French President Emmanuel Macron has announced the withdrawal of Barkhane and Takuba forces from Mali, but expressed commitment to ‘continue … joint action against terrorism in the Sahel region, particularly in Niger and the Gulf of Guinea.’ Presenting a common front, Macron announced this at a press conference that included the presidents of Senegal and Ghana – who are chairing the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States respectively – and the president of the European Union (EU) Council. Their sentiments echoed those of Macron.
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France and its allies on Thursday announced their intention to withdraw forces from Mali, where tensions with the ruling military junta had called into question the future of a nine-year counter-jihadist mission.