West Africa Backs French Military Presence Amid Protests
- Sahel countries explicitly express support for France
- West African nations and France seek continuing U.S. backing
Emmanuel Macron takes part in a ceremony in Pau, south-western France on Jan. 13 in memory of the soldiers killed in Mali in November 2019.
Photographer: Alvaro Barrientos/POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
The leaders of five West African countries publicly declared their backing for France’s military deployment in the region amid a spate of deadly attacks by Islamist extremists and escalating anti-French sentiment.
Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Chad also said they’d boost cooperation to fight terrorism in a joint statement following a summit on Monday in Pau, southern France.