France is to deploy 3,000 troops in the Sahel, Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Thursday. They will fight Islamist militias and other armed groups in north Mali, northern Niger and Chad, reports RFI.
Pledging to “pursue counter-terrorism” in the region, Le Drian said that France will reorganise its military presence so that 3,000 soldiers are present in the region, where the Sahara desert joins savanna to the south.
It has served as a refuge for criminals and armed groups that have been involved in violence in Algeria and Libya as well as the countries Le Drian mentioned.
France is “in the process of ending the frontal war phase” in Mali, where Operation Serval started in January 2013, Le Drian told BFMTV.
Read more of this report from RFI.