The precipitated departure of the soldiers sent by Copenhagen pushes France to think about how to “adapt” his device to the Sahel.
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After months of heated reports, relationships continue to deteriorate every day between Paris and the Malian authorities. The tensions increased with the announcement, Thursday, January 27, withdrawal of the hundred men that Denmark had just deployed on the ground to strengthen the coalition of European special forces “Takuba”. Three days earlier, Bamako had firmly challenged the conditions of their arrival, denouncing an organized reinforcement “without his consent”.
This express removal of a quota that was placed under the French command of the operation “Barkhane” is unpublished. Beyond the symbolic aspect, it comes hard to start the confidence capital of which France benefited from its European partners. Paris was indeed the main craftsman of this coalition created in 2020 and which was to serve as a showcase at the reorganization of “Barkhane” in the Sahel. This event also accentuates the distrust of French diplomacy and military with regard to the Malian junta, arrived in power following two coups perpetrated in 2020 and 2021.
“Given this situation, given the rupture of the political framework and the military framework [in Mali], we can not remain in the state, said Friday, January 28, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves The Drian, on RDL Radio. It is not only a French decision, it is a collective decision and therefore we have engaged with discussions with our African and European partners to find out how we can adapt our device, “A-T -The added, but if he now considered a formal withdrawal of “Barkhane” of Mali.
“Illegitimate Junta”
Already on Thursday, Mr. Drian took away, at a press conference. “This junta is illegitimate, takes irresponsible measures (…) and is moreover more of its international partners,” he said, while denouncing “the obstruction” made to the mission of the UN strength at the Mali (Minusma) and emphasizing that it should “draw consequences”.
The Malian authorities have also launched in the verbal escalation, in recent days. “Mali does not exclude anything compared to these questions if it does not take into account our interests,” said Friday, the Malian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Abdoulaye Diop, while stating that a request for departure from the French forces was not “for the moment on the table”. “We are not there,” he added.
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