Change at the head of the armies.
In office for four years, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, General François Lecointre, will step down and be replaced by the current Chief of Staff of the Army, General Thierry Burkhard, announced this Sunday the Elysee.
"General François Lecointre submitted several months ago to the President of the Republic his request to leave active service after July 14, 2021. The President of the Republic wishes to salute him as the great soldier, the military leader and the servant of the State ”, we said from the same source.
He will pass "in a few weeks the command of the armies of France to General Thierry Burkhard".
An announcement shortly after France's disengagement from the Sahel
General Lecointre succeeded Pierre de Villiers in July 2017, who resigned with a bang against the backdrop of abrupt budget cuts and stepped-up reforms.
Emmanuel Macron "particularly thanks General Lecointre for his tireless action alongside him in the direction of military operations for four years and sends him his warmest wishes for the future," added the Elysee.
This departure comes as the Head of State has just announced, after more than eight years of massive engagement, a reduction in the French military presence in the Sahel, marked by the closure of bases and a re-articulation of the anti-jihadist fight around of an “international alliance” bringing together Europeans.
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