Why did France establish control over Ubangi-Shari?

France established control over Ubangi-Shari primarily as part of a broader competition among European powers—including Belgium, Germany, and Great Britain—to secure territory in equatorial Africa during the late 19th century.1

The French expansion was largely driven by the efforts of explorer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza, who sought to connect French coastal enclaves in Gabon to the middle stretch of the Congo River. Additionally, France aimed to expand its imperial reach as far east as the upper regions of the Nile. Although France was ultimately defeated by Britain in the race to control the upper Nile following the Fashoda Incident, the French successfully secured dominion over a vast area of northern Central Africa, which they designated as Ubangi-Shari.2

Once established, the French administration sought to make the colony profitable by leasing large tracts of land to private companies, which exploited the region's resources and local population through forced labour to avoid the costs of direct colonial development.12