Last year saw a significant resurgence of extremist violence in the Sahel, especially in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, where the United Nations (UN) recorded over 4 000 deaths. With the onset of COVID-19, terrorist attacks have not abated in the region.
African Union (AU) Commission chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat told African leaders at February's AU summit that 'the continent has not shown solidarity to its brothers and sisters in the Sahel.' As a result, the commission was tasked with developing a framework on the possible deployment of a 'force composed of the Multinational Joint Task Force and 3 000 troops for six months, in order to further degrade terrorist groups in the Sahel'.
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