Macron tries to secure extra funding for new counter-terrorism force in Sahel

France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, yesterday hosted African and European leaders to drum up support and contributions for a new counter-terrorism force in the terrorist-plagued Sahel.

Two years in the planning, the force brings together troops from Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger in a desert region the size of Europe.

The five nations are among the world’s poorest, and funding was high on the agenda as their presidents joined Mr Macron and other leaders, including Germany’s chancellor Angela Merkel, at a chateau in Celle-Saint-Cloud near Paris.

Officials from Saudi Arabia – which may confirm a US$100 million (Dh367m) contribution, according to the French presidency – were also on the guest list.

Former colonial power France is leading regional counterterrorism efforts through its 4,000-strong Barkhane force, but is keen to spread the burden, as its military is engaged on various fronts.

The idea is for the Sahel nations to develop their capacity to defend themselves through the new force, but their militaries are poorly equipped and need training in the new role.

Mr Macron – who has had a busy week of diplomacy after a climate summit on Tuesday – pushed US president Donald Trump for support when they met in July, and Washington has promised $60m in aid for the countries.

“It’s an initiative that’s getting more powerful, but speed is a problem,” said French defence minister Florence Parly.

“We have to go faster. The objective is to be able to move forward faster on financing and the military structure.”

US officials were attending the talks, as were the prime ministers of Italy and Belgium and representatives of the UAE, European Union and African Union.

The International Crisis Group described the G5 force as a European effort to “bring down the expense of their overseas operations by delegating them partially to their African partners”.

“The Sahel is politically and economically strategic, especially for France and Germany, both of which view the region as posing a potential threat to their own security and as a source of migration and terrorism,” an ICG report said.

The goal is to have a pooled force of 5,000 local troops operational by the middle of next year, wresting back border areas from militants including a local Al Qaeda affiliate.

The first priority is to reestablish law and order in the border zone between Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, where several hundred soldiers, backed by French troops, carried out last month’s debut mission.

The task is daunting, not least because the Islamists enjoy a degree of support in areas where people’s experience of the state has often been one of inefficacy or outright abuse of power. In central Mali, Human Rights Watch noted that many villagers “welcomed Islamist efforts to investigate and punish livestock thieves”, while others “expressed anger at Malian army abuses”.

The rights group urged the new force to respect civilian rights in areas where ordinary people have often borne the brunt of the violence. Thousands have died in years of attacks, and tens of thousands have fled their homes.

The objective is to be able to move forward faster on financing and the military structure FLORENCE PARLY French defence minister