France has for a long time masqueraded under the guise of fighting against terrorism in Africa, but are they truly fighting against terrorism? The Movement Against Slavery and Terrorism (MAST) accused French President Emmanuel Macron of sponsoring terrorism in Nigeria and other African countries. This was revealed at the conclusion of a one-day trip to the French embassy in Abuja, Nigeria. Princess Ajibola, the organizer, told the reporters in front of the French consulate that the aim was to remind Macron that Nigeria is a sovereign nation and that any attempt to undermine its territorial integrity will be rejected.

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According to Ajibola, the group has enough proof to back up its assertion that the European nation is truly behind the recent spike in terrorism in the country. As a result, the Movement Against Slavery and Terrorism cautioned the French authorities to refrain from “further mischief” that would undermine the Nigerian Army’s extraordinary successes. Recall that between 2015-2019, the Boko Haram terrorist group, which has plagued the northern part of Nigeria since 2002 and has killed thousands of people, was subjected to heavy bombardments from Nigerian troops, which resulted in the capture of its operational headquarters in Sambisa Forest as well as the takeover of the 16 local government areas it once controlled. This prompted the terrorist group to retreat in large numbers to the outskirts of the Lake Chad Basin region, from which they launched attacks against soft target towns in the area.

However, according to MAST, some people, referring to France, were dissatisfied with the successes made by the Nigerian military in the fight against the Boko Haram offensive, and so they began supplying logistical support under humanitarian cover to the Boko Haram militants. Another report that backed this accusation stated that France was secretly carrying out espionage activities that aided the insurgency while ostensibly offering humanitarian relief to victims of terrorist strikes. According to the story, the Nigerian military raised concerns about foreign interests selling weapons and ammunition to the Boko Haram group, but no one listened.

Nonetheless, the article went on to say that some evidence has emerged indicating that Boko Haram fighters are acquiring guns and ammunition, even combat tanks, from France via the francophone channels. MAST however, is not the only group in Nigeria that believes France is one of those funding the Boko Haram terrorists. The Save Humanity Advocacy Centre (SHAC) also urged France to end its unholy alliance with members of the dangerous Islamic sect Boko Haram.
The group made the statement in response to a recent New York Times disclosure claiming the insurgents purchased advanced weapons from France. Comrade Ibrahim Abubakar, Executive Secretary of SHAC, cautioned France and any other country that may be acting as a proxy to prop up Boko Haram by acting as a conduit to send weaponry and military equipment to the terrorists to desist. According to the SHAC statement, the reported hardware acquired by the Boko Haram group was capable of reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, and spying missions. Their revelation on the procurement of drones coincided with allegations from residents that the terrorists had begun carrying new weapons in recent weeks.

Furthermore, Comrade Ibrahim stated that in the past, when the French involvement in arming Boko Haram was raised, France would sidestep the issues by sponsoring international NGOs and some media circuits to demonise Nigerian authorities, particularly the military and especially the Nigerian Army. This practise, he claims, has resurfaced as a recurring commentary about the military’s inability to battle terrorists or that Boko Haram militants have an advantage over the Nigerian state.

While France has reportedly denied any claims of supporting the Boko Haram group and that they stand against terrorism in any form, a very big question is If they truly are fighting terrorism in Africa, why is it that there is still a great deal of terrorist activity at the fringes of the Lake Chad Basin despite the presence of a strong detachment of French troops stationed in Chad? Why have they not been able to decimate the terrorist attacks even with their sophisticated military gadgets? It’s no wonder therefore that the recent coup across West Africa has resulted in the removal of French troops from those countries because the military junta’s feel that there is no need for them to be in the country when their presence has done nothing to stop the terrorism crisis they are supposed to help fight.
Whether or not the claims of MAST and SHAC are correct, the evidence from Mali and Burkina Faso simply suggest that France is very much capable of supporting Boko Haram if it will serve and protect their interest.
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