The defence theme continues the policy established by Macron's predecessor François Hollande when he despatched French troops to Mali in 2013...
He spent six months in Nigeria early in his civil service career and later as François Hollande's economy adviser and then minister he inevitably had dealings with Africa though in contrast to many French politicians he has avoided claiming to have a special empathy with the continent...
Defence Minister and de facto Monsieur Afrique for President François Hollande Jean-Yves Le Drian was a key leader of Socialist Party support for Macron's presidential candidacy...