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Ibrahim Khan accuses Emmanuel Macron of rebranding as a “Pan-Africanist” in…

2026-05-12 · 10:53 UTC ·@FrenchResponse ·2 min read

Brief

Ibrahim Khan condemns Emmanuel Macron’s Nairobi “Pan-Africanist” posture, citing a 2017 humiliation of President Kaboré, the 2022–2024 expulsions of French troops (Operation Barkhane), and the CFA franc’s 50% reserve rule as evidence of French domination. He labels Macron’s Gaza stance hypocritical and describes eleven Nairobi deals (railway to fiber optics) as PR-driven outreach after France’s Sahel defeats.

Why it matters

Ibrahim Khan accuses Emmanuel Macron of rebranding as a “Pan-Africanist” in Nairobi while previously humiliating Burkina Faso’s President Kaboré in November 2017 by jokingly telling him to “fix the air conditioning.”

Key details

  • He states that Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger evicted French troops (Operation Barkhane) between 2022–2024 and claims the CFA franc system forced African states to deposit 50% of their reserves in the French Treasury.
  • Khan calls Macron hypocritical for providing diplomatic cover for Israel in Gaza and argues the 11 new Nairobi deals (including a railway and fiber-optic projects) are a “desperate pivot” to East Africa after losing influence in the Sahel.
Source evidence

African sovereignty means African countries are free to choose their partners - ending partnerships with France as well as entering into new agreements with France when that serves their interests.

ibrahimkhanofficial (@Sh_Ibrahimkhan)

My beloved brother,

There is a profound irony in Emmanuel Macron rebranding as a “Pan-Africanist” in Nairobi. True Pan-Africanism is about dignity, yet this is the same leader who, in November 2017 at the University of Ouagadougou, publicly humiliated President Kaboré by jokingly telling him to “fix the air conditioning.” You do not get to lecture on “partnership” when your default is colonial condescension and “civilizational” insults regarding African fertility.

  1. The Sahel Eviction & Financial Shackles
    The reality of May 2026 is that Macron is only in Kenya because he was shown the door elsewhere. Between 2022 and 2024, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger evicted French troops (Operation Barkhane) for prioritizing extraction over security. For decades, the CFA Franc system forced African nations to deposit 50% of their reserves in the French Treasury—a colonial tax in a 21st-century wrapper. France did not “withdraw” from the Sahel; it was defeated by the very African agency it claims to support.

  2. The Gaza Hypocrisy
    While Macron smiles for cameras in Kenya, he has spent months providing diplomatic cover and support for Israel’s actions in Palestine, even as the Global South demands justice and an end to the occupation. You cannot claim to be a friend of the oppressed in Africa while standing on the wrong side of history in Gaza. True Pan-Africanism is rooted in global liberation, not selective morality.

  3. Refusing the Propaganda
    The 11 new deals signed here—from the Nairobi railway to fiber optics—are not “gifts”; they are a desperate pivot to East Africa after losing the West. We must not be the PR team that clears his image. I would rather support my African brothers in the Sahel who had the courage to kick him out than sit in a chair and validate a leader who views our continent as his backup plan. Africa needs allies, not supervisors.

— https://nitter.net/Sh_Ibrahimkhan/status/2053802325689479229#m