Sahel countries hold first large-scale joint military exercise

On May 26, Niger's Ministry of Defense said that five Sahel countries held a large-scale military exercise in the western part of the country.

This is the first exercise between the five countries in an area where jihadist forces are active.

For years, the Sahel region has been plagued by militants linked to the terrorist groups Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS).

The Niger Defense Ministry said the large-scale international exercise between five African countries including Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger and Togo was held at the special forces training center in Tillia.

The exercise includes tactical maneuvers and initiatives to strengthen relations with local people. The activities are scheduled to last until June 3.

Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali have asked France to withdraw its troops from these countries and establish a common defense pact of the Union of Sahel States as well as announced its withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) bloc in February this year.

The successive coups in recent years in these three countries are partly due to the security situation being aggravated by the humanitarian and political crisis.