 And France, which has more than 5,000 troops deployed in the Sahel, will resume joint operations with the Malian Armed Forces, its Ministry of Defense announced on Friday in Paris. It comes after suspending bilateral cooperation following a second coup in Mali in May. The announcement was made in the form of a communique. Following consultations with the Malian transitional authorities and the countries of the region, France takes notes of the commitment of the Malian transitional authorities endorsed by the economic resumption of operations with the Malian army. After a second coup in nine months that made Connell Asimi-Goyta, the head of this state, crucial for stability in the Sahel, France had declared a month ago to suspend joint operations with the Malian forces, with which it has cooperated for years against jihadists. In order to counter extremists in the Sahel area, French military have been supporting soldiers from Mali, Chad, Mauritania, Niger and Burkina Faso through its over 5,000 troops present in the region.