French president condemns Boko Haram

French President Francois Hollande calls for unity against the risks posed by the fundamentalism of Boko Haram.

French President Francois Hollande has called for a united front against the "barbarism" of Boko Haram Islamists following the Nigerian group's latest attack that claimed more than 120 lives.

"In Nigeria, an attack that killed more than 120 people coming out of a mosque - that's what a sect like Boko Haram is capable of, that's why we still need to fight together, always fight against terrorism," Hollande said.

"We must unite against barbarism, against the risks posed by fundamentalism, notably in the Sahel, in Africa," he said at an annual gathering of French-speaking countries hosted this year by Senegal.

The president of neighbouring Cameroon, Paul Biya, also addressed the meeting, saying: "With this sort of adversary there cannot be any compromise. We are facing an organisation of global proportions."

Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria pledged to send a combined total of 2,800 troops along their shared borders on November 1, but none have yet been deployed.


1 min read

Published

Updated



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world