Burkina Faso and Niger called on the Republic of Mali to “return to its duties” in the joint armed forces against jihadists, which includes, in addition to these three countries, Chad and Mauritania.
In mid-May, the transitional authorities of the Republic of Mali, who had been prevented from taking over the presidency of the Group of Five, decided to withdraw from the regional bloc and its combined armed forces.
Bamako (Mali’s capital) attributed her exit from the military alliance, which is fighting jihadist groups in five countries, to “loss of independence” and suffering from “exploitation” by the other four allies.
On Monday, Niger Defense Minister Kassem Ndato said during a visit to Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso: “We looked at the regional situation and thought that today Mali is the one that is most out of defense cooperation.”
“We must work so that Mali can return, take up its responsibilities and play its part,” he added during the visit, accompanied by his Burkina Faso colleague, General Barthelemy Semboré.
The Nigerian minister made the statement following a meeting with the head of the transition period in Burkina Faso, Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo.
“In addition to these operations, we intend to conduct more regular and permanent operations on the ground between the various armies to ensure that they control the ground and do not leave a single centimeter for terrorists, both in Niger and in Burkina Faso,” he said. . explained.
Between April 2 and 25, units of the armies of the two countries conducted a joint operation “Tanli-3”, as a result of which “about 100 terrorists” were neutralized, according to the chiefs of staff of the two armies.
For years, Burkina Faso and its neighboring Niger have seen attacks by jihadist groups linked to the Islamic State, ISIS, and al-Qaeda.
These attacks have killed thousands of people in both countries and displaced hundreds of thousands.
Source: AFP.