France Vows To Deploy 600 Additional Military Troops To Africa’s Sahel Region

France on Sunday announced plans to boost its military presence in West Africa, by deploying 600 troops in Mali and four other countries in the region, reported Reuters.

“The president has taken the decision to increase the number of troops deployed in the Sahel-Saharan strip to about 5,100 soldiers, an increase of 600 soldiers,” French Defense Minister Florence Parly said in a statement.

She said most of the military troops would be deployed on the border zones between Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. The remaining troops will join the forces of the G5 group of West African countries that have partnered with France to combat the violent groups loosely affiliated with Isis and al-Qaeda. Notably, France currently maintains a 4,500-strong military force throughout West and Central Africa.

“The reinforcements should allow us to increase the pressure against the ISS [Deash in the Greater Sahara] terrorist organization acting on behalf of Daesh,” the French minister said. “We will leave no space for those who want to destabilize the Sahel.”

The announcement comes two weeks after French President Emmanuel Macron held a summit with his counterparts from the Sahel belt of western Africa to discuss the military campaign against jihadist militants. He discussed security issues with the leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger, and Mauritania.

President Macron said at the time that France had no choice but to take urgent steps to control the worsening conflict, which is the world’s fastest-growing Islamist insurgency.

Militants have launched repeated attacks against local troops in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.  According to research from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project and the International Crisis Group, casualties from insurgent attacks in Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali have increased in the last few years, with more than 4,000 killed last year alone.

France has lost 41 soldiers in the Sahel conflict since 2013 as its forces seek to train up local fighters.