Malian Prime Minister Choguel Kokalla Maïga on Saturday accused France of "
abandonment in the air
" with the withdrawal of the Barkhane force.
A decision which, according to the head of the Malian government, put his country "in
front of a fait accompli
".
"
The new situation (...) leads us to explore ways and means to better ensure security independently with other partners
", he argued from the podium of the United Nations General Assembly At New York.
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The head of government thus justified the recent approach of Russian security companies, affirming that it is a question of "
filling the void that will not fail to create the closure of certain rights-of-way of Barkhane in northern Mali
".
He particularly deplored the "
lack of consultation
" and the "
unilateral
"
announcement
of Barkhane's withdrawal, without tripartite coordination with the UN and the Malian government.
In a context of increased jihadist threat, "
the French operation Barkhane suddenly announces its withdrawal with a view, it is said, of a transformation into an international coalition, all the contours of which are not yet known
", he pointed out.
And to add: "
in any case, not from my country, not from our people
".
According to the Prime Minister, his country "
regrets that the principle of consultation and concertation, which must be the rule between privileged partners, was not observed upstream of the decision
".
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He demanded that in view of the developments to come, while the Malian people are entitled to live in safety, the UN Minusma peace mission and its 15,000 peacekeepers have "
a more offensive posture on the ground.
".
He finally assured that there was "
no anti-Minusma feeling in Mali, no more than an anti-French feeling
".
