A French official said on Wednesday, as President Emmanuel Macron arrived in the West African nation, that France intended to “respond positively” to requests for air support and intelligence from Benin and other nations to combat insurgents.
To improve relations with nations in West and Central Africa, Macron is visiting Cameroon, Benin, and Guinea-Bissau.
As violence moves south from the Sahel nations of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, Benin, along with the Gulf of Guinea republics Togo and Ivory Coast, has seen an increase in attacks from militants affiliated with al Qaeda and the Islamic State.
In recent weeks, fatal attacks have occurred in Benin and Togo as France withdraws hundreds of troops from Mali after ten years there and attempts to redefine its to redefine its strategy to fight insurgents in region.
The French government will support Sahel nations like Niger, where French troops will be stationed, and will “expand counter-insurgency operations to Gulf of Guinea countries that are now dealing with terrorist groups that are spreading, and threatening the entire region,” according to Macron, who was speaking in Cameroon on Tuesday.
The new strategy’s main tenet is to assist the nations in fortifying their troops, support them, and let them assume command of operations on the ground. French troops may be stationed in nations that request them.
The French official informed reporters prior to the visit that neither Benin nor Togo had requested a French presence there.
“On the other hand, there is a demand for French support in terms of air support, intelligence and equipment. And we are in the process of examining how to respond positively, at least as much as possible, to these requests,” the French official said on Wednesday.
