LAST UPDATE 11:50
France and its European partners in the fight against Islamist militants in Mali have decided to begin a coordinated withdrawal of their troops from the country, a joint statement said Friday.
They agreed to make plans for how they would stay in the region, especially in the countries of Niger and the Gulf of Guinea until June 2022, the statement said.
Relations between Paris and Bamako have deteriorated since the military junta reached an agreement on holding elections in February and proposed staying in power until 2025. It has also deployed Russian mercenaries of the infamous Wagner, which some European countries have said is incompatible with their mission.
“Due to multiple obstacles from the Mali transitional authorities, Canada and the European states acting in parallel with Operation Barkhane and within the Takuba Task Force consider that the political, operational and legal conditions to continue their current military operation effectively are no longer met. “Commitment to the fight against terrorism in Mali,” the statement said.
The statement was issued by countries cooperating with the French counter-terrorism force Barkhane and the Takuba mission, which includes about 14 European countries.
“They have decided to begin the coordinated withdrawal of their respective military resources dedicated to these operations from Mali territory.”
Macron says Niger will host French and European troops after leaving Mali
President Emanuel Macron said on Friday that Niger had agreed to host European forces fighting Islamist militants in the Sahel after France and its allies decided to withdraw from neighboring Mali.
He also said that the remaining forces would provide further assistance to countries in the Gulf of Guinea.
“These states are increasingly exposed to attempts by terrorist groups to implant on their territory,” Macron told a news conference.
Macron added that the withdrawal of France does not constitute a “failure”, adding that he “completely rejects this condition”.
The French president added that Mali had then asked France to deploy troops to counter an Islamist insurgency heading towards the capital, thus preventing the collapse of the state.
What the presidents of Ghana and Senegal said
Senegalese President Maki Sal said today that he understood why France had decided to withdraw its troops from Mali and that he was confident that the fight against Islamist militants in the Sahel would continue.
The fight against the Sahel jihadist organizations “should not be a matter for African countries alone,” the Senegalese president said.
Sal, who heads the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), told a news conference in Paris that governments in the region would meet with the Mali authorities next week and hoped a timetable could be reached soon. elections in the country.
Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Ando said today that the coastal areas of West Africa have the opportunity to regain lost ground in the face of the growing threat from Islamist militants and to work more closely with European allies. Akufo-Anto’s remarks were made in Paris after President Emanuel Macron announced the withdrawal of French forces from Mali.
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Source: Capital
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