A false statement attributed to the French President has been circulating on social media.
French President Emmanuel Macron allegedly claimed that African countries would be unable to "thrive without French involvement", according to a series of posts circulating on social media.
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"Africa remains the least developed continent, and history shows we have a role to play in supporting its growth. A complete withdrawal could halt progress”, states a post supposedly quoting Macron, which has been viewed almost 700k times.
A number of the posts which relay the claim feature the same press shot of Macron.
By conducting a reverse image search and checking that results matched with the picture shared on social media, EuroVerify was able to match the photo with press shots taken at a European summit held in Brussels on 6 March 2025.
An analysis of Macron’s speech, as well as a further sweep of news reports and official statements made by the French President, yielded no evidence for the quotes attributed to him.
Meanwhile, French diplomatic sources further refuted the quotes attributed to the French leader, branding them as "false.”
Why are these claims being spread?
A number of the social media accounts which attributed the statement to Macron have also shared pro-Russian propaganda and backed the Alliance of the Sahel States (AES).
The AES is an alliance made up of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, countries which are all governed by military regimes that came to power following coups. It was formed after the West African bloc ECOWAS threatened to restore civilian rule in Niger through military intervention, after a coup ousted the country's president Mohamed Bazoum in July 2023.
Russia was the first country to recognise the alliance, as it works to expand its presence in Africa, while France has been progressively withdrawing its troops from the region, faced with increasing opposition against its military presence.
Previous controversies
Although this particular statement attributed to Macron may not be true, some of the French President's previous claims regarding France's involvement in Africa have sparked backlash from African leaders.
For instance, in January leaders in Chad and Senegal accused Macron of showing contempt, after he declared that West African leaders had forgotten to "thank" France for helping to combat Islamist militants in the Sahel region.
Since 2022, France has been progressively withdrawing its troops from West Africa due to opposition against French military presence in the region.