PARIS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st February, 2022) France will continue the fight against terrorism in the Sahel despite the "illegitimacy" and "irresponsibility" of the transitional government of Mali, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Tuesday.
"We will continue the fight against terrorism and we will continue it in the Sahel. This fight will continue in concert with other countries of the region and with the support of the countries of the Gulf of Guinea... The events taking place due to the irresponsibility and illegitimacy of the government that came to power as a result of a coup, won't stop us," the top French diplomat said, addressing the country's parliament.
The transitional government of Mali announced on Monday that the French ambassador to Bamako must leave the country in the next 72 hours in response to "hostile and outrageous" remarks from Paris, citing French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian's criticism.
France launched the counterterrorism mission Barkhane in 2014 in the Sahel region. The mission involved forces of the G5 Sahel countries, including Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, and Mauritania. In summer 2021, French President Emmanuel Macron said that Operation Barkhane would be reformed into an international counterterrorist alliance. France began reducing its presence in Mali in December 2021.
