“France’s defence minister departs for Washington on Sunday hoping to convince officials to keep U.S. soldiers in West Africa, where French authorities are under pressure after years of trying to bolster local forces against Islamic extremists.”

Here we see France’s full recognition of the deadly threat of “Islamic extremists” in West Africa. On Jihad Watch, we call them what they are: jihadis, whose actions are fully backed by Islamic texts that they are all too proud to tout. French leaders, with their globalist policies, have failed to protect their own citizens, even while “the French government has claimed that fighting jihadism in the region is essential in the global struggle against terrorism.” The situation in West Africa is grave:

There is a danger from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria in the region, and ISIS claims the terror groups in the area of Mali, Niger and Burkino Faso constitute a “province” of the caliphate. “There’s a variety of terrorist organizations that are operating in the area that have declared allegiance to ISIS and al-Qaida.

However, “President Donald Trump insists the U.S. must focus on containing Russia and China, with Africa seen as less of a direct threat — and one that should be left to France and the European Union.”

These days, “Macron has shifted right and begun talking tough on immigration, especially on the perceived abuses of France’s generous social welfare system,” but for the wrong reasons. It’s all political, as he desperately seeks to keep his opponent Marine Le Pen at bay.

Nearly 124,000 people requested asylum in France last year, a record number and an increase of 23 percent from the previous year. The requests came mainly from Afghanistan, Syria, Sudan and France’s former African colonies, but also from Albania and Georgia, two countries that France says respect human rights.

“Macron Sends Defence Chief to U.S. to Beg Trump to Keep Troops in Africa,” AFP, January 26, 2020: