France has restructured its military presence in recent months, closing most of its historic bases in West Africa. However, the arrival of private military companies employing French personnel is undermining the discretion sought by army headquarters in Paris.
According to Peer de Jong, a naval colonel who now heads Themiis, a security, defence, and services company (ESSD) operating in Mauritania, former French soldiers are highly valued for their deep knowledge of African war zones, where they have often been deployed. And, in West and Central Africa, the French language remains a key advantage.
