French President Emmanuel Macron has announced the end of Operation Barkhane, an offensive against Islamist insurgents in West Africa's Sahel region that was launched in 2013.
President Macron has said French troops will be reduced to training missions in the futureImage: Frederic Petry/Hans Lucas/picture alliance
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French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday said he was ending France's eight-year operation in the Sahel region of Africa, particularly in Mali, where the country's military has been waging a battle against Islamist insurgents.
At a press conference in Paris ahead of tomorrow's G7 Summit, President Macron said the Sahel region has become "the epicenter of international terrorism" in recent years, but said that France could not maintain a "constant" presence there.
"We cannot secure certain areas because some states simply refuse to assume their duties. Otherwise, it is an endless task," he said.
Macron added that the "long-term presence" of French troops " cannot be substitute" for nation states handling their own affairs.
Any role for the French army would be focused on training and equipping African security forces, Macron said, adding that the timeline is still to be finalized. He gave no further details about possible troop reduction numbers.
"The time has come: the continuation of our commitment in the Sahel will not be in the same way," Macron told reporters, while calling for a "profound transformation" and a new international force to provide security for the region.
France currently has 5,100 soldiers in the Sahel region, which spans half a dozen countries. A flash point is Mali, a former French colony that has seen a second military coup inside nine months.
Why is France in the Sahel?
France deployed soldiers to the region in 2013 in a bid to stop jihadists carving out a foothold there.
A joint anti-terror force made up of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger remains plagued by a lack of equipment, funds and training.
As many as 50 French soldiers have died during the eight-year mission, prompting calls from some opposition lawmakers to bring it to an end.
Macron's announcement could see the issue debated at the forthcoming G7 Summit, as well as meeting of the NATO military alliance in Brussels on Monday.
The Sahel is seen by many Western politicians and experts as a major risk because of the growing strength of militants there.
It is also seen as a crossroads for arms and people-smuggling.
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What has happened in Mali?
Colonel Assimi Goita has been behind two coup d'etats in Mali, ousting a democratically-elected president last year and the transitional leadership.
Goita has ignored calls from the international community to return power to the country's deposed civilian government.
He has pledged earlier to hold elections in February next year, but it is unclear what role he and other military figures will play in governing Mali after that.
Two regional blocs, ECOWAS and the African Union, decided last week to suspend Mali both organizations over the junta.
Macron had warned last month that he could pull back the French military if civilian rule was not restored to the West African nation.
Mali conflict: The Dogon find refuge on ancestral land
As the conflict in central Mali escalated, the Dogon people fled the Mopti region that had been their home for around 700 years. The southward migration took them to their ancestral land of "Mande."
Image: Udo Lucio Borga
A new life in the old land
Like thousands of other Dogon, Isaie Dignau left the region of Bandiagara in central Mali over the insecurity caused by the ongoing conflict. He found refuge with his family in Nana Kenieba, a village some 150 kilometers (93 miles) south east of the capital Bamako. According to Isaie, Dogon griots had predicted this migration to lands once called "Mande" hundreds of years ago.
Image: Udo Lucio Borga
The homecoming prophecy fulfilled
According to legend, the Dogon are originally from "Mande", the region of the Malinke people. Some time between the 11th and 13th centuries, they were forced to leave amid the Islamization of West Africa. After a long migration they settled around the famous Bandiagara clff in what is today the Mopti region. Now, due to the jihadi threat, they are returning home.
Image: Udo Lucio Borga
Mali, an endless conflict
The Dan Na Ambassagou hunters are the main Dogon militia in Mopti. The conflict in Mali began in 2012 and in 2016 it spread in the central part of the country. As tensions among ethnic groups rose, self-defence militias were formed. The intercommunal fighting is caused by lack of fertile lands and water in an area affected by jihadism.
Image: Ugo Lucio Borga
The consequences of conflict
Mali is facing a serious humanitarian crisis in regions already underdeveloped. Food insecurity affects up to 1.3 million people. Some 347,000 people were forced to flee their lands. Many have sought refuge in neighboring countries but most are internally displaced and sheltering in the south of Mali and refugee camps close to urban areas.
Image: Ugo Lucio Borga
The Dogon in Mali's conflict
Many Dogon are directly involved in the conflict. Seidu Doungo fought with the Dan Na Ambassagou in the Koro region. In 2020, he decided to lay down his weapons. His family was threatened by raiding jihadis and he no longer hand a source of income from their land. When Seidu heard about Nana Kenieba, he decided to leave Koro to find peace in "Mande"..
Image: Ugo Lucio Borga
The hospitality of others
The majority ethnic group in Nana Kenieba is Malinke. Segou Keita is the village chief. He has welcomed Dogon who return in accordance with the ancient prophecy. The community supports them financially and includes them in decision-making.
Image: Udo Lucio Borga
Fair distribution of land
Inside the central hut of Nana Kenieba, Isaie Dignau shows some villagers a map where the plots of land are located. Since 2016, around 400 Dogon families, mainly from Mopti, have settled here. Each household received two hectares of land and food.
Image: Udo Lucio Borga
A secular ethnic community
Dogon is a secular ethnic community, where people are free to profess Islam, Christianty and ancestral belief. The village has two mosques and two churches, with corresponding Koranic schools and catechism classes, a sign of a new-found climate of openness.
Image: Udo Lucio Borga
The fear still lives
The peaceful environment of Mande seems far removed from the conflict in Mali. The community lives in fear that the jihadis could arrive and start a conflict. In Nana Kenieba, villagers have organized patrols that keep bandits out for now.
