UN senior official, Martha Pobee, has described Mali’s decision to withdraw from the G5-Sahel group and its Joint Force as “unfortunate” and “regrettable”.

Pobee, Assistant Secretary-General for Africa in the Departments of Political and Peace building Affairs and Peace Operations, told the Security Council at UN headquarters that Mali withdrew from the force.

She said that the decision by Mali’s military government to leave the G5 Sahel force “is most certainly a step back for the Sahel, urging countries in the region to redouble efforts to protect human rights, amid protracted political and security crises.

The official said the Joint Force was created in 2017 by the “G5” Heads of State – Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger – to counter terrorism in the Sahel “head on”.

However, the challenging political and security dynamics in the Sahel – and uncertain outcomes of transitions in Mali and Burkina Faso, in particular – has already slowed Joint Force operations.