France prepared to tackle insurgency – Macron

South Africa  President Cyril Ramaphosa has praised French President Emmanuel Macron for respecting the sovereignty of African countries while also promising to help with security issues, such as quelling the insurgency in northern Mozambique. Macron, during this weekend’s state visit to SA, emphasised that France would only offer help, if requested by Mozambique, and structured by SADC. A report on the News24 site notes that Ramaphosa said Mozambique is facing huge challenges ‘and whatever assistance that they will be required to offer will be offered on the basis of two countries co-operating as two sovereign states’. Macron said France had been monitoring the jihadist insurgency in Cabo Delgado ‘with a great deal of concern’. He said if the SADC decides to launch a military intervention to restore Mozambique’s sovereignty, ‘France is available’. He added that France had frigates and other vessels in the region, ‘so we would be available very quickly if requested’.