A debate will be organized in Parliament to discuss France’s military commitment in Mali, in the context of an acute diplomatic crisis between the two countries, Jean Castex announced on Wednesday before the Senate. “Parliament obviously deserves to be perfectly informed” and “the government will organize a debate on the basis of article 50-1 on this extremely important subject”, declared the Prime Minister, responding on this point to the request of the President of the socialist group Patrick Kanner.
The debate may be voted on in the Assembly
The day before at the National Assembly, the president of the UDI group Jean-Christophe Lagarde had also asked Jean Castex to hold a debate, while the parliamentary session is due to end at the end of the month. Under the terms of the Constitution, this debate can, if the government so decides, be the subject of a vote without engaging the responsibility of the executive. Two months before the presidential election, the expulsion of the French ambassador to Mali by the ruling junta has put the question of the presence of the armed forces in this West African country at the heart of the campaign.
“It is clear today that in the face of its impotence, France no longer has much to offer”, castigated Mr. Kanner during the session of questions to the government, criticizing the “messy method of governance by Emmanuel Macron.
Jean Castex in search of a “multilateral response with African states”
“The list of humiliations that Mali is currently making known to us is long enough for there to be no real response from our government,” said Senator LR Christian Cambon. Before questioning Jean Castex: “Do you decide to stay in Mali against the will of its leaders and at the risk of penalizing our soldiers and risking their lives?”
Admitting that “the situation in Mali and the Sahel in general is extremely worrying”, Jean Castex again pleaded for “the search for a multilateral response with the African States mainly concerned”. “It’s not just a Franco-Malian problem, it’s a problem for Mali in the fight against international terrorism,” insisted the Prime Minister.