During an official visit to the Ivorian commercial hub Abidjan, French Minister of Military Forces Sébastien Lecornu welcomed the evolution of the Ivorian army over the last ten years.
Macron declined to comment on Burkina Faso’s latest decision while reiterating France’s commitment to addressing security challenges in West Africa, where the Islamic insurgency is spreading.
France’s defense minister committed on Monday to increase military assistance to Ivory Coast, as Paris revises its West African strategy after neighboring Burkina Faso asked French troops to leave.
“The army of Côte d’Ivoire has nothing to do with that of 10 years ago… And that for now, it makes Côte d’Ivoire a country of stability, a country in which we can feed and document a common security agenda and thus the role of regional power of balance is increasingly established.”
“Basically we’re going to run on two legs. A leg that could be described as human resources training, the ability for the French army to bring even more to its Ivorian partner with obvious training modules on which we will have the opportunity to express ourselves.” pledged Sébastien Lecornu.
French President Emmanuel Macron is due to visit sub-Saharan Africa in early March, although he is expected to steer clear of former French colonies in the Sahel.
