NIGER, Burkina Faso and Mali have created a joint force that will soon be deployed in the restive Sahel region to face rising extremist violence, Niger’s defence minister said today

The force of 5,000 personnel will be posted in the three west African countries, Mr Salifou Mody said during an interview on state television, saying that some joint operations have already taken place.

Niger, along with its neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso, has battled for more than a decade an insurgency fought by jihadi groups, including some allied with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.