Why does resentment toward former colonizers such as France still linger in Africa?

Question

Others point to what they see as hypocrisy in Western condemnations of Russia; Western countries also deploy PMCs across the continent, which has led the AU to call for the “complete exclusion of mercenaries from the African continent.” Resentment toward former colonizers such as France also lingers, generating skepticism over Western counterinsurgency efforts. Gavin also points to failed U.S. security efforts in the Sahel and broader African frustration over the lack of reform in multilateral institutions as pain points in U.S.-Africa relations.

https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/russias-growing-footprint-africa

Why does resentment toward former colonizers such as France still linger in Africa? Usually resentment tends to die out after several years similar to how France and Germany became close allies even after the horrors of WW2. So I am wondering if there's a particular reason as to why resentment towards France still lingers in the region.

Answer 1

resentment tends to die out after several years similar to how France and Germany became close allies even after the horrors of WW2.

That is not true at all, and explains why your expectations regarding former colonies are wrong.

France and Germany were ancestral enemies with a history of enmity going back centuries. That after WW2 they became close allies did not happen by the mere passage of time, but by intentional efforts to overcome those feelings and thus prevent another war. A large number of cultural exchange programs, student exchanges, economic and art programs, etc. were created. Where previous generations grew up with a concept of the other country and its people being the enemy, generations after WW2 grew up with the other country being a holiday destination, a place to study for a year and increasingly relatives across the border. I'm a German. My niece married a frenchman, one of my school-years friends was half-french, in most schools French was the 2nd foreign language taught (after English, and btw. similar programs existed with England - my mother studied in England for a year, etc.)

The absence of such programs in most colonies means that the natural order of things - resentment remaining active and any small slight rekindling them - is the norm.

Additionally, many colonial powers withdrew from the colonies leaving behind arbitrary borders that cause trouble still today, or never left entirely and continued to exploit the colony in other ways (e.g. formally independent, but oil fields in the hands of a former-colonial-master corporation or such).

Answer 2

The explanation for the African resentment towards France comes from multiples cause

• France gave independence to its former colonies, but never really cut the link with them. It’s a system called Françafrique. Basically, it’s France keeping close connections with these countries elites. It can go from France supporting a dictator to keep military bases in his country (Chad for exemple, a peace keeping operation that started in 1986 but still remain active to this day ), or to exploit some natural ressources

• Franc CFA is also seen by some population as a tool to maintain Africa in poverty, even if it can be contested. The main problem being it is still administrated by France and not countries using it

• Military intervention that is seen as a way to maintain France’s influence in this region (I’m not gonna list them all, you can find them easily with your favorite search engine)

All these elements are well known by the population of these countries and does not allow the resentment of the population to “go away”. People in these countries kinda think the colonisation never ended and the Françafrique system is a form of neo-colonialism.

On top of that, you have to add the influence of foreign power supporting this resentment for their own interests, notably leading to the series of coup we seen the few last years in this region, making population’s resentment even more exacerbated