In Mali, the departure of the military arouses concern and relief

A French Barkhane army soldier patrols the town of Tin Hama, Mali, October 19, 2017. © REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo

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3 mins

After nearly 10 years of presence in Mali, the announcement of the withdrawal of French and European soldiers from Mali leaves a void to be filled.

For some, it is the turn of the Malian armed forces to take over, but others have doubts about their ability to cover all of Malian territory.

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With our correspondents in Bamako,

There is still no official reaction from the Malian authorities, but two officials contacted by telephone by RFI are content to say that the government takes note of

A meeting, initially scheduled for Wednesday, took place this Thursday afternoon in Bamako between the Malian authorities and representatives of European countries that are members of

.

According to our information, the Malian side explained to diplomats posted in Bamako that the announced departure of the two forces is not Mali's fault.

Still according to our information, in terms of security cooperation on the ground, Mali will now favor bilateral agreements.

The taking over of the Famas

Now that the departure of the French military and its partners has been recorded, in Mali, we will have to fill a void.

Currently, 66% of the total area of ​​Mali which is located in the north is inhabited by only 9% of the Malian population.

It is a large area with remaining security issues.

When I hear the French president say that the Malian army, the junta cannot fight terrorism?

I am wrong.

Abdel Kader Maiga, M5, the movement from which the transitional Prime Minister of Mali, Choguel Maïga, came

This week, according to various sources, dozens of civilians were still killed by suspected jihadists, leaving room for many questions.

Are the ex-rebels still armed?

What will they do ?

And above all, will the Famas be able to deploy to occupy the place left by the departure of Barkhane and Takuba?

Another track is on the table, to appeal to the big neighbor to the North: Algeria.

The blue helmets of the United Nations will, for their part, remain on the spot, but they do not have a robust mandate to fight effectively against terrorism.

Anti-French sentiment

On the other hand, in the streets of Bamako, it is an altogether banal day.

People are genuinely concerned about their daily lives and their working day.

It must be said that the announcement of Emmanuel Macron is not a surprise and many are the inhabitants of the capital who demanded this departure of French troops from Mali.

There are many factors that have contributed to the current crisis

Baba Dakono, executive secretary of the citizen observatory, member of the citizen coalition for the Sahel

The main argument of detractors is to say that in almost ten years, the rare military successes and the elimination of certain terrorist leaders have not made it possible to put an end to the cycle of violence in the country.

And even if the French president rejects this term, the French intervention in Mali is perceived as a failure.

With the French departure, we count above all, in Mali, on the action of the Malian armed forces and the cooperation with Russia and that supposed with

, with a view to improving the security situation in Mali.

But Bamako denies the presence of Wagner's mercenaries on its territory.

Other much more minority voices think that Mali will regret this departure.

A political executive contacted by RFI expressed her fear of seeing the country left to its own fate, while finding it unfortunate to lose a partner of France's caliber while the levels of insecurity are still very high in the country.

Of course that the departure of France worries us

Kassoum Tapo, spokesperson for the Cadre, which brings together Mali's opposition parties

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• mali

• Terrorism

• Defense

• France