Burkina Faso and Mali have agreed to bilateral military cooperation that is geared at collaborating in military operations against jihadists in both Sahel nations. Since emerging in northern Mali in 2012, jihadist groups have expanded into Burkina Faso as well as Niger causing the death of thousands and displacement of millions.
The agreement comes seeing as France is stepping back into a support role after President Emmanuel Macron recently announced that its counter-terrorism Operation Barkhane was coming to an end with French troop numbers in the Sahel being cut from 5,100 to 2,500-3,000 over the next few months.
The cooperation is part of a larger CT strategy where the militaries strive to work with each other as well as their Western allies, to gradually rebuild the security that can allow everyday economic life and development efforts to move forward in greater security.
