The candidate hailed from Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire the “bravery” and “dedication” of the armed forces, in a message to their address posted on Twitter.
The far-right presidential candidate Eric Zemmour sent from Abidjan, where he was on Thursday, a message of support for the French armed forces, which he visited in Côte d’Ivoire.
“He made a visit this morning around 10:00 am (GMT and local) which continued until early afternoon”, to the French forces camp in Côte d’Ivoire, a source told AFP. diplomatic. “It is a visit just like all presidential candidates, who have the right to visit an army unit. It turns out that he chose the French forces in Côte d’Ivoire” , said a source at the French Ministry of the Armed Forces.
Abidjan is home to the 43rd Marine Infantry Battalion (43rd BIMa), as part of a defense agreement between France and Côte d’Ivoire. The battalion provides, among other things, logistical support to the French anti-jihadist force Barkhane deployed in the Sahel. The candidate also praised the “bravery” and “dedication” of the armed forces, in a message to their address posted on Twitter.
“I want to salute your bravery and dedication which is matched only by all those in our country who are ready to sacrifice themselves for our flag,” he wrote. “You are at the same time our sentries, our breastplate and the armed wing of our homeland in the world”.
The candidate, who wants to “strengthen (the) defense system of the national territory”, promises to pay “particular attention to the means” allocated to defense and “to improve the living conditions” of the soldiers. Eric Zemmour arrived Wednesday evening in Ivory Coast, without any information on his program having been revealed.
Thursday afternoon, he was to meet some French living in Abidjan to discuss, according to corroborating sources. According to those around him, he is due to fly back to France on Friday evening. A photo of him waiting for his luggage on his arrival at Abidjan airport was widely relayed on social networks.
This is Mr. Zemmour’s first trip to Africa since he declared his candidacy in early December.
The Ivorian presidency denied to AFP any meeting between the candidate and the Ivorian head of state Alassane Ouattara, contrary to what some local media claimed.
In 2017, the French living in Abidjan voted 83% for Emmanuel Macron in the second round of the presidential election, against 17% in favor of his far-right rival Marine le Pen.
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