Chad says will withdraw half its troops from G5 Sahel force

N’Djamena says the ‘strategic redeployment’ is to better adapt to the organisation of rebel groups in the region.

Chad says it will recall 600 soldiers, half its contingent, from the multinational G5 Sahel forces in the troubled three-border region of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, where a surge in violence has cost thousands of lives. “This is a strategic redeployment to better adapt to the organisation of the terrorists,” spokesman Abderaman Koulamallah told the AFP news agency on Saturday. Chad’s 1,200-strong contingent was deployed there to fight rebel groups, part of forces to which all five of the Sahel region countries – which also includes Mauritania – have contributed since 2017.