Ethiopia and France are expected to revive 2019 deal about building Ethiopian navy. French President Emmanuel Macron, on Saturday evening, landed in Ethiopia while France is rapidly losing military foothold in Africa. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed welcomed his French counterpart at Bole international airport in Addis Ababa. Macron will travel to Djibouti after concluding his visit of Ethiopia.
France is losing its military influence fast in Africa. It had to withdraw its troops from Mali, Burkina Fano, Niger and Chad recently. Senegal and Central African Republic have also ended defense deals with France. It seems France wants to retain its existing military base in Djibouti, Ethiopian neighbor.
French President is eyeing revival of defense deal with Ethiopia signed in 2019. A defense cooperation agreement was signed in March 2019 between the two countries, providing a legal framework for sending French troops to Ethiopia and vice versa. France undertook to support the reconstruction of Ethiopian navy. The agreement could not be implemented as war broke out in northern Ethiopia in November 2020. Landlocked Ethiopia, with ambitions of gaining access to sea, is building navy. It is hoping to get training, logistical and equipment support from France to build modern navy.
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