defeat
France in 1940, France knows that Africans could be useful for fighting
for la “Grandeur de la France” in the future.
There is something almost psychopathic in the
relation of France with Africa.
First, France is severely addicted to
looting and exploitation of Africa since the time of slavery. Then there
is this complete lack of creativity and imagination of french elite to think
beyond the past and tradition.
Finally, France has 2 institutions which are
completely frozen into the past, inhabited by paranoid and psychopath “haut
fonctionnaires” who spread fear of apocalypse if France would change, and whose
ideological reference still comes from the 19th century romanticism: they are
the Minister of Finance and Budget of France and the Minister of Foreign
affairs of France.
These 2 institutions are not only a threat to
Africa, but to the French themselves.
It’s up to us as African to free ourselves,
without asking for permission, because I still can’t understand for
example how 450 french soldiers in Côte d’Ivoire could control a population of
20 millions people!?
People first reaction when they learn about the french
colonial tax is often a question: “Until when?”
For historical comparison, France made Haiti to pay the
modern equivalent of $21 billion from 1804 till 1947 (almost one century and
half) for the losses caused to french slave traders by the abolition of slavery and
the liberation of the Haitian slaves.