Macron slams Mali junta for expelling French forces amid escalating jihadist threat
France’s President Emmanuel Macron has strongly criticized Mali’s military leadership for their decision to terminate the presence of French troops in the country, describing it as a strategic misstep amid worsening security conditions.
During an official visit to Nairobi, President Macron addressed the deteriorating security situation in Mali, emphasizing that current events demonstrate the junta’s poor judgment in demanding the withdrawal of French military forces—which had been deployed until 2022 in partnership with Malian authorities to combat extremist groups.
Unprecedented jihadist offensive destabilizes Bamako
Since late April, Mali has faced an intensified offensive by jihadist factions and predominantly Tuareg rebel groups. These coordinated attacks have severely weakened the military administration that seized power in 2020 and 2021, leaving multiple regions under heightened threat despite ongoing counterterrorism operations.
France’s Sahel strategy faces growing regional backlash
The expulsion of French troops from Mali marked a turning point in Paris’s relations with Bamako, followed by similar withdrawals in Burkina Faso and Niger after successive coups in those nations. Over recent years, French military engagement in the Sahel has become a contentious issue, sparking political and public tensions across the region.
