Sputnik News – France’s security forces are proceeding with the counter-terrorism operation Barkhane in Africa’s Sahel region, despite the recent military takeover in the Western African country of Mali, French Defence Minister Florence Parly said on Thursday.
“Operation Barkhane, requested by the Malians and authorized by the UN Security Council, is underway. The French military, in collaboration with European and Sahelian partners, continues to carry out their mission professionally, in the interests of the security of all,” Parly wrote on Twitter.
The Barkhane military operation has been conducted in the African region of Sahel by some 5,000 French troops against jihadist groups since 2014.
The French forces cooperate with the members of the G5 Sahel alliance, including Chad, Mali, Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Niger, to settle the security crisis in the area.
On Tuesday, a group of Malian soldiers initiated a revolt at the Kati military base near the capital of Bamako and ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and the parliament from power after kidnapping some high-ranking government officials.
Mali has been suffering from a long-term political crisis aggravated by the Islamist insurgency since 2012. The opposition June 5 Movement had been pressing Keita to resign before the coup took place.
