UNITED NATIONS, May 16 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Thursday told the UN Security Council that it is necessary to step up the support for the G5 Sahel joint force.
In a council meeting on the peace and security in Africa, Ma Zhaoxu, China's permanent representative to the UN, said that the joint force has resumed operations as of earlier this year, overcoming many difficulties such as the deteriorating security situation and the lack of operational capacity and equipment.
"This showed the determination of the regional countries to advance the development of the joint force," he added.
The Chinese envoy called on the international community to provide continuing support to the joint force, adding that the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) should, in accordance with relevant agreements, continue to provide the joint force with the support package.
China backs the United Nations' necessary financial support for the G5 Sahel joint force, he added.
The MINUSMA was established in 2013 in order to support political processes in Mali, to ensure security, stabilization and protection of civilians and to promote human rights in the African country.
In 2017, five Sahel nations, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Chad and Mauritania, set up the joint force with the aim to roll back terrorism and lawlessness in the aftermath of a Tuareg separatist uprising in northern Mali in 2012.
