Regular session of G5 Sahel ministers opens in Ouagadougou

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (PANA) - A regular session of the G5 Sahel Council of Ministers opens on Tuesday in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, amid an upsurge in terrorist attacks in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

A major attack on the Malian army last week killed 53 people, while five Burkinabe gendarmes were killed on Monday in an attack in the Sahel.

The French Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, who is visiting the Sahel, announced the launch of a new joint operation called "Bourgou 4" in the area that includes the borders of Mali, Burkina, Niger.

The operation will be led by the French Barkane force and the armies of the countries concerned.

After a meeting with Burkina Faso's President, Rock Marc Christian Kaboré, she welcomed the results achieved despite the persistence of terrorist attacks.

-0- PANA TNDD/JSG/BBA/MA 5Nov2019