France’s African policy crisis: How French post-Coup d’Etat policies impact African Agency efforts in the Sahel region

This thesis involves firstly, an in-depth analysis on exertion of African Agency by the new governments of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso that emerged to power through recent coups d’etat, for which the analysis of African Agency is used as a framework. Secondly, the thesis analyzes the historical context of French foreign policy, known as "Françafrique," and investigates whether France's reactions to the coups indicate a continuation of its imperialist legacy through a postcolonial Foreign Policy Analysis (FPA) framework. The core task of this study will be to identify the impact of the reactions and sanctions, mainly from France, on the developments of agency exerted by African actors. Based on that, the findings of this thesis will provide policy recommendations for national leaders and political elites that could be considered both a contribution to the challenges policy makers are facing due to this French-African policy crisis and a contribution to the postcolonial approaches through African Agency centered frameworks on these recent developments. This research enriches the understanding of African Agency in the context of regional power dynamics and seeks to inform future policy directions addressed at foreign policy makers of France, the Sahel states and regional institutions.