By RFIPosted on 17-11-2019Modified on 17-11-2019 at 12:07
French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe is in Dakar for a two-day official visit, accompanied by a large delegation of government officials, parliamentarians, business leaders, and representatives of the world of culture and sport. A trip focused particularly on security ahead of the Dakar forum that opens Monday and shows, according to Dakar and Paris, the "special relationship" between the two countries.
According to Matignon, an intergovernmental seminar is a "singular tool". The one held this Sunday in Dakar follows that of Paris in October 2017 . Senegal is the only country in sub-Saharan Africa where this type of meeting is organized. This marks for both countries " exemplarity " and " dynamism " of their cooperation.
In economic terms, France remains Senegal's largest trading partner. On defense issues, Senegal, considered as a " pole of stability " in the region, engaged in the Minusma in Mali, but not a member of the G5 Sahel, has an " essential role " to play according to Paris, which insists on "training". On the issue of visas, Édouard Philippe is committed to halve application processing times by early 2020.
After an interview with the head of state Macky Sall, and the signing of several agreements this Sunday, this visit is also marked by a symbolic sequence at the presidential palace: the return to Senegal of the saber attributed to El Hadj Oumar Tall , spiritual leader of the tidiane brotherhood in the nineteenth century. A figure of the struggle against the French colonial administration. The sword is currently loaned to the Museum of Black Civilizations of Dakar, pending a vote of French deputies to authorize the final restitution.
On the same subject
Heritage: France returns to Senegal the saber of El Hadj Omar Tall
2019 Dakar International Forum on Peace and Security: Context and Challenges
comments