Pushed out by the “obstructions” of the ruling junta in Bamako, France and its European partners formalized their military withdrawal from Mali on Thursday after nine years of anti-jihadist struggle led by Paris.
“Due to the multiple obstructions of the Malian transitional authorities, Canada and the European states operating alongside the (French) Operation Barkhane and within the Task Force Takuba believe that the conditions are no longer met to effectively pursue their commitment. current military force in the fight against terrorism in Mali and have therefore decided to begin the coordinated withdrawal from Malian territory of their respective military means dedicated to these operations”, they underline in a joint declaration.
4,300 French in the Sahel
Paris and its partners, however, want to “remain engaged in the” Sahelian region and “extend their support to neighboring countries in the Gulf of Guinea and West Africa” to contain the jihadist threat. The “parameters” of this reorganization will be decided “by June 2022”.
Emmanuel Macron was to hold a press conference at the Elysée at 08:00 GMT, notably alongside the President of the European Council Charles Michel, to announce the decisions taken on Wednesday evening during a summit bringing together several European and African leaders.
France has been militarily present since 2013 in Mali, prey to jihadist groups which are also rampant in other Sahelian states. Paris intervened to stem the advance of radical Islamist groups threatening Bamako and then set up a vast regional operation, Barkhane, deploying thousands of soldiers to fight local franchises of al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.
But despite tactical victories, the ground was never really taken over by the Malian state and its armed forces.
An aggravating factor, the Malian government was overthrown in a double coup in 2020 and 2021, resulting in the coming to power of a junta which refuses to organize elections for several years and which surfs on a growing anti-French sentiment in the region.
Banished by the West African states, the Malian authorities castigate the Western military presence on their soil and are now calling, according to the Europeans, to Russian mercenaries from the Wagner company.
Some 25,000 men are currently deployed in the Sahel, including around 4,300 French (2,400 in Mali as part of Barkhane), according to the Elysée. The country also hosts 15,000 UN soldiers within the Minusma, whose future is now in suspense since it was counting on broad support from Barkhane.
Safe “vacuum”
Mali was at the heart of the French and European counter-terrorism system in the Sahel. Emmanuel Macron had already decided to begin a reduction in the French workforce in the summer of 2021 in favor of a less visible regional system, but this forced departure from the country will force Paris to accelerate this reorganization in other countries in the region threatened by the jihadist contagion, particularly in the Gulf of Guinea.
“We consider that the fight against terrorism is something essential for Mali, for Burkina, for Niger and for the coastal countries”, assured the Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara on Wednesday on RFI and France 24.
“The departure of Barkhane and Takuba (group of European special forces, Editor’s note) creates a vacuum. We will be forced to buy weapons, to have greater professionalization but it is our duty too. The national armies must settle the problems on our national territories and that is our philosophy,” he said.
“We need to reinvent our military partnership with these countries,” said the French presidency on Tuesday. “It’s not a question of moving what is being done in Mali elsewhere, but of reinforcing what is being done in Niger and supporting the southern flank more,” she added.
According to a source close to the Elysée, France has promised to coordinate its withdrawal with the UN mission in Mali and the European Union Training Mission in Mali (EUTM), which will continue to receive support French air and medical services on the spot, before the subsequent transfer of these resources.
Outside Mali, Paris intends to continue the anti-jihadist fight in the region, where movements affiliated with Al-Qaeda or the Islamic State group have retained a strong power of nuisance despite the elimination of many leaders.
In addition to a possible strengthening of its presence in neighboring Niger, which already hosts a French air base and 800 soldiers, Paris aims to offer its services to other West African countries (Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Benin. ..) to help them counter the spread of jihadism to the Gulf of Guinea.
Since 2013, 53 French soldiers have been killed in the Sahel, including 48 in Mali.