Simplify the following text for a Grade 10 native English-speaking person.
Original: France retains strong political and economic influence in its former African colonies ( FranÃ afrique ) and has supplied economic aid and troops for peace-keeping missions in the Ivory Coast and Chad .
Simplified: France retains strong political and economic influence in its former African colonies . For instance it has supplied economic aid and troops for peace-keeping missions in the Ivory Coast and Chad .