Mauritania’s president on Monday urged Mali to rejoin a West African anti-jihadist force and regional grouping known as the G5 Sahel, which it quit last year Mali announced its decision in May 2022, slamming a “loss of autonomy” and “instrumentalisation” within the regional grouping. In 2021, Chad was meant to hand the G5 presidency over to Mali but did not — a move that Bamako interpreted as French interference. He said the junta’s decision, France’s withdrawal of its last troops from Mali deployed under its Barkhane anti-jihadist force and the conflict in Sudan were “regrettable events”. Mali has been battling a security crisis since jihadist and separatist insurgencies broke out in the north in 2012. The G5 Sahel, which includes Mauritania, Chad, Burkina and Niger, launched in 2014, with an anti-jihadist force added in 2017.

Source: The North Africa Journal July 12, 2023 12:43 UTC