Ahead of Mali withdraw, France prepares future Sahel strategy

Paris, July 13 (BNA) French officials headed to Niger on Friday to redefine the country’s strategy to fight Islamist militants in the Sahel region, as thousands of troops completed the withdrawal from Mali and concerns grew about the growing threat to West African coastal states.


Coups in Mali, Chad and Burkina Faso have weakened France’s alliances in its former colonies and emboldened jihadists who control vast swaths of desert and grassland.


Fears are growing that the exit of 2,400 French soldiers from Mali – the epicenter of violence in the Sahel region and strongholds of both al-Qaeda and the Islamic State – is exacerbating violence, destabilizing neighbors and spurring migration, Reuters reports.


With the withdrawal expected to be completed by the end of the summer, new French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna and Defense Minister Sebastien Licornu arrived in Niger on Friday to complete a regional redeployment.


Niger will become a center for French forces, with around 1,000 soldiers stationed in the capital, Niamey, with fighter jets, drones and helicopters. French officials told reporters at a press briefing that about 300-400 will be sent to conduct special operations with Niger forces in the border areas with Burkina and Mali.


Another 700-1,000 will be stationed in Chad, with an unknown number of special forces operating elsewhere in the region. Officials said French forces would no longer carry out missions or go after militants in Mali once the exit is complete.


“Beyond Mali, the democratic decline in West Africa is very worrying with successive coups in Mali twice, in Guinea in September 2021, in Burkina Faso in January of this year. However, France will continue despite these events, this withdrawal from Mali, to help “West African armies are fighting terrorist groups,” Colonna told a parliamentary hearing on Tuesday.

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“We are currently consulting with our relevant partners to determine with them, according to their requests and needs, the nature of the support we can provide to them,” he added.


A French diplomatic source said the aim was to present a new strategy to President Emmanuel Macron in September.


French officials said the burden moving forward will be on countries in the region to lead security, while also focusing on development, good governance and education. Ministers will announce 50 million euros in aid to strengthen Niger’s power grid and support the budget.


One major area of ​​concern is how and whether French and European forces will be used to support countries in coastal Gulf of Guinea states such as Benin, Togo and Ivory Coast, where there has been a rise in attacks. Al-Qaeda’s regional arm said it would turn its attention to the region.


French officials said that at this point there was no formal request for further military assistance. Officials said some European countries have expressed interest in continuing regional operations after Mali.


Colonna said Licornu will travel to Ivory Coast, which also hosts French troops, on Saturday, while Macron is likely to travel to Benin at the end of July.






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