Daily Times

French President Emmanuel Macron joined African leaders gathered in the Mauritanian capital on Monday for the final day of a summit overshadowed by security issues after jihadist rebels hammered two fragile Sahel states in successive attacks.

Macron landed Monday afternoon for an exceptional appearance at an African Union (AU) summit. He is expected to discuss hurdles facing a five-nation French-backed anti-terror unit, the “G5 Sahel” force.

“Our thoughts are with our Malian friends after tragic and cowardly attacks,” Macron said. “Several French soldiers were injured and are being evacuated. The first victims are Malian civilians.”

As the summit opened on Sunday, a bomb aimed at French soldiers in Mali’s troubled north killed four civilians and injured over 20 people. Four soldiers were among the wounded.

In Niger, Boko Haram insurgents targeted a military position in the southeast, killing 10 soldiers — a reminder of the peril that Nigeria’s notorious jihadists pose to neighbouring countries.

On Friday, a suicide bombing hit the headquarters of the G5 Sahel in central Mali, fuelling concerns about its ability to tackle jihadist groups roaming the region.

It was the first attack on the headquarters of the five-nation force, set up with French backing in 2017 to fight jihadist insurgents and criminal groups in the vast and unstable Sahel region.

The G5 Sahel leaders — from Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger — met Sunday to prepare for talks with Macron.

“We won’t let Mali fall apart, we will assume our responsibilities,” Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita told France 24 on Monday.

Published in Daily Times, July 3^rd 2018.