By John Ikani
France and its allies in a European Force have announced their decision to withdraw troops from Mali after nearly 10 years of fighting armed unrest.
In a joint announcement from the Élysée Palace on Thursday, France and allied nations announced that they were withdrawing troops from Mali due to a breakdown in relations with the ruling junta after nine years of fighting a jihadist insurgency.
The decision applies to both France’s Barkhane force in the Sahel and the Takuba European force that Paris had been trying to forge along with its allies.
After a French-led military intervention ousted jihadists who were taking control of northern Mali in 2013, French troops remained to provide support for anti-terrorist operations. But deteriorating relations with Mali’s new military leaders, who seized power in a 2020 coup, prompted France to reconsider its role in the country.
The Mali deployment has been fraught with problems for France. Out of the 53 French soldiers killed serving in West Africa, 48 of them died in Mali.
An August 2020 coup led by Col. Assimi Goita grabbed power in Mali. Goita carried out a second coup by dismissing the civilian leaders in Mali’s transitional government and putting himself in charge last year.
Relations between France and Mali have deteriorated after two coup d’états and the new military regime’s reluctance to agree to an immediate transition to civilian rule.
The French Ambassador to the former colony was expelled earlier this month, prompting celebrations in Bamako.
The presence of Russian mercenary forces from the private military Wagner group has increased tension, with the EU accusing Mali’s military regime of using them to shore up their own power.
“The political, operational and legal conditions are no longer met to effectively continue their current military engagement in the fight against terrorism in Mali,” the statement said.
The allies, therefore “decided to commence the coordinated withdrawal of their respective military resources dedicated to these operations from Malian territory”.
Asked at the Élysée if the withdrawal marked a failure for France and its policy of fighting terrorism in West Africa, Macron said: “I completely reject that term.”
“We cannot remain militarily engaged alongside de-facto authorities whose strategy and hidden aims we do not share.”
He said that France’s bases in Gossi, Menaka and Gao in Mali would be closed within the next four to six months.
The withdrawal would be carried out in an “orderly” manner, Macron promised.
Even after the pull-out from Mali, however, the allies promised to remain engaged in fighting “terrorism” in other countries including Niger.
“They agreed nonetheless to continue their joint action against terrorism in the Sahel region, including in Niger and in the Gulf of Guinea,” the statement said.
