France President, Emmanuel Macron, warned that France would withdraw troops from the West African nation, Mali, following the country’s second military coup in just nine months.
France has 5,100 troops in the Sahel region and has helped in the war against Islamist militancy but Macron has warned of the risk of Mali “moving towards” greater Islamist influence if there is no democratic government in place.
For decades France has provided military support to its former colonies in Africa but has told regional leaders that France had no intention of keeping its troops in Africa forever.
Macron is also annoyed by a lack of commitment from other European countries to fight the multiple militant Islamist groups in the region as Europe could be affected by possible jihadist attacks on the continent and illegal migration.
Last week, France and the European Union denounced an “unacceptable coup d’etat” after Mali’s interim President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane were detained and stripped of their power. Coup leader Colonel Assimi Goïta was then named transitional president by the constitutional court on Friday.
Macron speaking to Le Journal du Dimanche newspaper said “Radical Islamism in Mali with our soldiers there? Never. There is this temptation today in Mali. But if it goes in that direction, I will withdraw”