French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Sunday that his country would strengthen ties with Nigeria, amid a growing security crisis in Nigeria’s north, at the request of his Nigerian counterpart, Bola Tinubu.

“Could France and Nigeria be working more closely together in the future?”

This is the announcement made by French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday evening.

At the request of his counterpart, Bola Tinubu, Macron said that France stood in solidarity with Nigeria in the face of a deteriorating security situation, especially in the country’s north.

At least 400 people have been kidnapped in just the past two weeks, among them many schoolchildren.

100 school students were reportedly liberated on Monday after having been kidnapped from a Catholic school on 21 November in the country’s west.

U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to intervene militarily in Nigeria over what he called a targeting of Christians. Children and adults from Muslim schools and mosques are, however, also frequently victims of kidnappings.

Aside from kidnappings, which any particular group has not carried out, they also pose a problem in parts of the north.

The Islamist militia Boko Haram is particularly active.