MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th December, 2021) The end of Operation Bakhane in Mali led by France may increase activity of terrorist groups, and regional countries are unable to cope with such threats on their own,� Russian Foreign Ministry's Department of International Organizations Director Pyotr Ilyichev has told Sputnik.
"The key to strengthening security in the Sahel lies in Mali. Paris's gradual completion of Operation Barkhane, accompanied by the withdrawal of French troops from three military bases in Tessalit, Kidal and Timbuktu, could provoke a serious surge in terrorist activity in the country, which may destabilize the whole subregion. At the same time, neither the joint forces of the G5 Sahel, which includes Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad, nor the European Takuba Task Force have sufficient potential to fully repel this threat," Ilyichev said.
