Emmanuel Macron will follow the G5 Sahel summit in N'Djamena by videoconference due to the health crisis, the French presidency announced Thursday, specifying that Washington would also participate, in the form of a video message from its secretary of state.
To read also: In N'Djaména, Jean Castex wakes up with the French troops
The French head of state "
will not leave French territory
" and "will
participate remotely
" at the summit on February 15 and 16, the presidency said.
This decision was taken "
only with regard to the health context
", she adds, specifying that no French minister would be present in N'Djamena.
Emmanuel Macron will therefore participate by videoconference in the meeting scheduled for Monday afternoon with his counterparts from the five G5 Sahel countries (Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Chad), which he has all received in the lead in recent weeks at Paris.
Tuesday morning, he will also follow the meeting with the partners of the Coalition for the Sahel, which brings together all the countries providing assistance in the fight against jihadist groups.
On this occasion, the new US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will speak with a video message, "
an important signal
" for Paris, according to the Élysée.
The Trump administration had indeed hinted at a desire to disengage from the region, but the first contacts with the new team have been more positive in recent weeks.
The purpose of the summit is to "
amplify the dynamics
" of the Pau summit (southern France) of January 2020, which allowed "
a clear reversal of the balance of power
" with the jihadist armed groups, in particular "
in the region of the three borders
”(Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso), indicated the presidency.
It will also be a question of "
supplementing this military dynamic by a symmetrical leap in the civil aspects
", in particular by aiming "
the return of the State
" in the most troubled regions and by relaunching the Algiers agreements of 2015, "
the only relevant political framework for resolving the Malian crisis
, ”the same source adds.
Read also: Pompeo met Blinken, his successor named by Biden, for an "orderly transition"
The Élysée has also confirmed "
an ongoing reflection
" on an "
adjustment
" of the French force Barkhane, as announced in January Emmanuel Macron.
But this question is currently "
discussed with the Sahelian partners of the coalition
", specified an adviser.
"
The modalities will be decided over the next few weeks and months
."
France, which is mobilizing 5,100 soldiers for Barkhane, particularly wants a growing commitment from its European allies and a more effective political relay from African states on the ground.
