7:55 am: "The end of Operation Barkhane leaves a great void"
In an exclusive interview with France 24 and RFI, the President of Côte d'Ivoire, Alassane Ouattara, judged that the expected withdrawal of French and European troops from Mali "creates a vacuum" which will force the West African armies to be in front line in the fight against jihadism in the Sahel.
ALASSANE OUATTRA FRANCE 24 © France24
18:17
7:30 a.m.: D-Day for the French presence in Mali
Emmanuel Macron must hold a press conference at the Élysée on Thursday February 17 at 9 a.m. (8 a.m. GMT), notably alongside the President of the European Council Charles Michel, to announce the decisions taken on Wednesday evening during a summit bringing together several European and African leaders.
France has been militarily present since 2013 in Mali, prey to jihadist groups which are also rampant in other Sahelian states.
Paris intervened to stem the advance of radical Islamist groups threatening Bamako and then set up a vast regional anti-jihadist operation, Barkhane, deploying thousands of soldiers to fight local franchises of Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State organization. .
But despite tactical victories, the ground was never truly taken over by the Malian state and its armed forces.
With AFP
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