France sets up 'language academy' in Nigeria amidst base closure
France, having lost military bases in Africa, received approval from Nigeria's president to establish a base in Abuja under the guise of a language academy.
France, after losing military bases in several African countries, secured approval from Nigeria's president, Bola Tinubu, to set up a military base in the capital, Abuja. This information was reported by the Nigerian portal Huhuonline, citing three independent sources. The base is intended to operate as a language academy, where Nigerian soldiers will learn French.
According to sources, President Tinubu gave in to pressure from the French president, Emmanuel Macron, during a visit to Paris in early April. Tinubu is concerned about opposition from the National Assembly, but plans to proceed with his decision. Last year, France denied intentions to establish a base in Nigeria, despite reports of possible sites such as Maiduguri, as noted by the Polish Press Agency.
The planned language academy will be the main facility of the new French African Command (CDT Africa), established by the French Ministry of Defense in April last year. The CDT Africa is led by Brigadier General Pascal Ianni. The academy has not raised suspicions because the Nigerian authorities have long promoted learning French, which is spoken in neighbouring countries: Benin, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon.
During parliamentary questioning, the French Army Chief of Staff, General Thierry Burkhard, stressed that reducing the military presence in Africa would weaken France's ability to gather intelligence. He proposed increasing the number of civilian representatives in the army to make military presence less conspicuous, given the growing hostility of former colonies towards French troops.
France has withdrawn its troops from four former colonies: Niger, Mali, the Central African Republic, and Burkina Faso, as well as Chad. It has also reduced its presence in Gabon and Ivory Coast.
