Your account has been succesfully created.

The candidate for the 2022 French presidential election Eric Zemmour. © Blondet Eliot/Abaca via Reuters Connect

In Focus | Africa, France
French presidential hopeful Eric Zemmour's Africa legion

Published on 20.12.2021 at 05:40 GMT Reading time 7 minutes

Lawyers, entrepreneurs, military officers, researchers... while the presidential candidate's campaign has strong anti-immigration overtones, geared especially at those of African descent, that has not stopped him from gathering a posse of advisers used to dealing with those in power on the continent.

Nearly a year ago, on 5 January 2021, when still just a panellist for Face à l'info, a daily news show on the French channel CNews, and not yet presidential candidate, the chronicler Eric Zemmour spoke at length about his view of France's African policy. When questioned by Christine Kelly about the future of Operation Barkhane in Mali, he firmly stated,

This article may be accessed by subscribers

In order to ensure high-quality and independent journalism, Africa Intelligence relies solely on subscriptions from its readers, with no advertising, no events and no consulting work.

Several offers are available depending on your particular reading needs

Consult our offers

Do you want a free trial before subscribing?

Create your free account

Discover our work by making use of the following possibilities: daily newsletters, a selection of free articles, keyword alerts.

Do you want a free trial before subscribing?

create a free account

Africa, France
French embassy shakeups to follow presidential election

Both Hollande and Sarkozy carried out diplomatic reshuffles in embassies just before the end of their mandates, but current French President Emmanuel Macron is not expected to make any such changes before April's presidential election.

Subscribers only Diplomacy 15.02.2022

France, Mali
Diplomatic dispute over Mali's ambassador to Paris turns into political row

Since Africa Intelligence revealed that Bamako had been waiting more than five months for its ambassador to be accredited in Paris, this diplomatic incident has intruded itself upon the French presidential campaign, leading to heated exchanges between government spokesman Gabriel Attal and the Republican candidate Valérie Pécresse.

Subscribers only Diplomacy 04.02.2022

France
Who's advising right-wing presidential hopeful Valérie Pécresse on Africa?

The candidate for Les Republicains plans to visit Senegal in the coming weeks and has tasked her campaign team with drawing up a policy for Africa, a continent her father knows well.

Subscribers only Diplomacy 04.02.2022

The president of the Ile-de-France regional council Valérie Pécresse and the Senegalese president Macky Sall in Dakar in 2019.

Africa, France
Macron's secret weapon to court African diaspora in bid for re-election

A small group of ministers and MPs close to the French president have founded a new political initiative, which will become official in February, called "Pluriel". A halfway house between a political party and a collective, the group hopes to win the support of voters from France's African disapora and the centre-left.

Subscribers only Politics 20.01.2022

French president Emmanuel Macron at the Africa-France Summit on 8 October 2021 in Montpellier.

DRC
DRC picks star arbitrator for conflict with Dan Gertler's Caprikat and Foxwhelp

The Israeli tycoon has been forced to accept arbitration at the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris, the outcome of which could cost him several hundred million dollars. The name of the tribunal's president has not yet been disclosed, but the arbitrators appointed by each party are now known.

Subscribers only Energy 20.12.2021

France, Mali
Emmanuel Macron cancels visit to Bamako

Breaking news published on 17/12/21 at 18:00 - The French president has cancelled his trip to Mali on 20 to 21 December, in part due to the Covid-19 pandemic but mainly because both Paris and Bamako could not agree on what form the visit should take.

Subscribers only Diplomacy 17.12.2021

France, Ivory Coast
Macron and Ouattara to hold one-to-one in Paris

Published on 12/10/21 at 5 p.m. - French president Emmanuel Macron will host his Ivory Coast counterpart Alassane Ouattara in Paris this evening, during which the heads of state are set to discuss the situation in West Africa, in Mali in particular.

Subscribers only Diplomacy 12.10.2021

Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara and French President Emmanuel Macron in May 2021 in Paris.

Horn of Africa
Macron bolsters French presence in Horn

Ambassador Frédéric Clavier is to be France's new special envoy for the Horn of Africa. His job will be to follow the conflict in Tigray and consolidate the work of his predecessor in Sudan since 2019.

Free access Diplomacy 08.10.2021

Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and French president Emmanuel Macron.

