Ivorian Prime Minister Patrick Achi and Defence Minister Téné Birahima Ouattara alongside French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian came together on Thursday to inaugurate the International Academy for Combating Terrorism.
The aim of this establishment is to train cadres and Special Forces from the African continent in a move to reinforce resistance efforts against jihadist extremists in the region.
These terrorist groups have steadily intensified their violent attacks in the Sahel and gradually expanding to nearby areas.
The timely launch of the academy comes on the heels of French President Emmanuel Macron announcing a profound transformation of France’s anti-jihadist military operations on the Sahel.
Fighting in the vast semi-arid region began in 2012, when Islamist militants joined a local insurgency in northern Mali, capturing swathes of territory.
France intervened in January 2013 to beat them back, in an operation called Serval.
Serval was succeeded on August 1, 2014, by the broader Barkhane mission, which currently has some 5,100 soldiers deployed across the Sahel.
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