French troops on alert
2005-02-06 21:30
Paris - France has placed its troops in the west African region on alert following the death of Togolese president Gnassingbe Eyadema, French defence minister Michele Alliot-Marie said on Sunday.
"We have put our troops on alert in case a need arises," she told Europe 1 radio, adding that the situation was currently calm in Togo, where about 2 500 French citizens reside.
France has troops stationed in Togo, as well as in Congo, Ivory Coast and Senegal.
Eyadema died on Saturday after ruling the country for nearly four decades.
The military immediately installed in power Faure Gnassingbe, one of the sons of the deceased president, sparking international criticism from other west African states and the European Union.
France sent troops into Ivory Coast after brokering a peace deal in 2003 to end a civil war that broke out the year before following a failed uprising.
French troops were key in helping protect its citizens last year during a rampage in Abidjan against French nationals.