Speaking at the microphones of France 24 and RFI, François Hollande regretted the deterioration of the "link of friendship" uniting France to Mali.
He castigated the action of the Russian group Wagner.
Since the arrival of his mercenaries, the security situation has deteriorated, the jihadists extending their massacres to southern Mali, where they were not yet present, said François Hollande.
The former head of state (2012-2017) also defended the withdrawal of another French operation in Africa, Sangaris, from the Central African Republic, at the end of 2016. Faced with rebel groups, the elected president Faustin- Archange Touadéra consequently appealed to Wagner's Russians.
"Would the presence of France have deterred him? I'm not sure," analyzes François Hollande.
As in Mali, it is up to the country's authorities to determine their fate, he added.
Too much French leniency towards Ndjamena?
Chad remains a partner in cooperation against jihadism in the region, conceded François Hollande.
But this can not justify the slightest tolerance with regard to "very serious challenges to human rights committed against opponents of the Déby regime", warned the former president.
After the death of Chadian President Idriss Déby in April 2021, Emmanuel Macron traveled to Ndjamena to support the transition led by the son of the deceased, General Mahamat Déby.
Eighteen months later, on October 20, 2022, demonstrations against his will to stay in power were bloodily repressed, killing at least 50 people.
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