BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — France on Sunday promised strong support for a new multinational force that will carry out military operations against extremists in…
BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — France on Sunday promised strong support for a new multinational force that will carry out military operations against extremists in Africa’s vast Sahel region, while President Emmanuel Macron met in Mali with leaders from the five regional countries involved.
Macron said France will provide military support for operations as well as 70 tactical vehicles and communication equipment.
Leaders from Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso and Chad — known as the G5 — must clarify their roles and contributions for the 5,000-strong force to attract more support from outside countries, Macron said.
«We cannot hide behind words, and must take actions, » he said.
Emphasizing the threat, the recently formed extremist group Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen, based in Mali, on Saturday released a proof-of-life video showing six foreign hostages seized in the region in recent years.
The new anti-terror force, meant to be operational in the next few months, will operate in the region along with a 12,000-strong U. N. peacekeeping mission in Mali, which has become the deadliest in the world, and France’s own 5,000-strong Barkhane military operation, its largest overseas mission.
The European Union already has pledged some 50 million euros ($57 million) in support of the new G5 force. Sunday’s meetings are meant to lay out next steps and find more financial backing.
In mid-June, the U. N. Security Council unanimously approved a resolution welcoming the deployment of the new force. The U. N., however, will not contribute financially.
