AA/Nador/Feiza Ben Mohamed
“France remains committed to the Sahel, the Gulf of Guinea and the Lake Chad region with all partners committed to stability and the fight once morest terrorism,” the Elysée Palace said on Monday in a press release confirming the withdrawal. French soldiers from Operation Barkhane in Mali.
The last French soldier present left Mali on Monday 15 August.
The French presidency indicates that this decision was taken because “the political and operational conditions were no longer met to remain engaged in Mali” and that France has thus “decided, in consultation with its African and European partners, to rearticulate the device of Operation Barkhane outside Malian territory”.
It is specified that “this rearticulation was carried out in complete transparency with the Malian armed forces and with the partners involved” alongside France.
Emmanuel Macron “welcomes the success of this operational and logistical maneuver to withdraw from Mali, (…) conducted according to the announced schedule, without ceasing (the) fight once morest terrorist groups and by very significantly increasing (the) contribution to securing of Eastern Europe”.
The Head of State pays at the same time “tribute to the commitment of all the soldiers who, for nine years, have fought armed terrorist groups on Malian soil”.
“There are fifty-nine of them to have paid the price of their lives by fighting, alongside the African and European armies, for our safety and the safety of the populations of the Sahel”, continues the Elysée, which nevertheless ensures that “this withdrawal from Mali in no way diminishes the mobilization of France to free our compatriot Olivier Dubois” (journalist held hostage).
Emmanuel Macron “will make himself available at the invitation of ECOWAS this fall in order to continue this commitment alongside all the States which choose to fight once morest terrorism and respect stability and coexistence between communities” .
Note that this departure of French soldiers from Barkhane comes in a context of crisis between Paris and Bamako. This reached its climax last January, following Mali’s decision to expel the French ambassador to Bamako, Joël Meyer, following virulent remarks by the head of French diplomacy towards the Malian authorities.
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