Following a meeting with African leaders in Brussels, Belgium, France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, has announced the withdrawal of French troops from Mali.
Macron stated in Brussels on Thursday that the EU and France no longer have the same interests as the Mali administration.
He also paid respects to the soldiers who perished battling terrorists in Mali. It is estimated that 48 French soldiers have been killed.
France has a little over 4,000 soldiers in the Sahel, with most of them stationed in Mali.
The majority of them would be redeployed to other countries in the Sahel, where the EU and its African forces are fighting al-Qaeda and Daesh militants, according to Macron.
Macron says most of them will now be redeployed to other countries within the Sahel, where the EU and its African fighters are fighting al-Qaeda and Daesh terrorists.
Senegalese President Macky Sall, who also serves as the African Union’s chair, expressed gratitude to the EU and agreed to the EU’s withdrawal from Mali.
Nana Akufo-Addo, who represents ECOWAS, stated that Africa must continue to battle terrorism. He added that Africa “cannot allow terrorists to remain in Africa after being pushed out of the Middle East and Afghanistan.”