“The political, operational and legal conditions are no longer met to effectively continue their current military engagement in the fight against terrorism in Mali,” said a joint statement signed by France and European and African allies, announcing a “coordinated withdrawal” of French, European and Canadian forces.
The decision applies to both the Barkhane counter-terrorism force in the Sahel and the 14-member European Takuba force that France had been trying to get off the ground.
France deployed troops against jihadists in Mali in 2013, but the insurgency was never fully put down. Some 2,400 French soldiers are currently in the country as part of the Barkhane and Takuba operations.
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Source: RFI News