The French Minister for the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, praised this Monday in Abidjan the "
remarkable efforts made in the rise of the security apparatus in Côte d'Ivoire
" in a region plagued by instability, and where the France is increasingly contested, Following a meeting with Ivorian President Alassane.
“
The army of Côte d'Ivoire today has nothing to do with that of 10 years ago.
This makes Côte d'Ivoire a country of stability, whose role as a regional balancing power is becoming more and more established
,” he added.
Sébastien Lecornu, who is on his second visit to Côte d'Ivoire in seven months, also met his counterpart, Defense Minister Téné Birahima Ouattara.
Strong ally
In addition to the security situation in the region, where several countries are facing jihadist violence and coups, the issue of the predation of raw materials and drug trafficking were also addressed.
Côte d'Ivoire is one of France's strongest allies in West Africa, where the former colonial power is increasingly contested.
Paris has some 950 soldiers in the French Forces in Côte d'Ivoire.
Read alsoThe port of Abidjan wants to regain its place as regional leader
"
President Emmanuel Macron asked us to think about the rearticulation of the French presence in Africa
", explained Sébastien Lecornu, detailing the partnership projects with Côte d'Ivoire: part of the "
training
" of the Ivorian army and another “
more capable
” part concerning equipment for the air and land forces.
On Sunday, Burkina announced the official end of the operations of the French Saber force on its soil, a few weeks after having denounced the defense agreement linking the two countries.
Last year, French forces were asked to leave neighboring Mali, governed like Burkina Faso by putschist soldiers and also in the grip of a serious security crisis.
