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Niger's president calls for creation of West African Multinational Joint Force

Niger

Niger’s President Mahamadou Issoufou says recent acts of terror in Bamako, Ouagadougou and Grand Bassam means more effort is necessary to combat terrorism.

Issoufou who chairs the Agreement Council of five states believes stability in Mali will reduce terrorism fears and threats in the whole of West Africa. The Nigerien President was speaking on Monday during the Council’s Conference which also brought together heads of state from Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Benin and Togo.

“In order to combat terrorism effectively, in this neighbouring country, (Mali) we must put in place a joint multinational force like the one which operates in the Lake Chad basin,” Niger’s president Mahamadou who doubles as Chair of the Agreement Council of the five states, known in French as “Conseil de L’Entente, said.”

The North of Mali had been taken over between March and April 2012 by jihadists groups linked to Al-Qaeda.

Although the jihadists have been pushed back on several occasions through international military intervention, Malian and Foreign forces are still struggling to take full control of some areas.

“The stability of our sub region depends on the stability of all the neighbouring countries. In that light, we must work towards strengthening the mandate of MINUSMA to conduct offensive operations against the terrorist forces of all kinds in North Mali,” president Mahamadou added.

The Agreement council of the five states known in French as “Conseil de L’entente’ was created in 1959. Senegal, Guinea Conakry and Mali are participating as observers.

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