French president announces economic deals with Madagascar

Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina (R) welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron for a two-day visit. Photo: Ludovic MARIN / POOL/AFP
Source: AFP

France and Madagascar announced Wednesday they would fortify economical practice done respective ambitious projects, including a large hydroelectric dam, arsenic President Emmanuel Macron kicked disconnected a two-day authorities sojourn to the Indian Ocean island.

The visit, the archetypal authoritative travel by a French president successful 20 years, is intended to fortify bilateral ties and consolidate France's beingness successful the Indian Ocean contempt ongoing colonial-era disputes.

Macron announced aft talks with President Andry Rajoelina that respective agreements would beryllium concluded during the visit, covering energy, integer technology, infrastructure and tourism.

They see backing from the French improvement agency, AFD, and a indebtedness from the French treasury to enactment the operation of a large hydropower dam successful Volobe, successful the eastbound of the country, which has been successful the pipeline for astir a decade.

A woody is besides expected to beryllium reached for the introduction of French energy elephantine EDF into Madagascar's hydroelectric company, CGHV, an authoritative told AFP.

Macron called for a "partnership" betwixt the 2 nations implicit strategical uncommon world minerals needed for renewable energies, of which Madagascar has extended reserves.

Rajoelina meantime urged aboriginal concern successful the island's "immense potential", of which France is already the apical trading partner.

Macron's travel comes with France facing challenges to its sovereignty of immoderate of its Indian Ocean territories and the increasing ambitions of China and Russia successful the region.

Madagascar, a French-speaking land of 30 cardinal people, disputes France's ownership of respective tiny islets adjacent called the Scattered Islands that stayed nether French regularisation erstwhile its different African colonies became independent.

Similarly, the neighbouring archipelago federation of the Comoros claims the close to the land of Mayotte, a French department.

Both inhabit a strategical presumption successful the Mozambique Channel, a large transit way for planetary commercialized and affluent successful state and oil.

Land and bequest

Demands for the handover of these territories are astir "national identity, entree to resources and, moreover, a means of unit to get thing other from France", said Denys-Sacha Robin, an planetary maritime instrumentality specializer astatine the University of Paris-Nanterre.

Macron and his woman Brigitte were greeted astatine the airdrome by flag-waving children earlier heading into the superior Antananarivo. Photo: Ludovic MARIN / POOL/AFP
Source: AFP

While Paris favours a "co-management"of the Scattered Islands, determination is simply a propulsion for Rajoelina to rise a afloat handover, akin to the 2024 woody for Britain to instrumentality the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

Another taxable moving done the sojourn is the uncomfortable bequest of France's colonisation of Madagascar -- the 5th largest land successful the satellite and known for its affluent biodiversity and earthy resources but burdened by precocious poverty.

While Macron has pledged to instrumentality assorted taste items taken by the French occupiers, plans were called disconnected for him to bring backmost the skull of a king decapitated successful 1897 by French troops and taken to France arsenic a trophy.

One contented holding up the restitution of the remains of King Toera is simply a household petition that his desecrated tomb beryllium restored.

There are besides demands for France to marque a stronger admittance of its colonial-era transgressions connected the island, which gained afloat independency successful 1960.

This includes the constitution of a committee "to shed afloat airy connected what are called assemblage abuses", said University of Antananarivo historiographer Jeannot Rasoloarison.

The French president volition besides advocator for greater economic, health, maritime and information practice betwixt Madagascar and France's determination possessions, including Mayotte and the land of Reunion.

On Thursday, helium volition telephone astatine a acme successful Antananarivo of the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) for Mayotte to beryllium included successful the grouping, which is being blocked by the Comoros.

Also apt to travel up is the destiny of dual nationalist Paul Maillot Rafanoharana, sentenced successful 2021 to 20 years successful situation for an attempted coup successful Madagascar. He is being held successful solitary confinement.

His co-accused Philippe Francois, sentenced to 10 years, was transferred to France successful 2023.

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Source: AFP