Reforms in France's cooperation with
Africa have made no change in the real nature of French-African
relations, says the chairman of 'Survie' association,
Francois-Xavier Verschave.
Speaking to PANA at the end of his visit to Senegal, Verschave
described the reforms as a mere cosmetic operation.
Verschave said that when French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin
came to power in 1997, he "was immediately caught in the
triangle of the three 'Es', that is Elysee (presidential palace),
Elf and Etat-major (military command), which quickly took a
series of measures in Chad, Congo, Gabon", totally stifling his
attempted reforms.
According to Verschave, Jospin's choice of Hubert Vedrine - who
claims to be the heir to Francois Mitterand - as foreign
minister, was another sign that "real changes are not on
the agenda".
"When the cohabitation (between Chirac and Jospin) ends, things
may change, but I think that there will not be real changes
before 2002", he explained.
On the new leading elite in Africa, more or less democratically
elected, Verschave said "what matters is the legitimacy of
power".
"The democratically elected regimes in Africa represent a
considerable step forward, but they are very few. In most cases,
governments are installed through shameless vote rigging", he
noted.
The legitimate regimes were in Senegal, Niger, Guinea-Bissau,
Cape Verde, Nigeria, Ghana, he said, adding that in
French-speaking Africa, "one would not describe as legitimately
elected the governments of Cameroon, Chad, Gabon, Togo, Burkina
Faso and Guinea "which took power through repeated vote rigging".
Regarding relations between France and Africa, Verschave, who is
the author of 'Noir Silence', a book in which he denounces fraud
and for which he was sued by three African heads of state,
explained that the system was set up in 1960 by Gen. Charles de
Gaulle and his right-hand man Jacques Foccart.
"It is a mechanism aimed at denying African independence by
setting up a number of political, economic, financial, monetary,
military and intelligence instruments to keep African countries
under French tutelage", he said.
He said the system worked thanks to African accomplices
chosen by French officials among "friendly" heads of state whom
"they put in power through extreme violence, such as in Cameroon,
or through vote rigging or corruption".
"This forty-year-old affair has continued unknown to the majority
of Africans and French citizens. Until recently, 95 percent of
French people did not know that this existed and could not even
imagine such a situation".
"The hidden mechanisms set up to reject the new international
legality of African independence is beneficial only to a small
number of people, French and African.
"Until two or three years ago, all this seemed nonsensical to
French people in the concept of France-Africa relations. But
now, the work we have carried out is a reference", he stressed.
According to Verschave, the major impact of such work was felt
in Africa, even though it was not the initial aim. "In fact,
initially, the books were aimed at French citizens to enlighten
them on what is being done on their behalf".
Having won the court case filed against him by presidents
Denis Sassou Nguesso of Congo, Omar Bongo of Gabon and Idriss
Deby of Chad, Verschave said the "verdict was felt by many
Africans as a great victory".
"For 120 years, all those sued for contempt of a head of state
had been sentenced, even if the head of state was Hitler or
Mussolini", he recalled, expressing his satisfaction at being
among the first defendants to escape the French law.
"The case is not over because the plaintiffs have appealed
against the ruling", he said.
After 'Noir Silence', Verschave has published another book this
year in the series "Dossiers noirs", entitled "L'Envers de la
Dette" (the other side of the debt).
The book contains revelations on economic and political crime
which "led to the piling up of debt in Congo and Angola".
"This is unbearable and causes three types of damage - the theft
of oil, an unjustified debt burden, with part of the money used
to purchase weapons for civil war.
"The next stage will be the 2002 presidential election in France,
during which we will certainly publish new revelations", he
announced.
In 'Noir Silence', Verschave accuses Sassou Nguesso of "crimes
against humanity", Deby of "trafficking forged currency" and
being a "murderer", while Bongo is accused of "legitimising a
dictatorship through vote rigging".
