France on Thursday said it has decided to suspend military operations with Malian forces over last month’s coup, adding to international pressure for the military junta to return civilians to positions of power, reported CGTN Africa.
On Thursday, the French Ministry of Armed Forces said the decision, taken after consultation with Mali’s authorities and military, will be reassessed in the coming days.
The ministry said the requirements and red lines have been set by ECOWAS and the African Union to clarify the framework for the political transition in Mali.
“Pending these guarantees, France, after informing its partners and the Malian authorities, has decided to suspend, as a precaution and temporarily, joint military operations with the Malian forces, as well as national advisory missions that benefit them,” the French ministry said.
Both France and Mali play key roles in the fight against a bloody jihadist insurgency plaguing the Sahel region. France has around 5,100 troops in the Sahel under its Barkhane operation which spans five countries- Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger.
Late last month, Malian soldiers detained interim President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane over a cabinet reshuffle and stripped them of their powers, plunging the country into further uncertainty after a military coup in August last year. The August coup ousted democratically elected President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, following mass protests over perceived corruption and the jihadist insurgency.
Colonel Assimi Goita, who led both coups, was named Mali’s president on May 28. He said that a new prime minister would be appointed within days, and that election would still go ahead next year as planned.
The coup sparked diplomatic uproar, prompting the United States government to suspend security assistance for Malian security forces and for the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to suspend Mali’s membership.
