00:00France flooded Guinea with counterfeit money to destroy it.
00:03And the consequences of this secret operation shook the whole of West Africa.
00:07Hostilities began in 1958.
00:09when Guinea became the first African country to gain its independence.
00:12France, with General de Gaulle, is furious.
00:14It is out of the question that other colonies could follow the Guinean example.
00:17Therefore, she must be punished.
00:19The reaction is immediate.
00:20On the same day, a commando of paratroopers was deployed to the capital.
00:23to seize the banknote reserves and stifle the economy.
00:27But this is only the beginning.
00:28De Gaulle wants to send a message to the other colonies.
00:30He then gave them the order to leave immediately, along with the French.
00:32by asking them to destroy everything they can in their path.
00:35They go so far as to unscrew light bulbs and even burn medications.
00:39De Gaulle then declared, speaking of the Guinean president
00:41"But just let him listen to himself, eat his bananas and peanuts."
00:44But even worse, when Guinea decided to create its own currency,
00:47The French government sees this as the final straw and decides to take drastic measures.
00:51He launches a secret operation, codenamed Persil,
00:54in reference to the famous laundry detergent that washes whiter.
00:57The first attack is economic.
00:59French secret services are flooding the country with counterfeit banknotes
01:01to cause hyperinflation and collapse the economy.
01:04Then came the second attack.
01:06French intelligence services are arming and training Guinean rebels.
01:09The objective is clear: to bring Guinea to its knees.
01:11Except that the operation was a failure.
01:14The escape plan, the media getting involved, it's a diplomatic scandal
01:17Faced with this embarrassment, Paris was forced to abandon the operation.
01:19According to researchers, it was from this point onward that France changed its strategy.
01:23She begins to grant superficial independence
01:25and at the same time, it places men under its influence in power.
01:29And it is this system that persists to this day.
01:31but which is cracking more and more.
01:32So the next time you hear in the news
01:34that African countries are turning their backs on France,
01:36Now you'll know part of why.
