French President Emmanuel Macron has said that without France’s military operations in the Sahel area, “there probably wouldn’t be a Mali, a Burkina Faso, and I’m not sure Niger would still be around.”
Macron told the French newspaper Le Point about the former colonial power’s operations in Serval and Barkhane in the middle of the 2000s.
NAN says that after Mali’s military leaders broke ties with the former colonial power, French troops were moved from Mali to Niger.
He said that the actions were done “at the request of African states” and were “successful,” even though his policy is being questioned because he has lost the support of his last ally, Niger, and more and more Africans don’t like it.
He went on to say that these operations show France’s “honor” and “responsibility,” but France could no longer be involved “when there is a coup d’état and the priority of the new regimes is not to fight terrorism,” even though this is “tragic for the states involved.”
In the interview, Macron defended his government’s strategy in the Sahel, which is to focus on partnerships instead of security.
France doesn’t agree with what coup leader General Abdurahman Tchiani said when he said that all military deals between Niger and France are over. More than 1,000 French troops are still stationed at a military camp in Niger.
NAN
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