France first sent troops to the Sahel in 2013 when it helped to push al-Qaida-linked militants from their strongholds in Mali's north. 'We are all convinced that victory is possible in Sahel,' Macron said in a news conference alongside other heads of states. Macron said his first trip outside Europe since the beginning of the new coronavirus crisis aimed at showing 'solidarity' toward the African continent. In Burkina Faso, the threat has grown with fighting spreading from the country's north to the east and southwest regions. AP writers Sam Mednick in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; Ahmed Mohamed in Nouakchott, Mauritania, and Aritz Parra in Madrid contributed to this report.

Source: Libya Today June 30, 2020 15:55 UTC