DAKAR (Reuters) – The Malian government on Friday asked France to withdraw its troops from Mali without delay and under the supervision of the Malian authorities, to which Emmanuel Macron replied that the withdrawal would be “in good order”.
The government of Bamako has “taken note of the unilateral decision (…) of the French authorities to proceed with the withdrawal of the military forces of Barkhane and Takuba, in violation of the agreements binding France and Mali”, declared on national television a spokesman for the ruling junta in Bamako, reading a statement.
“In view of these repeated breaches of the defense agreements, the government invites the French authorities to withdraw the Barkhane and Takuba forces from the national territory without delay, under the supervision of the Malian authorities”, said Colonel Abdoulaye Maïga, repeating the sentence to three times.
France and its partners involved in the fight against jihadist groups in the Sahel announced Thursday in a joint statement their decision to withdraw their military forces from Mali, now considering it impossible to cooperate with the Malian junta.
French President Emmanuel Macron said closing French bases still present in Mali would take “four to six months”.
During a press conference on Friday in Brussels, the head of state declared that the choice to “rearticulate” the French military system in the Sahel would apply “in good order”.
“This decision (…) will apply in good order so that we continue to ensure the security of Minusma [mission des Nations unies au Mali] and the security of our armed forces deployed today in Mali, security with which I will not compromise for a single second,” he said.
(Report Tiemoko Diallo, Bate Felix and Ngouda Dione, French version Myriam Rivet, Jean-Stéphane Brosse and Elizabeth Pineau)
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