China News Agency, Paris, February 16 (Reporter Li Yang) The Sahel Group of Five Summit Meeting was held in N’Djamena, the capital of Chad, from the 15th to the 16th.
French President Macron attended the meeting via video link in Paris. He called for strengthening regional anti-terrorism operations and said that France "will not immediately adjust" its military presence in the region.
Macron held a press conference after the closing of the meeting on the 16th to introduce the relevant situation of the meeting and French measures.
He affirmed the recent achievements in combating terrorism in the Sahel region and believed that extremist organizations such as the "Islamic State" have suffered serious losses.
But Macron warned that extremism and terrorism continue to pose threats to the Sahel region.
He emphasized that France will continue to promote collective actions aimed at eradicating extremist and terrorist organizations in the region.
Macron welcomed Chad's announcement during the meeting to send 1,200 soldiers to the border area of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
Macron stated that France "will not immediately adjust" its military presence in the Sahel, and only when the future "appropriate" French forces will change its military deployment in the Sahel.
France launched the "Crescent Sand Dune" operation in August 2014. Within the framework of this operation, France sent soldiers to the Sahel region to jointly launch anti-terrorism operations with the government forces in the region.
At present, the French army deploys about 5,100 people in the area.
Analysts believe that the leaders of the Sahel do not want France to withdraw its troops there because the local security situation is still fragile.
In France, it is being discussed whether to maintain the French military presence in the region.
Since France launched a counter-terrorism operation in the area in 2013, about 50 French soldiers have been killed.
France is seeking to reduce military pressure in the Sahel region by training local troops and gaining more military support from European countries.
But related measures face challenges: the training of local troops faces problems such as lack of funds; and Germany has indicated that it refuses to send more military personnel to the region.
(Finish)