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Madagascar’s president visits Paris
On Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Madagascan interim president Colonel Michaël Randrianirina to the Élysée Palace in Paris. It was the first meeting between the two heads of state since Randrianirina took power in October last year (Press Review CW 42/2025). In a joint statement, both sides announced a ‘renewed, balanced and resolutely forward-looking partnership’ and agreed on common guidelines for bilateral cooperation. These include political relations, economic developments and the continuation of security and defence cooperation. The two-year cooperation framework is timed to coincide with Madagascar’s transition process to restore constitutional order. Macron reaffirmed France’s support for this transition process and the organisation of free and transparent elections, emphasising that France wanted to remain a reliable partner.
During the visit, Macron and Randrianirina also held talks on economic cooperation. At a meeting with the French employers’ association MEDEF, financial agreements were reached for 29 projects with a total volume of one to two billion euros. These focus on tourism, vocational training, digital technologies and the energy sector. A total of five projects were identified, including solar energy projects, decentralised mini-grids in rural areas and longer-term hydropower projects at the Volobe and Sahofika sites to reduce power outages and improve security of supply. France also announced that it would continue and expand its humanitarian aid in the wake of the recent cyclones Fytia and Gezani, which hit the eastern part of the island nation particularly hard. This would be subject to the approval of President Randrianirina. So far, Paris has sent 11.5 tonnes of relief supplies, as well as rescue and technical expert teams, from Réunion to Madagascar.
The cooperation framework between Paris and Antananarivo was prepared in advance of the meeting between the two heads of state. Observers view the meeting as an important step towards rapprochement and normalisation of diplomatic relations after France supported former President Andry Rajoelina in his escape from the country last year. In November 2025, Macron and Randrianirina spoke on the phone for the first time since the change of power in October. Macron welcomed the announcements of reforms, the fight against corruption and the dialogue with civil society, and pledged support for the transition process.
With a trade volume of nearly one billion euros, France is Madagascar’s most important bilateral partner. In addition to the island nation’s strategically important location in the Indian Ocean, Madagascar also has large deposits of cobalt and nickel, which are particularly important for the energy transition. Following coups in countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, which have increasingly turned away from the former colonial power France and towards Russia, Paris is also competing for influence in Madagascar. Therefore, observers view the rapprochement with Madagascar as a political signal ahead of the Africa-France Summit in Nairobi in May 2026, indicating a shift towards an adapted French Africa policy in line with the current multipolar reality.
Madagascar, meanwhile, is pursuing a strategy of diversifying its international partners. Last Friday, Randrianirina travelled to Moscow for talks with Vladimir Putin to strengthen military cooperation. Russia had previously provided aid for the victims of the cyclones and announced the arrival of 60 tonnes of food aid the day before the meeting in Paris. Since being sworn in, Madagascar’s interim president has also visited the United Arab Emirates and South Africa, where he met with President Cyril Ramaphosa, who took over as chair of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) after the change of power in Madagascar. The SADC deadline for submitting the national roadmap for restoring constitutional order expires this Saturday. Unlike the African Union, the organisation did not suspend Madagascar after the unconstitutional change of government.
Israeli President Herzog on state visit to Ethiopia
On Friday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog concluded a multi-day state visit to Ethiopia – the first visit by an Israeli head of state since 2018. Herzog arrived in the capital Addis Ababa on Wednesday, where he was received by President Taye Atske Selassie. He then met with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who reaffirmed Ethiopia’s support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In addition, opportunities for deeper cooperation in areas of mutual interest were discussed, but no specific details were announced. Herzog subsequently stated that Ethiopia is an important country on the African continent and a key partner for Israel, whose population has close ties to Israel. He emphasised the central role played by the approximately 170,000 Ethiopian Jews, whose cultural heritage enriches Israeli society.
Somaliland, an internationally unrecognised but self-governing federal state in Northern Somalia since 1991, was not on the agenda for talks, according to official statements; Israel was the first member of the United Nations to recognise the territory as an independent state last December. However, observers believe that the issue of Somaliland’s recognition played an important role in the talks. Israel had recently further expanded its relations with Somaliland. In January, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar visited the self-governing region to hold talks with Somaliland’s President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi. The visit sparked renewed protests from Somalia, but also from partners such as Turkey and the European Union (EU). In 2024, Ethiopia itself signed a memorandum of understanding with the de facto autonomous Somaliland, which was to grant the landlocked country of Ethiopia access to the sea. In return, Addis Ababa held out the prospect of possibly recognising Somaliland’s independence, which led to a diplomatic rift with Mogadishu (Press Review CW 2/2024). With Turkey acting as mediator, both sides agreed to de-escalate the situation in December 2024 (Press Review CW 3/2025).
Just days before Herzog’s visit, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made his first visit to Ethiopia in over a decade. The visit coincided with the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Turkish embassy in the Ethiopian capital, one of the country’s earliest diplomatic missions on the continent. During his meeting with Abiy, Erdoğan warned that recognition of Somaliland would not be beneficial to either Somaliland or regional stability. High-level delegations from Saudi Arabia also visited Ethiopia this month to discuss regional peace.
Meanwhile, diplomatic relations between Israel and Somaliland are being further formalised. The Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed on Wednesday that Mohamed Hagi has been officially accredited as Somaliland’s first ambassador to Israel. According to media reports, Israel plans to send an ambassador within the next few weeks. In addition, Somaliland’s President Abdullahi is expected to be received for a first state visit to Israel at the end of next month.
In other news
At Sunday’s British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA), the British-Nigerian drama My Father’s Shadow won the award in the category Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer. Written and directed by brothers Akinola Davies Jr. and Wale Davies, the feature film debut tells the story of Akin and Remi, who spend a rare day with their often absent father in Nigeria’s former capital, Lagos. The film is set during a period of political uncertainty following the annulled 1993 presidential election in Nigeria. It combines family snapshots with themes such as coming of age, inheritance, tradition and images of masculinity. The production is also influenced by the filmmakers’ diasporic backgrounds. My Father’s Shadow premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May last year, where it was the first Nigerian production in the official selection. Since then, the film, which has been praised by critics as one of the most emotionally precise debut films from the British-African region in recent years, has been shown at numerous international festivals, including the AFRIKAMERA Film Festival in Berlin last November.