The future of the Sahel rests on what happens in the coming year, according to the military chief of staff of France, which has a fighting force in the jihadist-plagued region.

"It is now, in the coming year, that the Sahel’s future will be determined.” Francois Lecointre told France Info radio.

Only a political solution involving all the states of the region as well as the international community will guarantee security in the long run, he added.

Gen. Lecointre defended the presence of 4,500 French troops fighting jihadists in the Sahel and said France would soon be taking the battle to the next level.

Last month, 13 French troops were killed when their helicopters collided in Mali while on a combat operation.

Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Mauritania are the G5 Sahel nations bearing the brunt of attacks by militants linked to IS and al-Qaeda.

The five countries have a counter-insurgency force, supported by the French troops, to fight the militants.

The force was launched four years ago when almost all the attacks by the Islamist militants were in Mali.

Source: BBC