France’s PM claims Mali “contained” terrorism when French troops were present
France’s Prime Minister noted that the presence of French troops on Malian soil made it possible to “contain” terrorism, reports the AFP, September 14.
Mali and the Sahel region more generally, has been fighting against Islamist insurgencies linked to Al-Qaeda and Daesh for around a decade.
READ: Mali’s latest terror attack sees 64 killed
In as speech made by French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne on September 12 at the Institute of Advanced National Defense Studies, she said, “Certain speeches would like us to believe in the failure of our military commitment in operations Serval and Barkhane. We can be proud of what our soldiers did in the Sahel, they fulfilled their mission: to enable the countries that we had come to help.”.
Borne,62, was appointed Prime Minister by Emmanuel Macron in May 2022, becoming the second PM to serve under the French President, who was elected in 2017.
Borne added, “A little over a year after the departure of the last French soldier from Mali, everyone can see how our presence there helped to contain the progression of terrorism and contributed to protecting the populations.”
The French began withdrawing their troops in February 2022. Anti-French and anti-Western sentiment in general has been on the rise in Mali and in neighbouring countries such as Niger.
Junta-led Mali has seen violence intensifying over the past few weeks. On September 12, the country’s army was attacked by armed groups, most of whom were Tuareg supporters who advocate for the independence of Mali’s northern region, in Bourem (a small town in the Gao region).
READ: Mali: Coalition of armed groups prepare to clash with junta
Earlier this month, Islamist extremists killed 64 people in two separate terror attacks including one in Bamba, a small town in the Gao region, where some of Mali’s armed forces are based.
Central Mali also saw attacks in mid-August as gunmen murdered 21 people in the small village of Yarou.
The French Prime Minister confirmed that parliament would debate the country’s strategy in the African continent in the weeks to come.
AFP
