France to aid Nigeria in fighting insecurity, says Macron
President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria has asked France for additional assistance to curb the surge of violence in the country’s north, French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed on Sunday.
His request comes weeks after the United States, under President Donald Trump, warned it could intervene to protect Nigeria’s Christian communities, a claim the Nigerian government says oversimplifies a complex security landscape.
Over the past month, northern Nigeria has seen a spike in mass kidnappings of schoolchildren and a church congregation, as Islamist insurgents, armed kidnapping gangs and farmer‑herder clashes stretch the nation’s security forces.
Macron said he spoke with Tinubu on Sunday, offering “particular support against the terrorist threat in the North.” “At his request, we will strengthen our partnership with the authorities and our support for the affected populations. We call on all our partners to step up their engagement,” he posted on X.
France has not disclosed the specific form of assistance, but officials indicate future cooperation could centre on training, intelligence sharing and rapid response to Nigerian requests, following France’s recent pull‑out of troops from West and Central Africa.
Nigeria’s security challenges span a long‑running Islamist insurgency in the northeast, kidnapping syndicates in the northwest and deadly farmer‑herder clashes largely pitting Muslim cattle keepers against Christian farmers in the central region.
Washington last month said it was weighing sanctions and possible Pentagon counter‑terrorism involvement to urge Nigeria to better protect its Christian populace.
The Nigerian government welcomes any aid that respects its sovereignty, a sentiment echoed by Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which has urged regional cooperation to stabilise the Sahel‑West African corridor that affects trade routes into Accra.
France has previously helped curb armed group activity, the United States has supplied intelligence and fighter jets, while Britain has provided training for Nigerian troops.
As diplomatic overtures multiply, the coming weeks will reveal whether multinational support can alleviate the security vacuum in northern Nigeria and stem the spill‑over risks for neighbouring states, including Ghana.
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