France on Wednesday joined the United States and Britain in offering to send security service agents to Nigeria to help rescue more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by Islamist militant group Boko Haram, reports Reuters.
With more than 4,000 troops operating between Mali to the west and Central African Republic to the east, Paris has a major interest in preventing Nigeria's security situation from deteriorating, having previously voiced concerns that Boko Haram could spread further north into the Sahel.
Having ousted al Qaeda-linked militants from Mali last year, France is planning to redeploy its forces across West Africa this summer to target Islamist groups taking advantage of porous borders between southern Libya, northern Chad and Niger.
"The President has instructed ... to put the (intelligence) services at the disposal of Nigeria and neighboring countries," Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told lawmakers.
"This morning he asked us to contact the Nigerian president to tell him that a specialized unit with all the means we have in the region was at the disposal of Nigeria to help find and recover these young girls."
Boko Haram kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls last month and has threatened to sell them into slavery, causing global outrage and bringing the Nigerian-based group firmly into the international spotlight.
"In the face of such ignominy France must react. This crime cannot be left unpunished," Fabius said.
Read more of this report from Reuters.