France announces the withdrawal of its last soldiers from Mali

France announced the withdrawal of its last soldiers from Mali, on Monday, ending the mission of its army in the African country after a nine-year presence in the Barkhane military force.

Paris withdrew its forces from Mali against the backdrop of strained relations with the country’s ruling military council.

“Today, (Monday) at 1300 GMT, the last battalion of the Barkhane force, located on Malian territory, left the border between Mali and Niger,” the French Armed Forces said in a statement.

The statement added that Barkhane’s force, after nine years of presence in Mali, “reorganized itself outside the country in less than six months”.

In a separate tweet, French Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Licornu vowed that France would not back down from President Emmanuel Macron’s stated goal of “fighting every terrorist in Mali”.

He added that “France’s commitment to fighting terrorism in the Sahel will continue, and this is the meaning of the new agenda that Emmanuel Macron wishes with Africa, which will be based on strengthening cooperation with countries in the region, such as Niger”.

For its part, in a separate statement, the French presidency stated that “Paris remains committed in the Sahel region, as well as in the Gulf of Guinea and in the Lake Chad region, with all partners committed to stability and the fight against terrorism”.

The Elysee stated that France decided on February 17, after concluding that “the political and operational conditions are no longer available to remain in Mali,” to reorganize its Barkhane force “outside Malian territory”.

The military presence in the Sahel region will be halved by the end of the year with 2,500 military personnel.

For its part, Chad will continue to host a French base in N’Djamena, and France hopes to maintain a battalion of Special Forces in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso.