‘France and Germany say they will deploy troops to Mali as part of a joint military brigade in the West African country.

“France and Germany have decided to send elements of the Franco-German Brigade to Mali; the first deployment under the aegis of the EU and in an African location,” said a joint statement issued on Wednesday.

The decision was made during a security and defense meeting between the two countries in Paris.

The statement said the forces will join a European mission, which was launched in February last year, to train nearly 3,000 Malian forces. It did not mention the exact number of the troops involved.’