France seeks UN support for Sahel force to fight militants

NEW YORK: France on Tuesday asked the United Nations Security Council to authorise the deployment of a five-nation African military force to fight jihadists in the Sahel region.

A draft resolution circulated to the 15-member council would give the Sahel force a UN mandate to “use all necessary means” to “combat terrorism, drug trafficking and trafficking in persons”, according to the text obtained by AFP. The council could vote on the draft resolution as early as next week, diplomats said.

Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger, which make up the G5, agreed in March to set up the special counter-terrorism operation of 5,000 troops for the Sahel region. The force will have its headquarters in Mali, but will be under a separate command from the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission, which has been deployed in the country since 2013.

French Ambassador Francois Delattre said he expected the council to back the measure, drafted under chapter seven of the UN charter, which provides for the use of force.

“We cannot afford to let the Sahel region become a new safe haven for terrorists from across the region,” he said.

The draft resolution would authorise the deployment of the force of up to 5,000 military, police and civilian personnel for 12 months. The force will operate in border areas and work to “create a secure environment by eradicating the actions of the terrorist armed groups and other organised criminal groups”, the draft said. AFP