Africa is growing less dependent on European democracies and more dependent on Russian and Chinese dictatures. Good for them if they feel that it is in their interest.
History will tell.
There can literally be nothing worse than European dominance. There has never been a more brutal, more murderous, more rapacious, more extractive, more devastating, more dehumanizing, more violent, or more destructive movement for dominance than the last 600 years of the European project. Requiring that the West compete with other world powers to offer better terms and less oppression is going to result in positive movement for everyone EXCEPT the West who will have to adjust to less profit.
Remember, for every dollar that goes to poor countries in aid, 2.5 dollars come out of those countries and back to the West.
Well, European "democracies" built their wealth by exploiting those countries through colonisation, coups, and political assassination. On the other hand, Russian and Chinese "dictatures" respectively built their wealth through the extraction of their own resources, and by building their own productive force.
Theoritically, it should work better for them. Chinese loans are already working better than IMF ones so it's looking good so far.
French military has been working with Niger's military for quite me time, actually placing French soldiers under the commandment of Niger's generals in their fight against Islamists. They will only act if the mob attacks French nationals, who are in the hundreds.
Nah, they will gladly let Russia take the lead of imperialism and dictatorship. France had enough of that shit already and can find other suppliers for uranium. Also, let them deal with islamists, education needs, health care and all the costly help that democracies have supplied over the years.