Is France Losing Grip on Former Colonies?

The cancellation by Malian Interim President Assimi Goita of 8 out of the 11 colonial agreements concluded with France back in 1959 puts a big question mark on France’s influence in Africa and whether it was on the wane.
Many African countries are following suit, such as Burkina Faso which kicked out the French Special Forces on its territory since 2018 and the Gabonese opposition which is refusing that Macron sets foot in Libreville.
The former French colonizer, even when it agreed to give its African colonies their independence, made sure to remove itself physically while ensuring and maintaining its interests in every inch of the newly-liberated African states.
14 French-speaking countries of the CFA zone signed eleven agreements which are detrimental to their peoples and states to say the least.
The first agreement concerns colonial debt which means that the newly independent States must pay back, INDEFINITELY, the cost of infrastructure built by France during the colonization.
The second obliges the same African countries to deposit their financial reserves in France’s Bank, as the French government has direct control over their monetary policies (80% of African financial reserves are deposited in an account controlled by the French administration).
The third gives France the right to be the first party to exploits the land resources of its former colonies.
The fourth agreement prioritizes French companies regarding tenders, while the fifth grants France the right to supply military equipment and train African military officers.
The sixth agreement is about France’s right to deploy troops and intervene militarily in the country to defend its interests.
The seventh makes French the country’s official language, while the eighth imposes the use of the CFA Franc in African countries.
The ninth agreement requires African central banks’ directors to send France an annual balance sheet and a report on reserves.
For the tenth agreement, it forbids the African countries to form military alliances with other parties without France’s approval.
As for the eleventh, it imposes on these countries to fight alongside France in case of war or world crisis.
This bold move by Goita and subsequent steps by other African countries show that France is losing ground in Africa, particularly in light of the tough competition from China and Russia, which have started investing substantially there.