France to boost military support in Ivory Coast

The French Minister of Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, in Abidjan welcomes the evolution of the Ivorian army over the past ten years during an official visit to the Ivorian commercial capital Abidjan.

He declined to comment on Burkina Faso's recent decision even as he re-emphasised France's commitment to engagement with security issues in West Africa, where the Islamist insurgency is spreading.

France's defence minister pledged on Monday to boost military support to Ivory Coast, as Paris adjusts its strategy in West Africa after neighbouring Burkina Faso ordered French troops to leave.

"The army of Côte d'Ivoire has nothing to do with that of 10 years ago... And that for now, it makes Côte d'Ivoire a country of stability, a country in which we can feed and document a common security agenda and thus the role of regional power of balance is increasingly established."

"Basically we’re going to run on two legs. A leg that could be described as human resources, training, the ability for the French army to bring even more to its Ivorian partner with obviously training modules on which we will have the opportunity to express ourselves." pleadged Sébastien Lecornu.

French President Emmanuel Macron is due to visit sub-Saharan Africa in early March, although he is expected to steer clear of former French colonies in the Sahel.