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Emmanuel Macron has been president of France for just two months – and already has made his second visit to Mali, where French troops and UN peacekeepers are fighting armed groups.
Macron said the strategy is not working. He wants an African force to help confront what he calls “Islamic terrorism”.
He is calling for countries in the Sahel region of northwest Africa to contribute 5,000 soldiers.
Mali hosted leaders from Burkina Faso, Chad, Mauritania and Niger who are promising troops to confront armed groups at home.
They will be tasked with wiping out fighters Macron describes as “terrorists, thugs and murderers”.
But more money is needed to train and equip the soldiers in hostile territory.
Will the new regional force work? And is a bigger military presence the answer to the threat from al-Qaeda and others?
Presenter: Hazem Sika
Guests:
Marie-Roger Biloa – Editor of Africa International
Adama Gaye – Former director of information for ECOWAS
Tiebile Drame – Former foreign minister of Mali
Source: Al Jazeera News
