President Emmanuel Macron and DR Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi in France |
Halligan Agade, Paris FRANCE
President Emmanuel Macron on
Tuesday offered to help African leaders whose countries are immersed in
conflict brought about by militia groups.
The
French leader told DR Congo counterpart, Felix Tshisekedi, that his country
would support its fight against armed groups in the vast central African
country’s volatile east.
The
Democratic Republic of Congo has been wracked by conflict near its eastern
border, after numerous militias evolved from the two Congo wars (1996-1997 and
1998-2003).
“France
is fully engaged at the side of DRC to fight armed groups which are destabilizing
the country”, some of which are linked to the Islamic State group, Macron told
Tshisekedi during a meeting in Paris at which he also pledged French support
for other African states battling conflict.
Macron
said French help would take on a “military dimension” and involve
“intelligence” but did not divulge more details.
An
Islamist-led Ugandan armed group, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), has
targeted the region of Beni, killing hundreds of civilians over the last five
years.
The
Islamic State has claimed some of the attacks but there is no clear proof of
any link between the two groups.
Macron
called on regional countries to “engage themselves with President Tshisekedi in
this very important fight”.
Tshisekedi
on his part said he wanted to see “France being much more present in Africa.
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