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The end of Barkhane "is not the end of France's commitment" to the Sahel

2021-06-12T22:38:53.205Z


The end announced by President Emmanuel Macron of the Barkhane military operation in the Sahel, "is not the end of France's commitment" in ...


The end announced by President Emmanuel Macron of the Barkhane military operation in the Sahel

"is not the end of France's commitment"

in this region, Jean-Yves Le Drian, French minister of Foreign Affairs.

To read also: Sahel: Emmanuel Macron turns the page of Barkhane

"It is an evolution of concept, a change of model, but it is not the end of the commitment (of France) in the Sahel",

said Jean-Yves Le Drian to the press, at the end. of an interview with the President of Burkina Faso Roch Marc Christian Kaboré.

"Obviously, continuing the fight against terrorism is one of our priorities, even if Barkhane's model is no longer the appropriate model

,

"

added the French foreign minister.

After more than eight years of massive engagement, Emmanuel Macron announced Thursday a reduction of the French military presence in the Sahel, marked by the closure of bases, and a re-articulation of the anti-jihadist fight around an

"international alliance"

associating Europeans . According to Jean-Yves Le Drian,

“the will we have is to fight with the forces of the G5 Sahel (Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad and Niger, editor's note) so that terrorism does not impose itself as the law dominant for the populations concerned: that is why France is there ”.

He felt that

"The civil and political leap forward to allow States to reconquer their own territories as soon as territories are liberated, with the renewed presence of the administration, of the administrative services",

was the

"responsibility of the States, and they do so from in general ”.

Jean-Yves Le Drian affirmed that he had come

"first" to

meet President Kaborè to present to him

"the condolences of France, our empathy towards the Burkinabè people, following this carnage that has taken place. lived the populations of Solhan ”.

At least 132 people according to the government - 160 according to local sources - were killed on the night of June 4 to 5, during the attack on the rural town of Solhan, near the borders with Mali and Niger.

Read also: End of Operation Barkhane: the Pentagon will maintain its support

The attack also forced about 7,000 families who lost everything to flee the village, according to the Burkinabè government. Burkina Faso, a poor Sahelian country bordering Mali and Niger, has been facing increasingly frequent and deadly jihadist attacks for six years. The security forces are struggling to stem the spiral of jihadist violence which has left more than 1,400 dead and more than a million displaced since 2015.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2021-06-12

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