Elena Teslova
02 February 2026•Update: 02 February 2026
MOSCOW
Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) on Monday accused French President Emmanuel Macron of authorizing intelligence operations aimed at eliminating what it described as “undesirable leaders” in Africa.
In a statement, the SVR said the Macron administration is “frantically” seeking a “political comeback” on the African continent, where France has experienced what the agency characterized as significant “losses” in recent years.
These setbacks, according to the statement, are linked to “the rise to power in several former French colonies in Africa of patriotic forces that prioritize the interests of the people and refuse to serve as puppets of the financial and political oligarchy of French globalists.”
“Whether inspired by the American operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro or imagining himself as the arbiter of the fate of African nations, Macron authorized his intelligence services to launch a plan to eliminate ‘undesirable leaders’ in Africa,” the SVR said.
The agency claimed that “the involvement of France in the attempted coup in Burkina Faso on Jan. 3 of this year has already been established.”
According to the SVR, the alleged plot involved plans to assassinate Burkina Faso’s President Ibrahim Traore, whom it described as “one of the leaders of the struggle against neocolonialism.”
The SVR asserted that Paris expected that such actions would bring pro-French forces to power in Ouagadougou and weaken political movements on the continent that support sovereignty and Pan-Africanist ideology.
Despite what it described as a failure in Burkina Faso, the SVR alleged that France has shifted its focus to destabilizing “undesirable countries” in the Sahel-Saharan region.
According to the agency, this is allegedly being done “with the help of local terrorist groups and, of course, the Ukrainian regime, which supplies militants with drones and instructors.”
“The main blow of this gang is directed against Mali,” the statement said, citing attacks on fuel convoys, attempts to blockade cities, and acts of terrorism against civilians.
These actions, the SVR claimed, are intended “to create conditions for the overthrow of President Assimi Goita.”
The agency also accused France of similar plotting against the Central African Republic.
Another alleged target, according to the SVR, is Madagascar, where in October 2025 new authorities came to power that “took a course toward developing relations with BRICS.” Paris is seeking ways to overthrow Madagascar’s President Michael Randrianirina, and “restore a loyal regime.”
“France has moved to direct support of terrorists of various stripes, who have become its main allies on the African continent,” the SVR said.
The agency said “the political bankruptcy of Macron’s line is all the more evident, as he fails to rid France of its reputation as a parasitic metropolis that plunders its former colonies and hinders their development.”
