France To Begin Withdrawal Of Military Troops From Africa’s Sahel Region

France will begin withdrawal of its military troops from the Sahel region of West Africa before the end of the year, President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday, reported Africa News.

 The announcement was made during a press conference following summit talks with the leaders of five West African nations- Niger, Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso and Mauritania.

“The shutdowns of these sections will start in the second half of 2021 and be completed by early 2022,” Macron said during the press conference.

Last month, the French president announced that his government would start removing much of the 5,100-member Barkhane force in the Sahel region.

President Macron added that France will, in the long run, maintain 2,500 to 3,000 military personnel in the region. He said France will focus over the next six months on dismantling the Barkhane operation and reorganizing the troops.

 The French military will shut down Barkhane bases in Timbuktu, Tessalit and Kidal in northern Mali over the next six months, and start to reconfigure its presence in the coming weeks to focus particularly on the restive border area where Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger meet.

But he assured that France would continue to be a long-term partner for the G5 countries of Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mauritania and Niger and would keep helping them fight groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL.

“France doesn’t have the vocation or the will to stay eternally in the Sahel,” Macron said. “We are there because we were asked to be.”

French troops have been present in Mali since 2013 helping the local forces fight armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS).

Islamic militants have continued to launch devastating attacks against the military troops fighting them as well as against the civilians. Hundreds of people have lost their lives since January in a series of massacres targeting villages on the border of Niger and Mali.