YAOUNDE, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chadian and Mauritanian leaders acknowledged on Wednesday that the Group of Five for the Sahel (G5 Sahel) has become ineffective following the departure of three other founding countries.
Last week, Niger and Burkina Faso announced their withdrawal from all G5 Sahel bodies. Mali had previously withdrawn from all organs and bodies of the G5 Sahel last year.
In a joint statement, Mauritania and Chad expressed their acknowledgment and respect for the sovereign decisions made by Burkina Faso and Niger to exit the international force.
The statement highlighted their intention to implement Article 20 of the alliance, which specifies that the body can be dissolved upon the request of at least three member states.
The G5 Sahel was established on Dec. 19, 2014, by Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania and Chad with the aim of combating terrorism in the Sahel region.
In the past decade, the unrest in the Sahel, a vast semi-arid region of Africa extending from Senegal eastward to Sudan, has undermined security in regional countries. ■
