Mauritania’s president, Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, has asked for Mali to rejoin the G5 Sahel.
Mali withdrew from the regional military coalition combating terrorist organizations in May of last year, citing “loss of autonomy” and “instrumentalization” within the organization.
The call was made on Monday in the Mauritanian city of Nouakchott, at the start of the 4th session of the General Assembly of the Sahel Alliance, a platform of 27 bilateral partners and donors established to mobilize international help for the region’s development.
The Mali junta has broken with France and its allies, turning to Russia for assistance.
Since 2011, Mauritania, a huge, mostly desert country with a population of 4.5 million, has been free of terrorist strikes.
