Finally, about five hundred French military instructors and advisers will be embedded in G5-Sahel armies. In 2013, Tuareg rebels withdrew to this natural redoubt to escape the attentions of the French military. Macron is now calling for better governance in the Western Sahel, but he clearly no longer sees this as France’s responsibility. The G5-Sahel staged its first military joint operation – 750 West African soldiers assisted by 180 French military – in 2017. If this sounds bleak, it’s simply that the Western Sahel has run out of options.

Source: The North Africa Journal April 14, 2021 11:48 UTC