After the failure of the United States in Afghanistan and the sudden withdrawal of troops from Kabul, the eyes of the whole world are focused on Mali, writes Le Figaro.
France has announced that its foreign operation in the Sahel zone is over. Experts and local authorities are worried about whether the same scenario will happen there as in Afghanistan, and how to avoid it.
"Let's not make the same mistake in the Sahel that the Americans made in Afghanistan," French presidential candidate Xavier Bertrand urged. In his opinion, France, with the support of other European countries, should continue to fulfill its obligations. Otherwise, he warns, the situation may explode, and a huge wave of refugees will cover Europe.
Terrorist groups are operating in the Sahel zone, and the victory of the Taliban (banned in the Russian Federation) in Afghanistan did not go unnoticed for them. They expressed their congratulations to the Taliban. According to local experts, the victory of the Taliban, " without any doubt, was an inspiring signal for all Islamists."
At the moment, most of all operations in the north of Mali are carried out by the French army. And without it, no local government forces will be able to stand up. If France had withdrawn its troops right now, the jihadists would have come to power without any problems.
According to historian Michel Goya, the main mistake was that the French expanded their operation from Mali, where it was successful and was carried out at the request of the local president, to a wider territory: Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad. "Before you interfere, you need to ask yourself whether the state that is asking for your help is structurally stable enough," the author of the article quotes the opinion of the historian.
After a successful operation, the French remained in Mali to wait for their functionality to be taken over by the local armed forces. But, as in Afghanistan, criticism from residents was growing. The local population was dissatisfied with such a long stay of a foreign army on their land without any decisive results. Experts note that in such operations it is very important to avoid the presence of Western forces for too long, which can be regarded as an occupation.
And the replacement of the French soldiers still does not come. Mali has a very weak army, says historian Michel Goya. Local politicians did not try to strengthen it, fearing a coup d'etat. Plus, they have problems with coordination. Until the 80s, all officers were trained in France. And today, someone is studying in Russia, someone in the United States. As a result, the difference in the doctrines of these countries results in difficulties while working already at home, in Africa.
And yet, if the United States only had a contingent of 100 thousand people in Afghanistan, then France has about 5,100 people for the entire Sahel. So even if they are all withdrawn, it will be very easy to return, thanks to the bases in neighboring Chad and Gabon.
However, local politicians recognize that their duties include raising the morale of the military, ensuring the faith of soldiers in a strong and unified state. And the first thing on this path is for them to at least pay salaries to the military and end corruption.
And at the moment, corruption is widespread in these countries. And if it is not overcome, then all other problems will also not be solved, nothing will change. But, according to experts, it is possible that the withdrawal of foreign troops will push local authorities to carry out reforms and fight corruption, writes RT.
