The African Union (AU) on February 27, 2020 announced that it’s set to deploy some 3,000 troops to West Africa’s Sahel region where the regional troops are struggling with challenging of the expanding terrorist’s threat.
The nearly eight-year insurgency in the Sahel has claimed lives of hundreds of security force and civilians.
The African Union decided to deploy the troops to help Sahel countries degrade terrorist outfits. The troops will be a boost to the G5 Sahel and ECOWAS troops already combating the Islamist outfits in the region.
The troops will be deployed for a period of six months to work with the countries of the Sahel and help deal with escalating terrorist’s menace they are facing. The deployment also faces a challenge onset citing no countries has come forward to volunteer troops, and also its unclear how the deployment would be financed.
AU officials during the announcement noted that member state have been called upon to make offers and contributions towards this peacekeeping mission highlighting some have already made offers and contributions.
Thursday’s press conference took place as part of a meeting between A.U. and European leaders. The E.U. High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell speaking at the press conference welcomed the A.U. deployment to the Sahel saying to will be a boost to the troops on the ground battling the bulging Islamist’s menace.
The France-led Operation Barkhane, a 5,100-strong mission with a mandate for counter-terrorism operations across the region, focuses activity in insurgent-hit Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. The troops work alongside local forces and other international partners, including the regional G5 Sahel Joint Force (FCG5S), which comprises troops from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Chad and Mauritania, and MINUSMA, the U.N. stabilization mission in Mali.
The Sahel region is struggling with Islamist militancy associated with Al-Qaeda and Islamic State affiliated outfits.
