Ivory Coast: Emmanuel Macron's personal envoy for Africa evokes a “remodeled” French military base
Jean-Marie Bockel, the French president's personal envoy for Africa, spoke on February 21, 2024 of the "
reshaping
" of the French military presence in Côte d'Ivoire, during a visit to Abidjan, his first on the continent since taking office at the beginning of the month.
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Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara (left) shaking hands with Jean-Marie Bockel (right), French President Emmanuel Macron's personal envoy for Africa during a meeting at the presidential palace in Abidjan on February 21, 2024.
AFP - SIA KAMBOU
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With our correspondent in Abidjan,
Bineta Diagne
Emmanuel Macron's personal envoy, Jean-Marie Bockel, was in
Ivory Coast
this week.
The opportunity for Nicolas Sarkozy's former Minister of Cooperation in 2007 to meet several Ivorian stakeholders: culture, researchers and political and military leaders.
Because the heart of the discussions focused on the new architecture of the French military base in Ivory Coast.
“
We don’t want to reduce our efforts, but it’s a global thing
”
Appointed on February 6, Jean-Marie Bockel's mission includes “
changing the status, format and mission of French bases in Africa
”.
In Ivory Coast, he was able to visit the Port-Bouët military base, which includes nearly 900 soldiers.
This Wednesday, he spoke for almost an hour with the Ivorian president, the Minister of Defense and the president of the National Security Council.
The French military base should be “
remodeled
”, in his words: “
There is the presence dimension through the 43rd BIMA in Port-Bouët, that’s one aspect.
There are systems that exist to deal with any type of situation, this is one aspect of supporting the Ivorian military presence in the northern zone, intelligence issues... We do not want to reduce our efforts, but it is is a globality.
That is to say that, in certain aspects, there will be developments.
Here, the imprint can, in certain aspects, be less, and stronger in other aspects.
And this is what must be the subject of a partnership.
»
Discussions are therefore continuing to identify the needs of the Ivorian armed forces.
Read also Former minister Jean-Marie Bockel named “Personal Envoy” of Emmanuel Macron in Africa
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