Despite some modest military gains by the governments in the past few months, the political instability in many West African nations, especially in Burkina Faso and Mali, could risk all of that and plunge the entire region into chaos. The members of the G5 Sahel are holding a summit in the Mauritanian capital of Nouakchott this week to discuss the situation.

French President, Emmanuel Macron, will also attend the summit to discuss the ongoing campaign against violent jihadists in the Sahel, his office confirmed. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will likewise participate. 

The G5 countries (Niger, Chad, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, and Mali) are battling an increasingly violent jihadist insurgency that has displaced millions and caused thousands of deaths.

The military forces of the G5 work with and are part of the 5,100-man French-led coalition that has been battling the jihadists as part of Operation Barkhane since 2013. The French-led coalition has increased operations along the borders of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger which both jihadists from al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQMI) and Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) have been using as a sanctuary.