France and its allies fighting Islamist terrorists in Mali announced on Thursday that they will begin their military withdrawal from the nation, but French President Emmanuel Macron emphasised that the pullout did not mean the country’s nine-year mission had failed.
Relations between Paris and Bamako have worsened since the ruling military junta abandoned an agreement to hold elections in February and proposed staying in power until 2025.
It has also used Russian private military contractors, which several European countries consider incompatible with its purpose.
Leaving Mali, the epicentre of the Islamist danger for years, has stoked fears of a resurgent insurgency across the Sahel region. Macron, on the other hand, stated that neighbouring Niger has agreed to host European forces combating Islamists.
“The heart of this military action will be in Niger, not Mali,” Macron said during a news conference in Paris.
“I strongly reject this notion,” he responded when asked if the French mission had failed.
Macron stated that the departure from Mali would take four to six months, during which time there would be fewer operations in the Sahel against Islamist extremists.
Successive coups in ex-French colonies Mali, Chad, and Burkina Faso have undermined France’s West African alliances, boosted Islamists who control wide swaths of territory, and opened the way for Russia to fill the void.
Diplomats warn that escalating unrest could re-invigorate migration from West Africa to Europe. It also jeopardises foreign mining operations and stability in key French partners like Ivory Coast and Senegal.
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