Chad to Strengthen Military Presence in Mali Amid French Withdrawal - Transitional Council

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd February, 2022) Chad will increase its military presence in Mali amid the French troops withdrawal, the head of the Transitional Military Council of Chad, Mahamat Deby Itno, told state broadcaster Tele Tchad.

On February 17, France and its allies in the European mission Takuba, along with a small number of Canadian servicemen, began a joint troop pullout from Mali due to disagreements with the African nation's transitional government, which came to power as a result of a military takeover.

"France and its European partners have decided to withdraw troops from Mali ... Chad is the epicenter of terrorism in the Sahel ... With the consent of the Malian authorities and MINUSMA (the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali), we will strengthen our personnel. Today is not the time to leave Mali, and as long as the terrorist activity continues, we will stay to help our Malian brothers," Deby said.

France launched the counterterrorism mission Barkhane in 2014 in the Sahel region. The mission involves forces of the G5 Sahel countries, including Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, and Mauritania. In summer 2021, Macron said that Operation Barkhane would be transformed into an international counterterrorist alliance. France began reducing its presence in Mali in December 2021 after the military coup in May of that year.

In November 2021, Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop said that the general election, which was supposed to end the transition period, would have to be postponed from February 2022 to 2025 due to the volatile security situation. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) responded by sanctioning Mali. The Malian authorities recalled its ambassadors to the ECOWAS member states and closed its borders.