Harare — The military chiefs of Burkina Faso and Niger announced on Saturday that they would be leaving the G5 anti-militant group in the Sahel area of Africa, in the most recent setback to the war against militants in one of the most unstable regions of the globe. Only modest progress has been made by the G5, which was established in 2014, RFI reports. Mali also left the original five-nation force last year due to a military takeover.

In 2017, the leaders of the five nations came to an agreement to send out a combined anti-terror task force supported by France. However, following years of French deployments on their soil, the military leaders of Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali all accused Paris with playing an excessive role. As of November 29, Burkina Faso and Niger "have decided in full sovereignty to quit all instances of the G5 Sahel, including the joint force," according to a statement from both nations.

In September 2022, military authorities led by Captain Ibrahim Traore took control of Burkina Faso and made a commitment to strengthen security following years of attacks by extremist organizations linked to the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda. The administration of Traore ordered French soldiers who had been assisting the ill-prepared Burkinabe army to leave the nation in February, signaling the rapid breakdown of relations with France.

An NGO monitor known as the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) counted more than 17,000 deaths from assaults in Burkina Faso since 2015. The conflict has also displaced two million people.