France expands peacekeeping initiative to bolster African force

A decade-old French training initiative for peacekeepers conducted with African nations will support a 20,000-strong African Standby Force (ASF) by 2010, senior officials told Jane's in late February.

With France a major contributor to global peacekeeping missions, half of its 12,000 troops deployed throughout the world are in Africa conducting military and advisory operations, according to French Ministry of Defence attache Lieutenant Colonel Thierry Fusalba.

Those troops are largely based in Djibouti, Gabon and Senegal but are committed to operations in the Central African Republic, Chad and Cote d'Ivoire - all of which currently rely on France for stability. France, however, wants to reduce the number of its troops committed to the continent in order to let the EU take the lead, said French Army Colonel DK Debruyne. 125 of 323 words