Last French troops pull out of Mali, ending Operation Barkhane

PARIS (AA) – France has pulled the last of its troops out of Mali on August 15, bringing the country’s Operation Barkhane to an end.

“This day at 1.00 p.m. (1300GMT), the last detachment of the Barkhane force present on Malian soil crossed the border between Mali and Niger,” said a press release by the Ministry of the Armed Forces, announcing the end of nine years of military presence with 2,400 soldiers stationed in the North African country.

Dealings with the ruling junta in Bamako have been on tumultuous ground for some time, with France withdrawing soldiers from Mali over recent months at the insistence of authorities there.

In a separate tweet on Monday, Minister of the Armed Forces Sebastian Lecornu pledged that France would not turn from President Emmanuel Macron’s stated aim of “fighting every ‘terrorist’ in Mali,” made upon his election in 2017.

“France’s commitment to the fight against terrorism in the Sahel will continue. This is the meaning of the new agenda that Emmanuel Macron wishes with Africa, which will be based on reinforced cooperation with the countries of the area, e.g., Niger,” Lecornu said.

After Operation Serval, which started in 2013, Barkhane was France’s second military initiative in the Sahel, a region in Africa that includes Mali, Niger, Mauritania, Senegal, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Chad, Nigeria, and Cameroon.

Issuing a statement and taking to Twitter, the Elysee vowed that France “remains committed to the Sahel, the Gulf of Guinea, and the Lake of Chad region with all partners committed to stability and the fight against ‘terrorism’.”

Mali was known as ‘French Sudan’ while under Paris’ colonial rule from 1880 until 1960, when it gained independence.

France became more involved in the region in 2012, with Operation Serval deploying 4,000 troops after the rise of radical Islamic groups vying for power in North Africa.