President Emmanuel Macron says France will not reduce its forces battling rebel groups in the Sahel region of West Africa, describing a rushed exit as a mistake.
The French leader disclosed that he was pushing back a decision on a troop reduction after a virtual summit of the G5 Sahel countries which are Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and their allies to discuss the future of their military campaign in the region.
France increased its troops in the Sahel by 600 last year after a similar summit , bringing the total number of French soldiers deployed there as part of Operation Barkhane to 5,100.
He noted further that the increase of French boots on the ground has led to significant victories including the deaths of many of the leaders of the extremist groups.
During the summit, Chad announced plans to deploy 1,200 troops to the “tri-border” region, the three-country point joining Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger which has seen the most intense fighting.
Meanwhile, Germany has rejected French requests for German engagement in Sahel combat operations however Hungary, Greece and Serbia have expressed willingness to join the international forces comprising several European countries.
According to Crisis Action, 2020 was the deadliest year for civilians in the Sahel.
The United Nations’ Refugee Agency also noted that violence across the African region has now displaced more than 2 million people, a figure that quadrupled in just two years.
By Hussein Jama
February 17, 2021
