US troops have joined several hundred soldiers from 10 African countries for an annual military exercise in Ivory Coast.
The two-week exercise, known as Flintlock, is designed to strengthen coordination against Islamist militant groups in West Africa and the Sahel.
It opens just before the French president, Emmanuel Macron, hosts a summit in Paris this week on the future of the French-led multinational force based in Mali.
Following the coups there and in neighbouring Burkina Faso – as well as the growing influence of the Russian mercenary force known as the Wagner Group – France and its European allies have said they’re prepared to withdraw security assistance unless the military regimes pledge to restore democratic government.
Source: BBC
