Nearly a decade-long French mission in Mali is to end, with French troops withdrawing to neighbouring Niger to continue the fight against Jihadist groups in the Sahel region, spokesmen for the French army and its allies announced this week.
The French intervened in Mali in 2013 after Jihadist groups captured cities in the north of the country and began to implement Sharia law, and threatened to overthrow the government.
The withdrawal comes as the ruling military council which came to power in a coup in Mali has reneged on a deal to hold elections, saying it will only do so in 2025. This, along with newly signed contracts with Russian mercenaries, has damaged relations between France and Mali.
The withdrawal provoked mixed reactions from political figures in Mali, with the government saying that France’s assistance had failed to improve the situation, but that any European country was welcome to send military assistance if it agreed to the conditions of the new government. Others in Mali fear that the French withdrawal will create a power vacuum which the Jihadists might fill.
[Image: https://pixabay.com/photos/globe-algeria-niger-mali-africa-1029213/]