Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has requested increased support from France to combat escalating insecurity in the country’s north, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday,

following renewed international concern over violence in the region.

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, has seen a spike in attacks over the past month, including mass kidnappings from schools and assaults on religious institutions. The violence has drawn attention from the United States, where President Donald Trump recently warned that Washington could take military action, accusing Nigeria of failing to protect its Christian population.

Nigeria’s government has rejected those claims, saying the security crisis is complex and affects both Muslim and Christian communities.

Macron said he spoke by phone with Tinubu on Dec 7 and reaffirmed France’s support as Nigeria confronts multiple security threats, “especially the terrorist threat in the north.”

“At his request, we will strengthen our partnership with the authorities and our support for affected populations. We call on all our partners to step up their engagement,” Macron said in a post on X.

He did not specify the nature of the additional assistance. France has recently withdrawn most of its troops from West and Central Africa and has shifted its military strategy toward training, intelligence-sharing and responding to specific requests for support.

Nigeria is struggling with a long-running Islamist insurgency in the northeast, widespread kidnappings by armed gangs in the northwest and deadly clashes between mainly Muslim herders and predominantly Christian farmers in its central region, placing severe strain on its security forces.

Washington said in November it was considering measures including sanctions and enhanced Pentagon involvement in counterterrorism efforts to pressure Nigeria to better protect Christian communities.

The Nigerian government has said it welcomes international assistance provided its sovereignty is respected. France has previously supported operations against armed groups, while the United States has shared intelligence and supplied military equipment, including fighter jets. Britain has also provided training to Nigerian forces. Photo by Subomi07, Wikimedia commons.