French President Emmanuel Macron took photo with soldiers in Mali (Photo: Guardian)

The "G5 Sahel" countries just south of the Sahara -- Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger -- have pledged to fight jihadists on their own soil with instability and Islamist attacks on the rise. Macron is joining the heads of state of these nations in Bamako for a special summit where France's full support for the force will be announced, with a focus expected on providing equipment.

With its base in Sevare, central Mali, the 5,000-strong G5 Sahel force aims to bolster the 12,000 UN peacekeepers and France's own 4,000-strong military operation known as Barkhane operating in the region.