his two-day visit to Mali could not have come at the worst time for the Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly. Indeed, it intervenes, just a few hours after the publication of a report from the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Mali (Minusma) according to which the French army allegedly made a mistake during the aerial bombardment near the village. of Bounti on January 3, killing nineteen civilians, in addition to three jihadists who attended a wedding. What Paris vigorously refutes. While the report constitutes the most serious questioning of a French operation by the United Nations since the start of Paris’ engagement in the Sahel.
Florence Parly refutes any blunder of the French military
On the spot, the Minister of the Armed Forces once again refuted these conclusions, maintaining that “the French armed forces [avaient] carried out an air strike targeting an armed terrorist group identified as such ”. “There is also a war in the information domain and our enemy […] exploits all possible controversies, ”she said, adding:“ I cannot admit that the honor of our soldiers can be sullied in this way. Seven human rights organizations, in France and Mali, urged France and Mali on Thursday to conduct an independent and transparent investigation. “It seems to me that the investigation which was carried out by the United Nations is independent”, replied Ms. Parly, saying that she hoped that the point of view of Paris will be taken into account. “We will pass on all of our observations and remarks to the relevant United Nations department,” she added. The three ministers met with the President of the Transition Bah Ndaw and the Malian Minister of Defense, Sadio Camara. Because, in this affair, the Malian army is on the line of Paris. Florence Parly has already announced that France has initiated requests for “clarification” at the UN headquarters in New York. In the other part of her mission, the Minister of the Armed Forces spoke to Barkhane’s soldiers.
Europeans as reinforcements
In the midst of the controversy, the French Minister of the Armed Forces did not make the trip alone. Long planned, this trip made with his Estonian counterparts Kalle Laanet and Czech Lubomir Metnar aimed to assert the “full operational capacity” of the task force Takuba, (which means “saber” in Tamachek) an unprecedented grouping of forces specials composed of French, Czech, Estonian, Swedish and Italian soldiers. Paris relies a lot on this “laboratory of integration into the combat of European partners”, according to Ms. Parly, to share with its partners the burden of the fight against jihadists linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group. “This step is major from a tactical and operational point of view, it is also a strong symbol” specified a press release from the French Ministry of the Armed Forces.
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
