The Force Commander Multinational Joint Task Force MNJTF, Maj.-Gen. Abdul Khalifah has called for partnership with other regional forces to defeat terrorism in the Lake Chad area and the Sahel.
Khalifah made the call when he received the new Force Commander of Operation Barkhane, French-born Maj.-Gen. Bruno Baratz in the MNJTF Headquarters Camp Farcha in Ndjamena Chad.
This is contained in a statement from the spokesman of the MNJTF on Wednesday, Lt.-Col. K.A Adegoke.
MNJTF comprises troops from Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, and the Niger Republic and has its headquarters in Ndjamena, Chad.
The commander appreciated the cooperation between Operation Barkhane and the MNJTF noting that the feat should be sustained.
He equally thanked the troops for their stabilizing roles in the fight against terrorism in the region and urged for sustenance.
He assured the new commander of his commitment to tackling insurgency in the region.
Responding, Baratz also praised the effective role of MNJTF in bringing stability to its area of operations.
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Baratz said that operation Barkhane is in the process in Mali, but would continue to work with other countries in fighting terrorism in the region.
Operation Barkhane is an ongoing anti-insurgent operation that started on Aug. 1, 2014, and is led by the French military against Islamist groups in Africa’s Sahel region.
It consists of a roughly 5,000-strong French force, which is permanently headquartered in N’Djamena.
Operation is led in cooperation with five countries, all of which are former French colonies that span the Sahel: Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger.
The countries are collectively referred to as the ”G5 Sahel”.
In another development, the outgoing Commander Sector I of the MNJTF based in Cameroon, Brig.-Gen. Bouba Debekreo, introduced his successor, Col. Tiokap Loti, to the force commander of the MNJTF.
Debekreo thanked the force commander for the support and guidance given him and urged for the same to be extended to his successor.
