Mali: the last French soldiers of Operation "Barkhane" have left the country
These soldiers crossed the border between Mali and Niger, the French general staff said. After nine years of military presence, France was pushed out by the Malian junta.
The last French soldiers of Operation "Barkhane", present in Mali for nine years, have left the country, said Monday, August 15, the French staff in a press release.
“Today, the last soldiers of Operation Barkhane, present on Malian soil, crossed the border between Mali and Niger. They came from the deserted operational platform of Gao, now transferred to the Malian armed forces, “said the staff.
After nine years of presence, "[the 'Barkhane' force] rearticulated outside the country in less than six months", commented the Ministry of the Armed Forces. “This major military logistical challenge was met, in good order and in safety, as well as in total transparency and in coordination with all partners. The French had transferred, in the past six months, all their rights of way to the Malian army, the last of which, in Gao, in the north of the country, on Monday.
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France had to take some 4,000 containers and a thousand vehicles out of Mali, including hundreds of armored vehicles, while the Sahel is experiencing an outbreak of violence, which the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, Bamako's new ally, is struggling to stem.
Military presence in the Sahel halved
On Sunday, several dozen people demonstrated in Gao, in northern Mali, to demand the departure of the French military force "Barkhane", organizers and local elected officials told Agence France-Presse (AFP). “We give from this day, Sunday August 14, an ultimatum of seventy-two hours for the definitive departure of” Barkhane “”, had declared demonstrators, presenting themselves as “the living forces” of Gao, a city in the grip of the jihadist violence.
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"France remains committed to the Sahel, the Gulf of Guinea and the Lake Chad region with all partners committed to stability and the fight against terrorism," said the Elysée in another press release.
The military presence in the Sahel will be halved by the end of the year, to 2,500 soldiers. Niger has accepted the maintenance of an air base in Niamey and the support of 250 soldiers for its military operations on the Malian border. Chad will continue to host a French hold in N'Djamena and France hopes to retain a contingent of special forces in Ouagadougou, the Burkinabé capital.