Who was meeting in Pau and what was agreed?
Six leaders met in the south-western French city, French President Emmanuel Macron hosting heads of Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mauritania, the G5 group. The nations agreed to a joint command structure - Coalition for the Sahel - to tackle the insurgency. "We have no choice. We need results," Mr Macron said.![Emmanuel Macron hosts leaders of the G5 group in Pau](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/141D5/production/_110498328_059128485-1.jpg)
What is happening in the Sahel?
The Sahel is the name for the region that stretches south of the Sahara from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Red Sea in the east, or from southern Mauritania to Eritrea. Its western and central areas have been a frontline in the war against Islamist militancy for almost a decade. But the jihadist fighters have recently stepped up their campaign Last week, 89 soldiers from Niger were killed in the latest attack.![Map showing most deadly region](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/127D8/production/_110463757_sahel_attacks_2019_map_region_640-nc.png)
Who is fighting the jihadists?
The French have 4,500 soldiers and there are another 12,000 UN peacekeepers in Mali called Minusma. The joint G5 Sahel countries have an estimated 5,000-strong force but some troops are under-trained and poorly equipped. The US has two drone bases in Niger.DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
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