French President Emmanuel Macron (C) hosts a meeting with (From L) Burkina Faso`s President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, Chadian President Idriss Deby, Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, Mauritania`s President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, and Niger`s President Mahamadou Issoufou ahead of a summit with leaders of the G5 Sahel countries to discuss how to speed up the implementation of the G5 West African counter-terrorism force at La Celle-Saint-Cloud, near Paris on 13 December 2017. PHOTO: Reuters
Macron made the announcement at a meeting to drum up support for the G5 Sahel force, an initiative pooling troops from Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.
The leaders of the five nations, which are among the world's poorest, joined Macron and other leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the talks at a chateau in La Celle-Saint-Cloud outside Paris.
Former colonial power France is fighting against militants in West Africa with its 4,000-strong regional Barkhane force, but is keen for the countries affected to take on more responsibility.
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"We must win the war against terrorism in the Sahel-Sahara region," Macron told a press conference after the meeting.
"There are attacks everyday, there are states which are currently in jeopardy... We must intensify our efforts," he said.
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