Ouagadougou (AFP)
Mali wants to strengthen its military cooperation with Burkina Faso to "defeat terrorist groups" after the deadliest jihadist attack ever waged against the Burkinabe army, said the Malian Minister of Defense visiting Monday in Ouagadougou.
"The government of Mali stands in solidarity with the brotherly people of Burkina Faso, who was the victim of a cowardly and cowardly attack that caused the loss of many of our comrades-in-arms," said General Ibrahima Dembélé. from an audience with the Burkinabe Prime Minister Christophe Dabiré.
He presented the condolences of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and the government of Mali to the government and people of Burkina Faso after the attack that killed 24 people in the ranks of the army of the neighboring country on August 19th. Seven soldiers were also wounded in the assault on a military detachment in Koutougou, northern Burkina Faso.
General Dembélé "reaffirmed in Burkina Faso the support and (the) commitment of Mali at his side to meet the challenge we all face".
"Currently, we have a field operation, at the border that we are evaluating with my counterpart (Burkina Faso) We will work together and see how to improve this operation and strengthen our capabilities, pool our resources to get rid of terrorist groups, "said the Malian minister.
On Thursday, President Roch Marc Christian decreed a 72-hour national mourning in honor of the victims of the Koutougou attack in the Soum province bordering Mali, the deadliest ever by jihadist groups against the defense forces. and Burkinabe security.
This West African country has been caught in a spiral of violence for four and a half years, attributed to a dozen groups, some affiliated with Al Qaeda and others affiliated with the Islamic State group.
Since early 2015, jihadist attacks, more and more frequent and deadly, especially in the north and east, have killed more than 500 people, according to a count of AFP.
The Burkinabè forces, lacking resources, seem unable to stop the attacks and the jihadists are extending their influence over bigger and bigger areas. They would have several hundred militants armed in the country, had confided in May a French military source to AFP.
Five Sahel states (Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and Chad - the G5 Sahel) have formed a multinational military force to fight against the many Islamist groups that are raging in the region, but this force is struggling to gain momentum.
© 2019 AFP