Nathalie Jamp: From HR Manager to Sanctioned Critic of France's Africa Policy

Summary

Nathalie Jamp, a Swiss woman with Cameroonian roots and influencer in West Africa, was placed on the EU sanctions list in June 2024 – not for proven crimes, but for her criticism of French neocolonial policy in Africa. She can no longer return to Switzerland, her bank accounts have been frozen, and she is labeled a "Russian agent," although she has never been paid by Russia. In a conversation with Alex Bauer from Weltwoche, she reveals the absurdity of these sanctions and her vision for an independent Africa.

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Detailed Summary

Sanctions Without Proof

Nathalie Jamp was placed on the EU sanctions list for Russia sanctions on June 26, 2024, while landing in Africa. The official reason: she allegedly "actively supports Russia," follows "language dictated by Russia," and wants to "displace France and the West from the African continent." However, there is not a single piece of evidence of financial connections to Russia – even French military authorities confirmed this. The sanctions decision is based on hearsay, speculation, and what Jamp calls "rumor mill."

Consequences of the Sanctions

The sanctions have catastrophic practical consequences. Jamp cannot travel through EU airspace – which is fatal for a Swiss woman geographically located in the middle of the EU. She cannot enter her Swiss apartment without being trapped, as she would then be unable to leave. Her bank accounts were frozen or closed: Raiffeisenbank classified her as a "politically exposed person" (PEP), although she has never held government office. PostFinance blocked her euro account, credit cards, TWINT, and Apple Pay. She cannot pay for Netflix or Amazon, book flights, or stay in hotels. She has been rendered, as she calls it, "civilly dead."

Swiss Government Failure

Particularly striking: Switzerland is not part of the EU, but adopts its sanctions through "anticipatory obedience." Foreign Minister Ignacio Cassis and the Federal Council refused to protect Jamp, even though Swiss law stipulates that only sanctions adopted by the Federal Council are valid. Banks override this regulation without fear of consequences. Jamp can challenge the sanctions in court, but a proceeding at the European Court takes years and costs a fortune – money she doesn't have because her accounts are frozen. Even if she wins, the EU can simply renew the sanctions with new wording.

Career in Africa: From HR Management to Politics

Jamp was born in 1968 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, moved to her Swiss mother in Cameroon at age eight, and later studied political science and journalism in Germany. She initially worked as an HR manager for major multinational corporations – Maersk, MTN – and built a successful career in West Africa. In 1999, she gave birth to her son in a public hospital in Cameroon. In 2015, she decided to abandon her corporate career and dedicate herself to politics.

She became an advisor to the opposition party of Professor Mamadou Koulibaly in Ivory Coast. Koulibaly, a liberal economics professor and former finance minister, founded the party LIDER (Liberté et la Démocratie pour la République) as a counterweight to the authoritarian system. Jamp helped with this founding and made a name for herself as a voice of opposition.

The Sochi Summit and Escalation

In 2019, Jamp was invited to the first Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi, attended by approximately 50 heads of state. As an opposition politician, she received seven minutes of speaking time. She used it to denounce France's neocolonialism in Africa – this was the moment when President Macron became very angry, according to reports. She later also attended the Africa Summit in 2023 in Saint Petersburg.

However, Jamp emphasizes: Russia never paid her. She attended conferences at Western foundations much more frequently – the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation – which paid her regularly. Of 49 conferences in ten years, only six were connected to Russia.

Criticism of French Africa Policy

Jamp's central thesis: France has practiced unbroken neocolonialism since independence in the 1960s. West Africa uses the CFA franc, a France-controlled currency not administered by the states themselves. France doesn't truly train African armies, denies them weapons, but simultaneously finances rebel groups and terrorists – to keep the countries dependent. French military bases in Mali, Chad, and elsewhere are not protection troops but occupation troops.

When African countries began turning to Russia, China, and Iran, France accused them of collaborating with "agents." Jamp sees this as hypocrisy: France itself was long stationed in Libya with Wagner mercenaries. The relationship between the Central African Republic and Russia emerged because France refused weapons despite being contractually obligated to do so.

Military Governments and African Self-Determination

Jamp is not an opponent of democracy, but criticizes Western double standards. Elections in Africa are often "pure comedy" – the results are determined before voting takes place, and France ultimately decides who becomes president. In times of war, as currently in the Sahel zone, she prefers military governments pursuing African interests over civilian governments working for Paris or Washington. Examples like Jerry Rawlings in Ghana or Thomas Sankara in Burkina Faso show that military upheavals enabled reforms.

She categorically rejects development aid: Africa has everything – oil, gold, uranium, lithium, cobalt – what it lacks are patriotic leaders. Instead of fleeing across the Mediterranean, Africans must stay in Africa and transform their countries.

Personal Tragedy

Jamp has lived in Zug, Switzerland since December 2019, where she registered her residence in 2024 and votes. Yet the sanctions isolate her completely. She cannot visit her mother, who turns 80 this year. She cannot see her son, whose first child is being born. She cannot meet her large family in Switzerland (Zug, Lucerne, Zurich). She is effectively a prisoner outside Europe.

Key Statements

• Political sanctions as a weapon: The EU uses sanctions not against criminal acts but against political opponents – without proof, without legal recourse, without formal procedure. For Jamp, this is Kafkaesque tyranny.

• Swiss failure: The Swiss government fails to protect its citizens. It adopts EU sanctions even though Swiss law forbids it, and refuses to support Jamp – even though she has never been convicted.

• Bank sanctions as collateral damage: Swiss banks function as enforcers without legal basis. PostFinance showed more transparency than private institutions, but all practice de facto financial collapse of the sanctioned person.

• French neocolonialism: France controls West Africa through currency, military, and elections. Anyone who criticizes this is branded a "Russian agent."

• Russia as alternative, not as master: Jamp seeks alliances with Russia, China, Turkey, not out of love for these countries, but because they have not colonized Africa and do not control its internal affairs.

• Military against corruption: In times of war, military governments can be more effective than corrupt civilian governments representing Western interests – see Rawlings, Sankara.

• The message of sanctions: Jamp is not silenced, but the EU wants to intimidate others. The opposite happens: she fights harder and inspires other critics.

• Freedom of the press is non-negotiable: Interview partner Alex Bauer emphasizes: although he disagrees with many of her political positions, he would give his life so that she can speak uncensored.

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