The last soldiers of the French Barkhane Force left Mali today, Monday, after 9 years of their presence there, coinciding with Bamako receiving military fighters from Moscow and the growing relations of the two sides in various fields.
The French Army announced the end of its presence in Mali against the backdrop of tense relations between Paris and the ruling military junta in Bamako.
According to the French General Staff, at 11:00 UTC, the last battalion of the Barkhane force on Malian territory left.
Thus, France ended the withdrawal of its forces after the emergence of popular demonstrations calling for the speedy departure of these forces.
According to what was reported by Agence France-Presse, demonstrators took to the streets in one of the northern Malian cities, and gave the French forces three days to leave the final.
The French forces had begun to leave Mali towards Niger, while relations deteriorated in recent months between France and the ruling military junta in Mali.
It is noteworthy that Mali was subject to French occupation for nearly half a century, and gained its independence in 1960.
new era
France maintained its political and military influence in Mali over the past decades, but the situation witnessed a radical change in Bamako with the arrival of the current military junta to power in August 2020.
The new rulers of Mali accuse France of interfering in their country's affairs and inciting African countries to besiege them in response to the overthrow of a government considered pro-Paris.
In parallel with the deterioration of its relations with Paris, Bamako recently strengthened its relations with Moscow, and obtained from it military and political support.
A few days ago, Mali revealed that it had received new military equipment from Russia, including 5 aircraft and a military helicopter.
In a speech delivered during an official ceremony in the presence of Russian diplomats and the head of the transition, Colonel Asmi Gueta, on Sunday, Malian Defense Minister Sadio Camara praised "the partnership with the Russian Federation, which is beneficial to both sides."
Russia handed over to Bamako many combat helicopters and weapons last March, and Mali received large numbers of whom the military council describes as "trainers" who come from Russia in support of the army.
France and its allies accuse the financial authorities of using the services of the controversial Russian private group "Wagner", but the Malian government denies this and talks about old cooperation between two countries.
History day
The Malian Defense Minister said, "I must say that today's celebration is historic, whether in terms of the nature, quality or size of what you present to us, which we will present only part of here, and what remains, of course, was employed in the ongoing operations at a time when this celebration is being held."
He added, "We are enhancing our reconnaissance and attack capabilities with L39 and Sukhoi 25 combat aircraft that have been added to other aircraft we already own, as well as delivered attack helicopters."
In addition to Mali, relations between Russia and African countries are witnessing a remarkable development at the political, economic and military levels.
Recently, the Russian Foreign Minister conducted a tour of Africa, during which he stressed Moscow's keenness to cooperate with the countries of the continent and help them in various fields.
Today, Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that his country is ready to provide its allies with the latest weapons, noting that Russia's relationship is strong with countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa.