Sat 21 August 2021:
Chad is to half its force in the multinational G5 Sahel force in the troubled three-borders region of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, recalling 600 soldiers, the government announced Saturday.
“This is a strategic redeployment to better adapt to the organisation of the terrorists,” spokesman Abderaman Koulamallah told AFP, referring to the jihadist groups active in the region.
Chad’s 1,200-strong contingent was deployed there to fight the jihadists, part of a force to which all five of the Sahel region countries have contributed since 2017.
“That still leaves around 600 soldiers on the ground,” said Koulamallah. The redeployment had been planned for some time and in cooperation with the G5’s leadership, he added.
France, also heavily involved in the Sahel region, recently announced it was cutting its military presence in the region from around 5,000 to between 2,500 and 3,000 troops.
French troops have been present in Mali since 2013, when they intervened to force Islamic extremist rebels from power in towns across the country’s north. Operation Serval was later replaced by Barkhane and was expanded to include other countries in an effort to help stabilize the broader Sahel region.
———————————————————————————————————————-
FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:
TWITTER (CLICK HERE)
https://twitter.com/IpIndependent
FACEBOOK (CLICK HERE)
https://web.facebook.com/ipindependent
Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!
