Paris: France, its European allies and Canada announced Thursday the end of their military presence in Mali, in a crisis scenario between Paris and Bamako.
In a joint statement, they specified that they maintain the will to continue supporting the Sahel region, where thousands of foreign soldiers have been deployed in anti-terrorist missions in recent years.
French President Emmanuel Macron organized a mini-summit of heads of state last night to address the issue, amid tensions with Mali.
France considers that the military junta in power degrades the situation, and accuses it of moving away from the democratic order, which led to the expulsion of the French ambassador from the African country, who denounced an interventionist position.
France sent troops to the African nation in 2013 to contain a jihadist offensive, and activated Operation Barkhane in 2014, with more than 4,000 troops deployed in the Sahel, including some 2,400 in Mali.
The withdrawal of the anti-terrorist operation Barkhane and of the European force Takuba from Mali has been expected for several days, and Macron will offer statements to the press in this regard today.