The Mali military junta says it is withdrawing from the G5 Sahel nations fighting jihadist groups in the Sahel and West African region. It cited lack of progress.
The G5 Sahel, which also includes Chad, Burkina Faso, Niger and Mauritania was set up in 2017 to fight armed groups that have killed thousands of civilians and soldiers in various attacks since 2012 in the region.
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This could mean further isolation of Mali, which is under sweeping sanctions imposed by ECOWAS, the regional bloc.
But the Banako junta is also ramping up defence cooperation with Russia and Rwanda following growing anti-French sentiments and the severance of a 2014 defence pact with Paris after France announced pulling out its forces from Mali.
Editor: Omor Bazuaye
