Jean-Marie Bockel Appointed Special Representative of France in West Africa
Jean-Marie Bockel is appointed special representative of France in West Africa.
French President Emmanuel Macron has appointed former Secretary of State Jean-Marie Bockel personal envoy for African countries in which France has military bases, with the exception of Djibouti, RFI reports.
Emmanuel Macron entrusted Jean-Marie Bockel with the task of “changing the status, format and mission of French bases in Africa” and “the first course set for him is to make recommendations to Emmanuel Macron by this summer », specifies RFI.
“It is always a question of militarily supporting countries like Chad, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Gabon where France has bases, but under new principles to be defined in good agreement with these countries. Only the case of Djibouti, where France has a base alongside the United States and China, escapes this mission,” continues French radio.
Jean-Marie Bockel studied at the Faculty of Law, Political Science and Management in Strasbourg and began his political career in 1973, joining the Socialist Party. From 1984 to 1986, he was Secretary of State for Commerce (for one month, he was also Minister of Commerce, Crafts and Tourism), after which he was elected three times to the French National Assembly (chamber lower parliament) until 2002. However, the media, in light of his current appointment, draw attention to his work for nine months as Secretary of State for Cooperation and Francophonie from June 2007 in March 2008 under the presidency of Nicolas Sarkozy.