New campaign against jihadists
Five African countries yesterday launched a new multinational military force in the Sahel, according to the French president, Emmanuel Macron, which should be fully operational in autumn and, according to some observers, provides the basis for a withdrawal of French troops present in the region. The leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad and Mauritania, agreed to a plan to provide a battalion of 750 soldiers for the unit from each country. French support will be in “advice, material and combat,” said Macron, adding that “we want to get the command up and running, not just on the financing but also on operations level. I hope it’s a matter of weeks, because we need rapid results to be credible.”