France will reduce its military operations in the Sahel to focus on the fight against Islamist terrorism, but will continue to work with allies in Africa and other sub-Saharan countries, Emmanuel Macron, President of France, said on Thursday.
Paris has retained the largest group in the region, currently home to more than 5,000 people, as Macron’s successor, François Hollande, has sent troops to Mali to take over the country from jihadis eight years ago.
Like the Americans who have fought the Taliban, al-Qaeda and Isis in Afghanistan since 2001 and are now he is leaving, Macron expressed that France is dissatisfied with the failure of Sahel governments to effectively manage territories that have been briefly rescued from jihadis by the armed forces.
“It is not France’s responsibility to replace it permanently in the region,” Macron said told a press conference in Paris The pre-G7 summit of major democracies in the UK this week. “The time has come.”
He did not specify the number of troops or the downturn in French troops, but said Operation Barkhane would end as it stands, and be replaced by a “new” structure with two pillars: an ongoing French-led and Muslim-led terrorist operation, and alliances with military forces in the Sahel. and the Gulf of Guinea.
In February, Macron delayed the reduction of pre-planned forces in the Sahel, but warned that he intended to do so in the end. avoid “endless war”.
France’s presence in the region is unpopular because its activities have continued, leading to protests against France in other cities. Many political leaders and civilians still question the legitimacy of their past, which contributes to Africa’s cultural, economic, social and political stability.
French troops have killed a number of Islamic leaders in recent years, and many observers have said that their presence is essential to maintaining order in the region. But violence, including killings of civilians and Muslims alike, has steadily spread north to central Mali crossing the border into Niger is Burkina Faso.
Dangerous groups linked to al-Qaeda and Isis have taken advantage of long-standing crisis and filled existing non-governmental areas to take over more areas.
France has been criticized by Sahels and European spies in the region for speaking out against leadership while remaining courageous in responding to security – although many agree that there is no war strategy to solve the problems in the Sahel.
Macron also rejected the idea of negotiating with Muslims who were killing French soldiers and civilians, although ordinary people tired of violence prefer such conversations.
Despite Macron’s warnings, the authorities in Mali and Burkina Faso have already begun negotiations and changed some of the firefighting areas in the area where one can be a smuggler, a criminal, a warrior or a jihadist, depending on the date and circumstances.
Extra writing by David Keohane in Paris
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