- Title: France's Macron arrives in Nouakchott for Sahel security talks
- Date: 30th June 2020
- Summary: 10KM NORTH OF NDAKI, GOURMA, MALI (FILE - JULY 26, 2019) (REUTERS) FRENCH BARKHANE SOLDIERS SEARCHING HOUSE BARKHANE SOLDIER SEARCHING WITH METAL DETECTOR SOLDIERS SPEAKING ON PHONE, CHECKING INFORMATION BARKHANE SOLDIERS CHECKING ANOTHER HOME / VILLAGER STANDING BY DOOR GOURMA REGION, MALI (FILE - JULY 27, 2019) (REUTERS) VILLAGERS LOOKING ON ARID GROUND
- Embargoed: 14th July 2020 15:36
- Keywords: Emmanuel Macron France Mauritania Mohamed Ould Ghazouani Sahel region talks
- Location: NOUAKCHOTT, MAURITANIA / PAU, FRANCE / GOURMA, BAMAKO AND NORTHERN MALI DESERT, MALI / ARBINDA, BURKINA FASO / NIAMEY, NIGER
- City: NOUAKCHOTT, MAURITANIA / PAU, FRANCE / GOURMA, BAMAKO AND NORTHERN MALI DESERT, MALI / ARBINDA, BURKINA FASO / NIAMEY, NIGER
- Country: Mauritania
- Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA002CKKBCJR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in the Mauritanian capital of Nouakchott on Tuesday (June 30) to meet with Sahel leaders to discuss the security in the region.
Macron was welcomed by Mauritanian counterpart Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, and the two are slated to meet with presidents of Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Chad.
French and West African troops have made gains against Islamist groups in the Sahel but the situation remains fragile with persistent attacks by the militants, French and Burkina Faso officials said ahead of the summit on Tuesday.
Political instability is also a source of concern as leaders of the group of five Sahel states meet French President Emmanuel Macron and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in Nouakchott and are joined by other EU leaders via video.
Tuesday's summit will assess recent gains and plan next steps after the countries agreed to bring their forces under one command structure six months ago during a summit in Pau, France.
The joint forces, led by France's 5,100 troops, have so far targeted Islamic State in the Greater Sahara as a priority, concentrating military efforts on the tri-border region of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali known as Liptako-Gourma, an Islamist stronghold.
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