These eleven reasons are included, among others, in the main causes of the "divorce" with Paris, which only countries like Mali, the Central African Republic, Burkina Faso or the Democratic Congo are showing their faces. The others are waiting for the starting gun, of course.
Agreement on the colonial debt to pay the benefits of colonization: The newly independent states were to repay the cost of infrastructure built by France during colonization. It remains to be known the costs, assessment of benefits and payment conditions imposed by France on African countries.
Agreement on automatic confiscation of national financial reserves: African countries should deposit their financial reserves with the Banque de France.
Thus, France "guarded" since 1961 the financial reserves of 14 African countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville , Equatorial Guinea and Gabon).
Monetary policy remains asynchronous and incomplete due to the fact that it is piloted directly by Paris. Under the conditions binding the banks of the 14 countries in the CFA economic and financial zones, they are obliged to keep 65% of their foreign exchange reserves in a French Treasury operations account, as well as 20% to cover “financial risks”.
In addition, banks in the CFA zones impose a credit limit on each member country equivalent to 20% of State revenue for the current budget year, although the BEAC or BCEAO have greater possibilities of withdrawing from the French Treasury.
These withdrawals must first be approved by the French Treasury. The final decision therefore rests with the French Treasury, which itself invested the reserves of African countries in the Paris Stock Exchange. In other words, 85% of African financial reserves are deposited in a current account controlled by the French administration.
The two banks in the CFA zone are African in name, but they do not decide any monetary policy on their own.
What is worse is that the countries themselves do not even know what their share of financial reserves is.
Agreement on the right of first refusal over any raw or natural resource discovered in the country: France has preference in purchasing the natural resources of its former colonies. In other words, only if France refuses can African countries look for other partners.
Agreement on prioritizing French interests and companies in public contracts and tenders: In the award of public contracts, French companies have priority over public tenders, although African countries may obtain better value for money elsewhere.
In most former French colonies, all the countries' economic levers are in the hands of French expatriates.
In Côte d'Ivoire, for example, French companies own and control all major public services, including water, electricity, telephone, air transport, ports, major banks and trade, construction and agriculture.
Agreement on the exclusive right to provide military equipment and training of military officers: Thanks to a sophisticated system of scholarships, subsidies and “defense agreements” linked to the colonial pact, Africans must send their senior officers for training in France. Countries are obliged to stock up on French military equipment.
Agreement on the right of France to deploy troops and intervene militarily in the country to defend its interests: Under the so-called "Defence Agreements" attached to the colonial pact, France has the right to intervene militarily in African countries, and also to station troops permanently in military bases and installations, which it completely manages.
Agreement on the mandatory use of French as the official language of the country and the language of instruction: An organization for the French language and for the dissemination of French culture was even created. It is called “Francophony” and has several satellite organizations. These organizations are affiliated with and controlled by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Agreement on the mandatory use of the CFA Franc (Frank for the French Colonies in Africa): Although this system is not shared by the European Union, the former French colonies are obliged to use the FCFA exclusively.
Agreement on the obligation to send to France an annual balance sheet and a report on the situation of reserves: The director of the central banks of the former colonies presents this report at the annual meetings of the Ministers of Finance of the former colonies. This report is then compiled by the Banque de France and the French Treasury.
Agreement to renounce all military alliances with other countries unless authorized by France: Most of these countries only have military alliances with their former colonizers simply because France has prohibited them from any other military alliance.
Agreement on the mandatory alliance with France in case of war or world crisis: More than a million African soldiers fought for the defeat of Nazism and Fascism in World War II. Now that France is militarily linked to the European Union, NATO and the United States, these African countries will be engaged alongside France in the event of World War III.
