Nigeria gets French support in war against Boko Haram

As regional and western powers met in Nigeria to craft a strategy over the fight against Boko Haram, one thing was certain – the Islamist group must be defeated at all costs.

France is leading the pack and has pledged military cooperation with Nigeria to assist in the fight.

French president François Hollande and his Nigerian counterpart Muhammadu Buhari signed a letter of intent on Saturday, after a consultative meeting on the sidelines of the Boko Haram summit in Abuja.

“Boko Haram is one of the deadliest terror groups in the world. Its members have committed abductions, rape and murder and we must continue to wage the war against this group with tenacity,” said president Hollande.

A l'issue de leur entretien, les présidents fhollande et MBuhari ont tenu une conférence de presse conjointe https://t.co/AMijoFZKCp

— Élysée (@Elysee) May 14, 2016

In addition to the fight against terror, the agreement will also focus on maritime piracy and intelligence sharing.

But France is not alone in the fight. The United States and the European Union also pledged their support. This military cooperation will further boost a multinational force of 8,500 troops that has been operational in Nigeria and neighbouring countries since July, but has been struggling to quash the militia.

Chadian President Idriss Deby called for better coordination among the joint forces and said that it is essential that the additional force be operational soon before the rainy season begins.

Agencies