MACRON WANTS FRANCE TO RECONSIDER ITS MILITARY POSTURES IN AFRICA

Thu 14 July 2022:

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday he wanted a “rethink of all our (military) postures on the African continent” and had asked his ministers and army chiefs to work on it.

Macron made the comments as he was addressing French troops ahead of the July 14 Bastille Day parade in Paris.

French officials head to Niger on Friday to redefine the country’s strategy to fight Islamist militants in the Sahel as thousands of troops complete a withdrawal from Mali and concerns mount over the growing threat to coastal West African states.

Concerns

Concerns are growing that the exit of 2,400 French troops from Mali – the birthplace of violence in the Sahel region and stronghold of al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) affiliates – will aggravate violence, destabilise neighbours and spur migration.

With the withdrawal expected to be completed around mid-year, France’s new foreign minister, Catherine Colonna, and Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu arrive in Niger on Friday to seal a regional redeployment.

Niger will now become the hub for French troops, with some 1,000 soldiers based in the capital Niamey with fighter jets, drones and helicopters.

Some 300-400 would be dispatched for special operations with Nigerien troops in the border regions with Burkina and Mali, French officials told reporters in a briefing.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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