The French army continues its withdrawal from Mali. She was supposed to officially leave her military base in Ménaka (north-east) on Monday and hand over the keys to the Malian armed forces (FAMa), according to the spokesman for the French general staff, General Pascal Ianni, speaking to the occasion of a press briefing.
This is the penultimate step in the process of withdrawing from Operation Barkhane. The Ménaka base, located in the three-border zone (Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger), also housed the European Takuba Force, made up of special forces units from several European Union countries and whose mission was to assist the Malian armed forces in counter-terrorism operations.
The last stage of the withdrawal of the French soldiers will take place “at the end of next summer” with the withdrawal of Gao, specified the spokesperson.
Operation Barkhane, a military operation launched since August 2014 and led by the French army, was deployed as part of the fight against armed jihadist groups in the Sahel.
Its withdrawal was decided unilaterally by the former colonial power, last year, following the deterioration of relations between Paris and Bamako. The ruling military junta in Mali is said to have turned to the paramilitaries of the private Russian company Wagner to fight terrorism, an initiative frowned upon by France, even the European Union or the international community.
The anti-jihadist force Barkhane has already transferred to the Malian army the bases of Kidal, Tessalit and Timbuktu, all three located in the north of the country where jihadist groups are rampant.
The UN is concerned about the security vacuum created by the departure of foreign forces. « Since the beginning of this year, we have seen a deterioration in the three-border area with consequent effects on the Ménaka and Gao regions », against the backdrop of the departure of the Barkhane force, suggested on Monday, the UN envoy for Mali to the Security Council, El-Ghassim Wane.
And to continue, « if this scenario were to materialize, the Minusma base (nearby, editor’s note) risks being perceived as the last refuge for civilians fleeing violence ». He warned that « with a minimum of Malian forces in the region and some 600 peacekeepers (…) the ability of Minusma to organize an effective response is limited ».
By OMA Newsletter N° 739 of 13/06/2022
Article published under the direction of Dr. Najib Kettani
The OMA, NGO with an Intercontinental vocation
For the development of cultural exchanges
Valuing human potential
The promotion and consolidation of Africa’s development, and
Inter-African integration
