Paris: On Friday, France announced that it would resume joint military operations in Mali, after suspending them early last month after the country’s second coup within a year.
After consulting with the Malian transitional authorities, France has ‘decided to resume joint military operations as well as national advisory missions, which had been suspended since June 3’, the armed forces minister said in a statement.
The move sparked diplomatic uproar, prompting the United States to suspend security assistance for the Malian security forces, and the African Union and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to suspend Mali.
The French have 5,100 troops deployed in the Sahel as part of the Barkhane operation, which spans five countries — Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger.
Macron said the existing Barkhane operation would end, and France would become a member of the so-called Takuba international task force, in which “hundreds” of French soldiers would form the backbone.
The Czech Republic, Estonia, Italy, Romania, and Sweden have also committed to participate.
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