Mali Withdraws From Regional Anti-jihadist Force
Mali said Sunday it was withdrawing from a west African force fighting jihadists to protest its being rejected as head of the G5 regional group, which also includes Mauritania, Chad, Burkina and Niger.
"The government of Mali is deciding to withdraw from all the organs and bodies of the G5 Sahel, including the joint force" fighting the jihadists, it said in a statement.
The G5 Sahel was created in 2014 and its anti-jihadist force launched in 2017.
A conference of heads of state of the G5 Sahel scheduled for February 2022 in Bamako had been due to mark "the start of the Malian presidency of the G5."
But nearly four months after the mandate indicated this meeting "has still not taken place," the statement said.
Bamako "firmly rejects the argument of a G5 member state whic...