Encouraged by its historical and cultural links with Africa, France has been undertaking renewed efforts to promote and facilitate peace and security on the continent. This objective requires more than just military action alone. Sent to calm down or limit an area in which there is unrest, credible armed forces do not cannot be expected to respond to the root causes of conflicts, which are largely directly related to a poverty situation. This means that building security and facilitating economic development are two sides of the same coin.