Every player on this list was born in France but plays for a national team in Africa. Some very impressive players have "defected" from their birth nation including Kanoute, Ba, Sissoko, Chamakh, and Premier League players, Belhadj, Ghilas, Assou-Ekoto, Bassong, El Zhar, Samba, Beye, and Kamara.
Of course, France shouldn't feel too bad since they benefit from the reverse with excellent African-born players like Mandanda, Evra, Boumsong, Vieira, and Desailly playing for them over the years. France can also be glad that Zinedine Zidane didn't 'defect' to the Algerian National Team at a young age.
There are many more French born players with African National Teams out there but I've only included current players at top division clubs in Europe (plus English 2nd division) on this list.
Algeria
* Nadir Belhadj (Portsmouth, England)
* Madjid Bougherra (Rangers, Scotland)
* Anthar Yahia (VfL Bochum, Germany)
* Yazid Mansouri (Lorient, France)
* Karim Ziani (VfL Wolfsburg, Germany)
* Kamel Fathi Ghilas (Hull City, England)
* Abdelkader Ghezzal (Siena, Italy)
* Karim Matmour (Borussia Mönchengladbach, Germany)
* Hameur Bouazza (Blackpool, England)
* Mansour Boutabout (KV Kortrijk, Belgium)
* Abdelnasser Ouadah (Montpellier, France)
* Fadel Brahami (AE Paphos, Cyprus)
* Nassim Akrour (Grenoble Foot 38, France)
* Ismaël Bouzid (Hearts, Scotland)
* Salah Bakour (KV Kortrijk, Belgium)
* Chadli Amri (Mainz 05, Germany)
* Rafik Djebbour (AEK Athens, Greece)
* Yacine Hima (AC Bellinzona, Switzerland)
* Mehdi Sennaoui (Marseille, France)
* Mourad Meghni (Lazio, Italy)
Benin
* Mickaël Poté (OGC Nice, France)
* Romuald Boco (Sligo Rovers, Ireland)
Cameroon
* Joseph-Désiré Job (Diyarbakırspor, Turkey)
* Benoît Assou-Ekotto (Tottenham, England)
* Sébastien Bassong (Tottenham, England)
Chad
* Azrack Mahamat (Halmstads BK, Sweden)
Democratic Republic of the Congo
* Larrys Mabiala (OGC Nice, France)
* Joël Sami (AS Nancy, France)
Ivory Coast
* Abdoulaye Méïté (West Brom, England)
* Emerse Faé (OGC Nice, France)
* Guy Demel (Hamburg, Germany)
Gabon
* Ernest Akouassaga (FC Nantes, France)
* Willy Aubameyang (AC Milan, loaned to Eupen, Belgium)
* Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (AC Milan, loaned to Lille, France)
Ghana
* André Ayew (Marseille, loaned to AC Aries, France)
Guinea
* Larsen Touré (Lille, loaned to Grenoble, France)
Madagascar
* Anicet Andrianantenaina (Auxerre, France)
Mali
* Oumar Sissoko (Metz, France)
* Cédric Kanté (Panathinaikos, Greece)
* Sammy Traoré (PSG, France)
* Mohamed Lamine Sissoko (Juventus, Italy)
* Frédéric Kanouté (Sevilla, Spain)
* Djimi Traoré (AS Monaco, France)
* Kalifa Cissé (Reading, England)
* Sigamary Diarra (FC Lorient, France)
* Jimmy Kébé (Reading, England)
* Bakaye Traoré (Nancy, France)
* Mamadou Samassa (Marseille, loaned to Valenciennes, France)
Morocco
* Houssine Kharja (Genoa, Italy)
* Yacine Abdessadki (SC Freiburg, Germany)
* Marouane Chamakh (Bordeaux, France)
* Nabil Baha (Malaga, Spain)
* Michaël Chrétien (Nancy, France)
* Moncef Zerka (Nantes, France)
* Nabil El Zhar (Liverpool, England)
* Walid Regragui (Grenoble Foot 38, France)
* Kamel Chafni (Auxerre, France)
* Adil Hermach (Lens, France)
* Mehdi Taouil (Kilmarnock, Scotland)
* Jamal Alioui (FC Sion, Switzerland)
Republic of the Congo
* Christopher Samba (Blackburn Rovers, England)
* Chris Malonga (AS Nancy, France)
* Prince Oniangue (Stade Rennais, France)
Rwanda
* Fritz Emeran (Levadiakos FC, Greece)
Senegal
* Habib Beye (Aston Villa, England)
* Diomansy Kamara (Fulham, England)
* Issiar Dia (AS Nancy, France)
* Rémi Gomis (Valenciennes, France)
* Demba Ba (1899 Hoffenheim, Germany)
* Boukary Dramé (Sochaux, France)
* Ibrahim Tall (FC Nantes, France)
* Moussa Sow (Stade Rennais, France)
* Mickaël Tavares (Hamburg SV, Germany)
Togo
* Alaixys Romao (Grenoble Foot 38, France)
* Thomas Dossevi (FC Nantes, France)
* Yoann Folly (Plymouth Argyle, England)
* Floyd Ayité (Bordeaux, loaned to Nancy, France)
Tunisia
* Tijani Belaïd (Slavia Prague, Czech Republic)
* Mehdi Nafti (Aris Thessaloniki FC, Greece)
* Fahid Ben Khalfallah (Valenciennes, France)
* Jamel Saihi (Montpellier, France)
* Chaouki Ben Saada (OGC Nice, France)
* David Jemmali (Grenoble Foot 38, France)
* Selim Benachour (Malaga, Spain)
* Hocine Ragued (Slavia Prague, Czech Republic)
* Karim Essediri (Lillestrøm SK, Norway)
* Alaeddine Yahia (Lens, France)
* Fabien Camus (Racing Genk, Belgium)
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