(VOVWORLD) - Five Sahel nations have been holding a major military drill in western Niger, Niger's defense ministry said on Sunday, the first such exercise in a region wracked by jihadist violence.
 Burkina Faso forces patrol in the city of Ouhigouya. (File photo: AFP/VNA) |
The drill, which includes tactical maneuvers and initiatives aimed at strengthening ties with local populations, is due to run through June 3.
For years, the Sahel region has been continuously harassed by rebels linked to terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.
Niger’s Ministry of Defense said the large-scale international exercise involving five African countries - Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger, and Togo – is taking place at a special forces training center in Tillia.
Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali have asked France to pull its troops from their territories, setting the stage for establishing a mutual defense treaty with the Union of Sahel States and declaring a withdrawal from ECOWAS in February.