From N'Djamena to Nouakchott: the trans-Sahelian rail project returns
Connecting the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, with the Chadian capital, N'Djamena, is one of the highlights of Frenchman Sébastien Perimony's electoral proposal. His profile and programme stand out among the other candidates in the 9th constituency of the French abroad. "I have the advantage of competing with only one opponent," says the candidate for the National Assembly with derision. "The other candidates bring almost identical programmes. They claim to solve all the expatriate's problems", continues the member of Solidarité et Progrès, a small party that has been contesting elections since 1995.
The one who calls himself the most "anti-colonialist" candidate in these elections has an interesting programme that is very close not only to the French abroad, but also to Africans. For Perimony, helping Africa in its development should be one of the priorities of French people living in the constituency for which he is running.
Solidarité et Progrès, a party twinned with Lyndon Larouche's US Labour Party and founded by Jacques Chaminade, declares itself "sovereigntist", against hedge funds and "Wall Street rule". It also declares itself anti-imperialist, and intends to bring some of these ideas to the countries of its foreign constituency. "11 of the 16 countries that confirm the ninth constituency are among the 30 poorest countries in the world," Perimony comments in his campaign presentation. "We must work for a relationship of equals with Africa. A policy of mutual economic development and dialogue of civilisations".
The Solidarité et Progrès candidate, and analyst and director for Africa at the Schiller Institute, proposes to give the neighbouring continent a proper railway infrastructure. Specifically, as he explains in an interview, he intends to promote a project that would connect the African capitals by train.
"This is not impossible. I am proposing this programme in the certainty that one day this connection will exist. Sooner or later. If I am elected to the National Assembly it will go faster, of course," he adds. The trans-Sahelian connection is not a novelty. It is a project from the French colonial era, which, in parallel to the British Rhodes line, was intended to link the main cities of Françafrique. While the West African region already has some rail infrastructure, there are no lines linking all the countries in the region completely, let alone a line linking the more than 4,000 km from Nouakchott on the Atlantic coast to N'Djamena in the heart of the Sahel.
Nevertheless, Perimony is optimistic about the project. "This project will see the day. It is part of the long-term objectives of the African Union, and there is a Franco-Chinese investment fund that is looking into the matter," explains the candidate for the legislative elections. According to Perimony, African society is also particularly interested in such a project. In Mali in particular, a country that Perimony recently visited, sectors of civil society would be impatient to see this project flourish.
Relations between countries such as Mali and its former metropolis are not going through the best of times, however. Tensions between Bamako and Paris have led to a complete redrawing of the Barkhane mission, while the Goïta government is increasingly distancing itself from France and distancing itself from Russia. For Perimony, the relationship can be restored. "A paradigm shift is needed. I think that anti-French sentiment is not a good thing, but in a way it has some legitimacy as long as there are situations of control such as the CFA franc", Perimony explains, referring to the African currency that is controlled by France.
French expatriates voted online during the last weekend of May. It is the second time they have been able to do so, since the change in the constitution in 2008 that added 11 new deputies to the National Assembly for the 11 constituencies spread around the world. The results of the first round will be revealed with the votes from the national territory. Forecasts point to a victory for candidates running under the patronage of Emmanuel Macron, who swept the presidential election among expatriates. A victory for Sébastien Perimony would be a novelty in the French lower house and a breath of fresh air in France's foreign policies.