France Calls Mali's Accusations Of Paris Supporting Terrorism 'Information Manipulation'

France Calls Mali's Accusations of Paris Supporting Terrorism 'Information Manipulation'

France condemns Mali's statement that Paris is allegedly supplying terrorists with weapons and regards it as an "information manipulation" designed to distract attention from the deteriorating security situation in the West African country, a spokesman for the French Foreign Ministry said on Thursday

PARIS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th August, 2022) France condemns Mali's statement that Paris is allegedly supplying terrorists with weapons and regards it as an "information manipulation" designed to distract attention from the deteriorating security situation in the West African country, a spokesman for the French Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

On Wednesday, media reported that the Malian authorities had accused France of supplying terrorists with weapons and called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.

"We condemn the spread of information manipulations, which in no way must distract attention from the deterioration of security and the humanitarian situation in the country, the first victims of which have been its population," the spokesman said at a briefing, commenting on the accusations by the Malian authorities.

The spokesman stressed that France was withdrawing forces from Mali "in full transparency towards the Malian armed forces and partners" and would continue to fight terrorism in the Sahel and West Africa.

On Monday, the French Ministry of Armed Forces said that all the French military involved in the counterterrorism mission Barkhane in Mali had left the country.

The France-led counterterrorism mission Barkhane was founded in 2014 to assist the Malian military in their fight against terrorism in the African region of Sahel.The Takuba Task Force was launched for the same purpose in March 2020.

In the spring of 2022, the Malian government announced that it was terminating defense agreements with Paris and called on the country to withdraw troops involved in both operations. In July, Paris announced the official completion of the Takuba mission amid disagreements with the African nation's transitional government, which came to power as a result of a military takeover.