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Thread] #Sahel | French President @EmmanuelMacron has just given a press conference following the N'Djamena Summit. The main announcements below 
https://twitter.com/EmmanuelMacron/status/1361640564953874433?s=20
https://twitter.com/EmmanuelMacron/status/1361640564953874433?s=20
1/ French President began by taking stock of the actions undertaken since the Pau Summit. On the military level, he stressed the tactical successes of Operation #Barkhane against terrorist groups, in particular the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, in the Liptako.
While the security situation was very worrisome in the fall of 2019, the "military balance of power has been reversed and the Sahel saved a second time" said the French President.
At the political level, some progress has been made, such as the organization of peaceful elections in Burkina Faso and Niger, and the relaunch of discussions on the Algiers Agreement. https://www.africanews.com/2021/02/11/mali-peace-deal-signatories-meet-in-former-rebel-city/
The French President acknowledged that the coup d'état in Mali had penalized the implementation of the political roadmap defined in Pau. Nevertheless, Malian authorities have committed to holding elections within 18 months.
2/ French President presented the N'Djamena Summit as a moment of "amplification of the dynamics of Pau" on the military, civil and international levels:
i/ Military: France will *maintain* in the next few months the volume of forces of Operation Barkhane (5100 men), with three objectives. First, to stabilize the region of the Liptako (where a Chadian battalion of 1,200 soldiers will be deployed).
Second, to continue the disruption of the AQIM/JNIM chain of command in northern Mali. Third, to intensify efforts against Katiba Macina in the West in coordination with Mali and Mauritania.
Consolidation of the G5 Sahel Joint Force must continue, in particular by giving it a UN mandate (under Chapter VII) that will enable it to have sustainable financing.
More specifically on #Barkhane, the President indicated that the operation will focus on the fight against terrorist groups. The force will remain stable in the coming months but "adaptations" will be examined in the summer.
ii/ Civil: The President called for a "civilian surge". If long-term development projects have been launched, particularly within the framework of the @AllianceSahel (900 projects, 17 billion euros), the immediate priority must be the return of the State to the liberated regions
Mali, Burkina and Niger have pledged to step up their efforts to enable the deployment of internal security forces or the opening of schools in the Liptako region where terrorist groups were recently defeated.
iii/ International: The President welcomed the creation of TF Takuba which currently has 9 partners (
). Other countries (including Serbia, Hungary and Greece) are interested. The objective is to reach a force of 2000 men, with a French pillar of 500 soldiers.
). Other countries (including Serbia, Hungary and Greece) are interested. The objective is to reach a force of 2000 men, with a French pillar of 500 soldiers.
During the conference, @SecBlinken also confirmed that the 
commitment in the region will be maintained.
commitment in the region will be maintained.
3/ Next steps: A new meeting with the heads of state of the Sahel will be held in the spring and a new Coalition Summit before the summer. A senior representative of the @CoalitionSahel has also been appointed, Djimé Adoum (former Chadian Minister of Agriculture).
To learn more, here is the final communiqué of the Summit (in French for the moment) [End] https://www.elysee.fr/emmanuel-macron/2021/02/16/communique-final-du-sommet-de-ndjamena
