The last French soldiers of the Barkhane operation officially completed their final withdrawal from Malian Territory at 1:00 p.m. (Paris time) on August 15, 2022, announced the French military staff, which welcomed the completion of the “major military logistical challenge” that was ” “completed in good and safe conditions”.
They crossed the border between Mali and Niger on Monday, after transferring “the desert operational platform of Gao” to the Malian armed forces.
As a reminder, the withdrawal of the Barkhane force was ordered on February 17, 2022, by President Emmanuel Macron, following tensions and disagreements with the military power in Bamako led by Colonel Assimi Goïta. Thus, the completed withdrawal from Mali is done in six months after French President Emmanuel Macron announced his plan to pull out of the country following tensions with the ruling junta. Such a decision puts an end to the French military presence in Mali after nine years to fight against armed terrorist groups in the region. The move by President Macron was mainly triggered after tensions were growing after Mali’s transitional government allowed Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group to deploy on its territory. Although the Malian side insists that no mercenaries are operating in their territory and that the Russians are present in Mali based on an agreement with the Russian State, France and it’s allies condemned what they call “Russian mercenaries”.
Yet it should be noted that this withdrawal of the Barkhane from Mali does not necessarily mean a complete withdrawal from the Sahel region. Indeed, the French military staff has announced that about 2,500 French soldiers will remain in the Sahel, including over a thousand in Niger, to continue “the campaign against terrorism. This new cooperation, in agreement with African and international partners, will be based primarily on providing air support to local armies in the fight against armed terrorist groups.
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