By RFIPosted on 21-12-2019Changed on 21-12-2019 at 00:52
The French president, who came to spend Christmas Friday December 20 with French troops based in Côte d'Ivoire, announced that he intended to give "new strength" to the anti-Jihadist struggle in the Sahel.
During his speech to French soldiers at the Port Bouët military camp , the Head of State stressed the role of the army in supporting the international struggle waged within the framework of Operation Barkhane in the Sahel.
" I hope that we can give new depth, new commitments, a new force to this operation to win this fight essential to the stability and security of the Sahel , more broadly in the whole region and also in Europe ," affirmed Emmanuel Macron. Because if we allow the threat to thrive, it will affect us too . "
" Barkhane is an essential mission for France, " insisted the president. We will continue to fight against jihadist terrorists. We will continue to do so with our African partners, our European and international partners. "
“ Reclarifying ” the Barkhane operation
The French head of state stressed the importance of the January 13 summit in Pau aimed at " reclarifying the political and strategic framework of Operation Barkhane ", with the leaders of the G5 Sahel countries. " Without their political commitment, we cannot act effectively, " he said. A summit to which EU representatives were also invited.
It is in this perspective, said Emmanuel Macron, that he will make Sunday after the Ivory Coast a stage of 3 hours in Niamey to meet there with his Nigerian counterpart Mahamadou Issoufou, and pay tribute to the 71 Nigerien soldiers having recently perished in the attack on a military camp.
► To listen: Mahamadou Issoufou on RFI: "We need more allies in the Sahel"
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