French President Emmanuel Macron joined the heads of state of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger this week via video link for a summit on the mounting crisis in the Sahel. France said it is seeking to avoid an “infinite war” but did not have immediate plans to draw down its 5,100 troops in the West African region. Meanwhile, Chad says it plans to deploy 1,200 troops to combat armed groups associated with the Islamic State and al-Qaeda. According to one tally, 7,000 people were killed due to the Sahel conflict last year, while the U.N. warned over 2 million had been displaced.