France will boost the number of soldiers deployed in Ivory Coast to 900 from 500, ramping up military efforts in a region facing the threat of Islamist militants, reports Mail & Guardian Africa.
The increase in French forces is part of the “reorganisation” to achieve a “true advanced operational base,” defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told reporters after he met with Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara on Friday in Abidjan, the commercial capital.
France has more than 3,000 soldiers fighting Islamist militants in the Sahel, an arid region below the Sahara.
The increase was already included in the military budget but comes at a time of growing regional terror threats, especially after an Islamist attack on the beach resort of Grand Bassam, near Abidjan, in March that left 19 people dead.
Al-Qaeda has killed more than 70 people since November in assaults targeting hotels also in Mali, Burkina Faso.
The group, whose main regional branch operates out of northern Mali, has pledged to launch more attacks on countries that support French military action.
Read more of this AFP report published by Mail & Guardian Africa.