Briefly

MYANMAR

Militia leader Peng Jiasheng dies at 94

Peng Jiasheng, a veteran militia leader in Myanmar, died of illness on Wednesday at the age of 94, according to media reports. Peng is the former chairman of the Kokang region in the Shan State of Myanmar, and the founder and leader of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army. Peng is of Chinese descent and a self-proclaimed native of Sichuan province. Kokang is a small special region in the northeast corner of Shan on the border with Southwest China's Yunnan province.

BURKINA FASO

Lieutenant-colonel sworn in as president

Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba was sworn in as Burkina Faso's new president in a televised ceremony on Wednesday. Damiba, head of the Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration, took his oath in front of the Constitutional Council to "preserve, respect, uphold and defend the Constitution, the fundamental act and the laws". Addressing the nation on state television after taking the oath, Damiba paid tribute to the security forces and the country's population.

FRANCE

France to withdraw troops from Mali

President Emmanuel Macron said France will withdraw its troops from Mali, but will maintain military presence in neighboring West African nations, announcing the move during a news conference in Paris on Thursday. France has about 4,300 troops in the Sahel region, including 2,400 in Mali. France's so-called Barkhane force is also involved in Chad, Niger, Burkina Faso and Mauritania.

Agencies - China Daily