The French Minister of the Armed Forces arrived in Mali on Wednesday March 31 with her Estonian and Czech counterparts to announce the full capacity of “
Takuba
”, a unit of European special forces supposed to train the Malian army in combat against the jihadists, the ministry said.
Read also: Murderous strike in Mali: the UN questions the French version
Florence Parly, Kalle Laanet and Lubomir Metnar will meet in particular Thursday the president of the transition Bah Ndaw and the Malian Minister of Defense Sadio Camara.
Interviews which will take place the day after the publication of a United Nations report reporting the death of 19 civilians during a strike by the French force Barkhane, which Paris vigorously refutes.
"
The three ministers will confirm the full operational capacity of the Takuba task force, a major step for this unprecedented regrouping of European special forces units in the Sahel,
" said a statement from the French Ministry of the Armed Forces.
"
This step is major from a tactical and operational point of view, it is also a strong symbol
".
In addition to the Czechs and Estonians, Swedish and Italian soldiers are participating in the operation, on which Paris is counting a lot to share with its partners the burden of the fight against jihadists linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.
Ministers will then visit units in the field.
Strike against civilians?
On Tuesday, an investigation by the UN Mission in Mali (Minusma) concluded that an airstrike led by Barkhane had killed 19 civilians during a marriage.
The report constitutes the most serious questioning of a French operation by the United Nations since the beginning of Paris' engagement in the Sahel.
The ministry strongly refuted its conclusions, maintaining that "
on January 3, the French armed forces (had) carried out an air strike targeting an armed terrorist group identified as such
" and not civilians, near Bounti (center).
The ministry also expressed "
many reservations as to the methodology adopted
" by the UN investigators.
In mid-February, during a summit in N'Djamena with G5 Sahel partners, President Emmanuel Macron announced that Paris did not intend to reduce
Barkhane's workforce "
immediately
", calling first to "
behead
»Jihadist groups.
But African states are struggling to convert military success into political progress.
The new president of Niger Mohamed Bazoum estimated in this regard Monday that a partial withdrawal of Barkhane would not have "
great effect
" on the ground if air support remains.
"
This relative failure is the failure of all of us, the failure of the whole coalition,
" he explained in an interview on France 24 / RFI.
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