Given the scale of terrorism in the Sahel, French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe urged Monday, November 18, to "leave no chance, no take" to jihadist groups in the region, during a speech near Dakar, at Senegal.

"One thing is certain: the jihadist groups will benefit, as soon as they can, from our weaknesses, from our lack of coordination or our insufficiencies in terms of means, commitments or training," said the head of the government opening of the Dakar International Forum on Peace and Security.

"We must not leave them any chance, no hold," he pleaded, calling to "face the situation," "in its nuance and sometimes, in its more cruel truth". The Prime Minister said that "in some territories, we have managed if not to eradicate, at least to contain or even to reverse the jihadist threat."

Multiple attacks in the Sahel

But "in other territories on the other hand, this threat is developing", thriving "on a breeding ground of pre-existing tensions" and taking advantage "of the corruption and the traffics," he added.

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The security context has deteriorated in recent months in the Sahel and questions the effectiveness of the national armies, but also foreign forces, including the French anti-jihad operation Barkhane, which mobilizes 4,500 soldiers, over a vast area like Europe .

In early November, an ambush against the convoy of a Canadian mining company in eastern Burkina Faso killed 38 people. A French soldier of Operation Barkhane was also killed by an explosive device in north-eastern Mali, the day after the assault in the same region against a Malian military camp that left 49 dead.

Support from West African States

Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron announced imminent decisions to improve the anti-jihadist struggle in the region, after receiving the presidents of Chad, Niger and Mali.

He hopes to build on the joint strength of the G5 Sahel, which has 5,000 troops from Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and Chad, and could eventually supplement Barkhane. More generally, France wants the involvement of all West African states, like Senegal, in the framework of the Stability and Security Pact announced at the G7 Biarritz in August.

"Even if these states do not face directly the extension of the terrorist threat, they have a part of the solution to fight it," said Monday Édouard Philippe. "We must therefore invite them, in a spirit of reciprocal engagement between the countries of the region and international partners," he said.

With AFP