SAN FRANCISCO, March 12, (THEWILL) – France, a former friend of Biafra in the 1967 secession bid, has ruled out any support for the secession of any part of the country, particularly Biafra.
France’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Denys Gauer, told The Guardian, that his country would not in anyway work with any group agitating for the dismemberment of the nation.
Speaking against the backdrop of France’s previous support for Biafra during Nigeria’s civil war, Gauer pointed out that Nigeria has evolved since the civil war declaring that France was working with Nigeria and supporting it as a country.
The French envoy further pointed out that there is no future for Biafra and urged proponents of secession or Biafra to continue to be part of the country revealing that France has been cooperating with the country to overcome its challenges, especially the fight against insurgency which has brought the two countries together, more than before.
The Ambassador explained how France helped the former Goodluck Jonathan government to organise a regional meeting with neighbouring Francophone countries, Chad Cameroon and Republic of Benin, in Paris, in 2014, following which the Multinational Joint Task Force, MJTF was established to fight Boko Haram.
“We are working with Nigeria and we are supporting it as the only country,” he said.
“This is absolutely clear and I don’t think there is any kind of future for Biafra. They are part of Nigeria and Nigeria has to remain as the only country.
“Apart from encouraging neighbouring African countries to cooperate with Nigeria we have also developed a strong bilateral relationship with the Nigerian Armed forces.
“In May 2015, the Defence Ministers of Nigeria and France signed a cooperation agreement between the two armed forces, which we did not have before.”