Africa2020 sponsors to dine with Emmanuel Macron

President Macron will mark the end of the Africa2020 season by inviting the financiers and companies that sponsored the multidisciplinary pan-African project to the Elysée Palace.

Subscribers only 27.09.2021

Africa
The eventful new life of Trafigura's ex-Africa director Jean-Pierre Valentini

Since his departure from commodities trading firm Trafigura in 2016, Corsican businessman Jean-Pierre Valentini still has a foot in the business. Valentini is now an independent consultant and is close to oil broker Frédéric Fatien with whom he shares a passion for car racing.

Subscribers only Energy 17.03.2021

Jean-Pierre Valentini as a sports car driver for Dubai team GPX Racing.

Insiders | Central Africa, West Africa
Ten lawyers who hear the confessions of Africa's heads of state

The generation of entrepreneurs and engineers who made their careers in Africa is disappearing but not the generation of lawyers [...]

Subscribers only Politics 05.07.2016

Text size

Once registered, you will be notified by a short message on your computer or mobile phone as soon as a new edition of our publication or an alert is published. Stay informed anytime, anywhere!

In Focus | Africa, France
French presidential hopeful Eric Zemmour's Africa legion

This article may be accessed by subscribers

Do you want a free trial before subscribing?

Create your free account

create a free account

Related topics to this article

Read also

Africa, France
French embassy shakeups to follow presidential election

France, Mali
Diplomatic dispute over Mali's ambassador to Paris turns into political row

France
Who's advising right-wing presidential hopeful Valérie Pécresse on Africa?

Africa, France
Macron's secret weapon to court African diaspora in bid for re-election

DRC
DRC picks star arbitrator for conflict with Dan Gertler's Caprikat and Foxwhelp

France, Mali
Emmanuel Macron cancels visit to Bamako

France, Ivory Coast
Macron and Ouattara to hold one-to-one in Paris

Horn of Africa
Macron bolsters French presence in Horn

Africa2020 sponsors to dine with Emmanuel Macron

Africa
The eventful new life of Trafigura's ex-Africa director Jean-Pierre Valentini

Insiders | Central Africa, West Africa
Ten lawyers who hear the confessions of Africa's heads of state

About Africa Intelligence

Subscription

Africa Intelligence on social media

Indigo Publications' websites

About Africa Intelligence

Subscription

Indigo Publications' websites

In Focus | Africa, France French presidential hopeful Eric Zemmour's Africa legion

This article may be accessed by subscribers

Do you want a free trial before subscribing?

Create your free account

create a free account

Related topics to this article

Read also

Africa, France French embassy shakeups to follow presidential election

France, Mali Diplomatic dispute over Mali's ambassador to Paris turns into political row

France Who's advising right-wing presidential hopeful Valérie Pécresse on Africa?

Africa, France Macron's secret weapon to court African diaspora in bid for re-election

DRC DRC picks star arbitrator for conflict with Dan Gertler's Caprikat and Foxwhelp

France, Mali Emmanuel Macron cancels visit to Bamako

France, Ivory Coast Macron and Ouattara to hold one-to-one in Paris

Horn of Africa Macron bolsters French presence in Horn

Africa2020 sponsors to dine with Emmanuel Macron

Africa The eventful new life of Trafigura's ex-Africa director Jean-Pierre Valentini

Insiders | Central Africa, West Africa Ten lawyers who hear the confessions of Africa's heads of state

About Africa Intelligence

Subscription

Africa Intelligence on social media

Indigo Publications' websites

In Focus | Africa, France
French presidential hopeful Eric Zemmour's Africa legion

Africa, France
French embassy shakeups to follow presidential election

France, Mali
Diplomatic dispute over Mali's ambassador to Paris turns into political row

France
Who's advising right-wing presidential hopeful Valérie Pécresse on Africa?

Africa, France
Macron's secret weapon to court African diaspora in bid for re-election

DRC
DRC picks star arbitrator for conflict with Dan Gertler's Caprikat and Foxwhelp

France, Mali
Emmanuel Macron cancels visit to Bamako

France, Ivory Coast
Macron and Ouattara to hold one-to-one in Paris

Horn of Africa
Macron bolsters French presence in Horn

Africa
The eventful new life of Trafigura's ex-Africa director Jean-Pierre Valentini

Insiders | Central Africa, West Africa
Ten lawyers who hear the confessions of Africa's heads of state