By Enyichukwu Enemanna
French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday said Nigeria has sought increased assistance from his country to curb security concerns in the northern region of the West African nation.
This comes weeks after the United States threatened to mobilise troops to the former French colony to protect the Christian population it said are facing genocide.
Macron said he had a phone conversation with his Nigerian counterpart, Tinubu on Sunday, where he conveyed France’s support to the Africa’s most populous nation as it grapples with security challenges, “particularly the terrorist threat in the North.”
“At his request, we will strengthen our partnership with the authorities and our support for the affected populations. We call on all our partners to step up their engagement,” Macron said in a post on X.
Macron did not say what help France intends to offer, after withdrawing its troops from West and Central Africa and plans to focus on training, intelligence sharing and responding to requests from countries for assistance.
Nigeria has in recent times witnessed increased attacks by bandits with no specific ideology, including mass abductions from schools in Kebbi and Niger, as well as a church in Kwara.
U.S. President Donald Trump has considered a possible military action in Nigeria, accusing authorities of inaction over genocide against Christians.
But Nigerian authorities dismissed the allegations, saying it’s a misrepresentation of a complex security situation in which armed groups target the two dominant faiths — Christianity and Islam.
The West African nation says it welcomes help to fight insecurity as long as its sovereignty is respected.
France has previously supported efforts to curtail the activities of armed groups in Nigeria, while the U.S. has shared intelligence and sold arms, including fighter jets.
French has withdrawn its troops from the junta-led Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali where it was accused of backing jihadists in order to maintain its presence in the West African nations for economic purposes.
