The Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, at the Elysee Palace on December 2, 2020. -

Jacques Witt / SIPA

The week which has just ended has been particularly murderous for the French soldiers in Mali.

A total of five soldiers died there during the period in jihadist attacks.

In this context, France will “very probably” reduce the strength of its anti-jihadist Barkhane force in the Sahel after “significant military successes” in 2020, declared the French Minister of the Armed Forces.

A reinforcement "it's temporary"

"We will most likely have to adjust this device: a reinforcement by definition is temporary", explained Florence Parly in an interview with the daily

Le Parisien

to be published on Monday after the reinforcement of 600 soldiers which brought the strength of Barkhane to 5,100 men in 2020. A decision will be taken at the next joint summit of France and the G5 Sahel countries in February in N'djamena in Chad, added the minister.

In 2020, the Barkhane force achieved "significant military successes, both by neutralizing several senior officials of terrorist groups and by attacking their logistics chains," Florence Parly also recalled.

The leader of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), the Algerian Abdelmalek Droukdal, for example, was killed in northern Mali in June.

France also announced the “neutralization” in November of Bah Ag Moussa, described as the “military leader” of the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM), affiliated with Al-Qaida.

No negotiations with Al-Qaida or Daesh

But this is not enough.

“Yes, the security conditions in the Sahel remain difficult.

Terrorists use the weapon of cowards, ”said Florence Parly, affirming that home-made explosive devices are triggered“ indifferently ”to the passage of civilian and military vehicles.

"If the jihadists adopt these pernicious methods of guerrilla warfare, it is because they refuse the fight, aware that they would have no chance if they had to confront Barkhane's soldiers in a regular fight," he said. she judged.

The minister also once again ruled out any negotiation "with terrorist groups like Al-Qaida or Daesh, which murder indiscriminately and have blood on their hands".

But the door is open for "people who have laid down their arms and who are not motivated by a radical and criminal ideology", she noted.

They must join the Algiers peace accords of 2015, she added.

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