France’s President Francois Hollande has promised to provide intelligence and military equipment to help the Nigerian government fight Boko Haram jihadists.
He made the announcement following talks with visiting Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who is on a three-day visit to Paris.
Mr. Hollande said his government was concerned about the increasing insecurity in Nigeria and the surrounding West African region.
Just last year, the France president hosted a summit on the same issue.
Hollande made the comments after a press conference with Buhari held at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris. He said France will provide the Multinational Joint Task Force task force (MJTF)– consisting of 8,700 troops from Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Benin – with intelligence and equipment to help defeat the terrorists.
US President Barack Obama had also pledged more support to Nigeria in its fight against terrorism and corruption. However, Buhari accused the US of not living up to this with its ban on arms sale to Nigeria.la
