France has announced the withdrawal of its military forces from the territory of Mali, where they have been for nine years.
Together with the soldiers of the French operation "Barkhan", the units of the EU countries from the European special forces "Takuba" will leave Mali, which, together with the French military, are participating in the anti-terrorist operation there.
In a joint statement, France, its coalition partners (14 EU countries, Norway and Canada), as well as the European Union declared their determination to continue the fight against terrorist groups in the region. Specific parameters for the continuation of the military operation against jihadists in West Africa, in the Sahel region and the Gulf of Guinea, will be determined in the framework of multilateral negotiations until June 2022.
It is expected that the French military personnel involved in the Sahel will leave Mali within the next 4-6 months, as "there are no more political, operational and legal conditions" to continue the fight against terrorism in the country. Niger and the Gulf of Guinea countries will become the new center of the anti-terrorist operation in the region.
The withdrawal of the French military from Mali this Thursday was announced in a joint statement of 25 states. This statement, along with France, was signed by the partner countries of the anti-terrorist coalition in the African Sahel region — 14 EU states, Norway and Canada, as well as eight West African countries. The document was also signed by the governing bodies of the European Union (the European Council and the European Commission) and the Commission of the African Union (the executive body of the union of the countries of the continent), RFI radio says.
