The magazine "Africa Intelligence" reported that French President Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to announce the final withdrawal of French forces deployed in Mali, during a summit he will organize in Paris jointly with the European Union.
The magazine, which is close to French intelligence, indicated that the summit devoted to discussing the situation in the Sahel countries will be organized on February 16, and will be attended by leaders of African countries from Chad, Niger, Mauritania and Senegal, in addition to Ghana, ahead of the European-African Summit in Brussels on the 17th of this month. .
Late last month, the Malian government asked the French ambassador in Bamako to leave its territory within 72 hours, and condemned what it described as offensive statements by French officials, in a move that observers said would affect the future of the French military presence in this West African country.
There is great tension in the relationship between France and the ruling military junta in Mali, following French and Western assertions that the Bamako authorities contracted with the Russian "Wagner" group, which is accused of being involved in conflicts in several countries, including Syria, Libya and Central Africa.
The ruling military junta in Mali denies the presence of Wagner mercenaries in the country, and says that it is related to the presence of Russian trainers similar to the European ones.
It is noteworthy that France intervened militarily in Mali in 2013 after armed groups took control of parts of the country, and last year the French forces evacuated a number of military bases in Mali, as part of a plan to reduce their presence in the Sahel region.