France, West Africa to unite forces in fight against Islamist militants
(VOVWORLD) - France and 5 West African countries agreed on Monday to combine their military forces under one command structure to fight a growing Islamist militancy in the Sahel region, with Paris committing an extra 220 troops.
French President Emmanuel Macron and leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger and Mauritania, known as the G5, discussed the battle against insurgents in the Sahel, an arid region just below the Sahara desert. France has 4,500 troops in Mali and the wider Sahel, but security has been progressively worsening. Macron said the situation has now been clarified.