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Sunday, July 20, 2025

France Threatens To Withdraw Troops From Mali

President Emmanuel Macron has threatened to remove French soldiers from Mali if political unrest there leads to further Islamist radicalization.

It comes on the heels of the West African country’s second coup in nine months.

Mr. Macron warned of Mali’s “sliding toward” Islamist control.

France has 5,100 troops stationed in the Sahel area, which has served as a front line in the fight against Islamist extremism.

Since 2013, French troops have been assisting forces in Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Chad in their fight against jihadists in the Sahel area.

Mr Macron told Jounal du Dimanche newspaper that he had told regional leaders that France would not support countries where there was no democratic legitimacy or transition, and that France had no intention of keeping its troops in Africa forever.

For decades France has provided military support to back leaders of its former colonies in Africa, often sending troops or despatching air strikes to counter armed rebels.

Dan Ojumah
Dan Ojumahhttp://uzalendonews.co.ke/
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