Emmanuel Macron Storms Stage At Africa Forward Summit In Kenya, Demands Audience Silence

French President Emmanuel Macron faced backlash after interrupting a panel at the Africa Forward Summit in Kenya to demand silence from the audience.

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Macron stormed the stage to rebuke audience members for what he called a "total lack of respect," accusing them of disrupting speakers during a presentation by artists and young entrepreneurs.

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He had earlier described himself as a "Pan-Africanist" during a news conference, and on Tuesday announced a $27 billion investment into various sectors in Africa, including energy, artificial intelligence and agriculture.

The confrontation occurred as Macron asked the speaker to hand him the microphone and said he would "restore order," addressing the audience in English and criticizing attendees for talking over the speakers.

Videos of Macron's heated intervention on Monday spread across social media, drawing a mix of mockery, praise and criticism.

Thierno Mbaye, a history student at a university in Senegal's capital, Dakar, told The Associated Press that "He acted like a schoolteacher scolding children."

Danièle Obono, a lawmaker for the hard-left La France Insoumise, said in a post on X that "It's stronger than him: as soon as he sets foot on the African continent, he can't help but behave like a colonizer," describing the intervention as colonial in tone.

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The Le Monde report also cited an Ipsos survey conducted on behalf of the French Foreign Ministry in nine African countries ahead of the summit, finding that 74% of respondents said they have a positive image of France.

In the same coverage, Macron was described as the first French president born after the colonial era and as having pledged after his first election in 2017 to reset French relations with Africa.

The backlash, amplified by videos circulating online, fed a broader debate over France's stated shift from a former colonial power to what Paris describes as a partnership of equals.

Beyond the stage incident, the summit in Nairobi was described as meant to showcase France's new policy for the continent, framed as a shift from domination to a partnership of equals.

France's Africa Forward Summit was held in Kenya, and Macron's tour included Monday and Tuesday at the summit, with the stop in Ethiopia described as the final leg of his tour that began on Saturday in Egypt.

France said the Ethiopia visit aims to provide French support for the mediation and conflict-resolution efforts undertaken by the African Union, and Macron said at the opening of the Africa Forward summit that "We support the African Union's program which has greater capacity to defend peacekeeping and security operations."

In a Tuesday interview with TV5 and France 24 and Radio France Internationale (RFI), Macron pointed to mediation efforts related to the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Le Monde and AFP reporting placed the backlash over Macron's interruption alongside France's $27 billion investment announcement and the summit's diplomatic agenda, as Macron later moved to meet Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and planned an unprecedented trilateral meeting at the African Union headquarters.