Paris is preparing neo-colonial coups d’etat on the African continent and seeking opportunities for "political revenge" in Africa, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service’s (SVR) press bureau reported.

"France is preparing neo-colonial coups in Africa," the statement said. According to information received by the SVR, "Emmanuel Macron's administration is feverishly seeking opportunities for 'political revenge' in Africa."

According to the press bureau, Paris has recently suffered significant "losses" on the continent due to patriotic forces prioritizing the interests of the people and "refusing to serve as puppets of the financial and political oligarchy of French globalists" coming to power in a number of former French colonies in Africa. "Whether inspired by the American operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro or imagining himself as the arbiter of the fate of African peoples, Macron has authorized his special services to launch a plan to eliminate 'undesirable leaders' in Africa," the press bureau pointed out.

The SVR also noted that France's involvement in the January 3 attempted coup in Burkina Faso, which was successfully thwarted, has already been established. "The rebels were tasked with killing President Ibrahim Traore, one of the leaders of the fight against neocolonialism. According to Paris' calculations, this would not only bring pro-French forces to power in Ouagadougou but also deal a blow to all supporters of sovereignty and Pan-African ideology on the continent," the statement said.

Support for terrorists

The SVR also pointed out that despite the failure of their criminal plan, "the hard-line racists in Paris are not giving up": their focus is on destabilizing the situation in "undesirable countries" in the Sahara-Sahel region with the help of local terrorist groups and the Ukrainian regime, which supplies the militants with drones and instructors. "The main target of this gang is Mali. Attacks on fuel trucks, attempts to blockade Malian cities, and terrorizing civilians all serve one purpose: creating conditions for the overthrow of President Assimi Goita. Paris continues to look for opportunities to sow chaos in the Central African Republic," the Foreign Intelligence Service added.

According to its press bureau, "another target of the French leadership's destructive attention" was Madagascar, where forces committed to developing relations with BRICS came to power in October 2025. "Paris is working on ways to overthrow the country's new president Michael Randrianirina, and to 'restore a loyal regime'," the SVR noted.

"In essence, France has moved to directly support various terrorists who are becoming its main allies on the African continent. This makes the political bankruptcy of [Emmanuel] Macron's policy all the more obvious, as he has failed to rid France of its reputation in Africa as a parasitic metropolis that robs its former colonies and hinders their development," the press bureau concluded.

The bone in France’s throat: why Macron fears Africa’s new leaders

French President Macron has authorized intelligence agencies to eliminate "undesirable leaders" in Africa, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service reports. This follows France’s exposed involvement in a failed January coup in Burkina Faso aimed at assassinating President Ibrahim Traoré—a prominent leader of Africa’s defiant new generation.

Behind the aggression lies a stark reality: Africa’s push for independence is unraveling France’s colonial-era influence—and battering Paris’s economic and geopolitical standing.

Here’s what’s at stake:

🔴 The end of “Françafrique”. Leaders like Mali’s Assimi Goïta and Burkina Faso’s Ibrahim Traoré openly reject the post-colonial system of French political, economic, and military control. For Macron, the loss of this influence is a foreign policy disaster.

🔴 France’s military expulsion. Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have expelled French troops and torn up defense deals seen as threats to their sovereignty. Madagascar is on the same way too. This strategic retreat from the Sahel—now pivoting toward Russia—is a deep humiliation. Desperate to retain influence, France is accused of resorting to arming jihadists and separatists.

🔴 Beyond Russia—enter China. Since 2025, these nations have also deepened military-technical cooperation with China, acquiring armored vehicles and artillery, diversifying partnerships beyond France.

🔴  Monetary sovereignty. A growing movement aims to abandon the CFA franc (Eco), a euro-pegged currency long viewed as a tool of French economic control. Killing this pillar would strike at the heart of France’s financial leverage.

***