Paris, Feb 2, 2020 – France said Sunday it was boosting its military presence in the Sahel by adding a further 600 troops to its 4,500-strong operation in Mali and four other countries in the region. The move was in response to a rise in violence tbat has fed a feeling of increased insecurity among locals. Macron earlier this month announced 220 fresh troops for the region at a G5 Sahel summit where he hosted the leaders of Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger, Mali and Mauritania. The defence ministry statement said the beefing up of the mission underlined France’s commitment to the mission, but also stressed that Paris’s allies were also mobilising their own forces. The top commander of American forces in Africa, General Stephen Townsend, has backed that view while urging France’s EU allies to play a greater regional role.

Source: The North Africa Journal February 04, 2020 12:56 UTC