DAKAR—
France will step in to help coordinate a regional taskforce against Nigeria's Islamist group Boko Haram, amid signs of mistrust among West African neighbors, Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Tuesday.
Boko Haram has stepped up attacks across much of Nigeria's north ahead of presidential elections in February. Their operations have spilled over Nigeria's borders into Niger to the north and Cameroon to the east, and stirred fears that Chad could be dragged into the conflict.
The leaders of the four countries agreed in Paris in May to flesh out a plan to share intelligence, coordinate action and monitor borders. But there appears to have been little tangible cooperation between Abuja and neighboring governments since.
France has ruled out direct military intervention, sayingNigeria should take the lead. But Paris says it can play a role in easing tensions between its three former colonies and anglophone Nigeria.
“We're at a forum in Dakar talking about the need for Africans to collectively take charge of their security and yet it's not happening where there is urgency,” Le Drian said. |