Hello and welcome to the Intelligence on Economist Radio.

I'm your host, Jason Palmer.

Every weekday, we provide a fresh perspective on the events shaping your world.

After five and a half months without one, the World Trade Organization has a new leader.

Ngozi Oconjo Iweila brings plenty of experience to the role,

but it's a tricky time to be repairing relationships and building trust among the WTO's members.

And beneath the waves, there's a constantly shifting soundscape.

As humans carry on more activity underwater, it's getting louder and louder.

Meanwhile, the creatures that call the ocean home are getting quieter and quieter.

First up, though.

Today ends a two-day summit on security and terrorism in the Sahel,

a vast and volatile African region south of the Sahara Desert.

Leaders of the G5 Sahel grouping, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger

met in Chad's capital, Jemena.

French President Emmanuel Macron joined via video link.

For the past eight years, France has been leading a counterterrorism effort against the region's

jihadists.

A year ago, it increased its force there to more than 5,000 troops, who have had some

success in beating back one of the main armed groups.

But the country's continued military presence has also drawn protests in Mali.

As the conflict drags on and insurgents reassemble, France finds itself in a tough spot,

fighting a thankless war that looks harder and harder to win.

...