Your problems are not with C the language but with the chosen build tools. Have you tried using a more modern tool like Meson? It is more comparable to Cargo.
To start a new project today using plain GNU Make like the author of the article recommends, is not a good idea unless you enjoy fiddling with the build.
To start a new project today using plain GNU Make like the author of the article recommends, is not a good idea unless you enjoy fiddling with the build.