French President Emmanuel Macron has said that Mali or Burkina Faso and probably the Niger Republic cannot survive without France.
Macron said that French military operations in the Sahel region ensured the survival of the African countries, adding that “there would probably no longer be a Mali…Burkina Faso, and I’m not sure there would still be Niger.”
Macron was referring to the former colonial power’s interventions in the mid-2000s, Operations Serval and Barkhane in an interview with French publication Le Point, NAN reports.
French troops were moved from Mali to Niger after its military leaders cut ties with the former colonial power.
He said the interventions were done “at the request of African states” and were “successful” as his policy is facing scrutiny in the face of losing the allyship of last remaining ally, Niger, and increasing negative sentiment from Africans.
He further explained that while these operations reflect France’s “honour” and “responsibility”, France could no longer remain involved “when there is a coup d’état, and the priority of the new regimes is not to fight terrorism” even though this is “tragic for the states concerned”.
In the interview, Macron defended his administration’s policy in the Sahel as one of partnership rather than focusing on security.
France refuses to acknowledge coup leader General Abdurahman Tchiani’s announcement that all military deals between Niger and France are terminated, and more than a thousand French troops remain stationed at a military base there.
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