On patrol with the French army in the Sahel

France has troops based in the Sahel region of northern Africa in an effort to stop the emergence of jihadist groups, reports BBC News.

It has security commitments in neighbouring Niger and Chad as well as in Mali, where it led an offensive against jihadi groups linked to al-Qaeda.

The French have set up a base just south of the Libyan border, hoping to cut off the trafficking and supply routes on which extremist groups rely.

The BBC's Thomas Fessy was given access to the French base in Madama in northern Niger, and his video report can be seen here.