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Soldiers of the Malian Army
Photo: Frederic Petry / Hans Lucas / IMAGO
According to the military, 57 jihadists and eight soldiers were killed during a Malian army operation against Islamist groups in the north of the country.
The army attacked a rebel camp after "unidentified gunmen" attacked government forces in the Archam region, the armed forces said on Saturday.
From the border region to Burkina Faso and Niger there had recently been reports of increasing violence by jihadists against civilians.
According to information from various sources, Islamist extremists have killed around 40 people in the past few days, whom they accused of belonging to a rival group.
The border triangle has been the scene of jihadist violence for years.
However, information about events in the region is difficult to verify due to limited means of communication.
The Malian military junta had not commented on the recent acts of violence by jihadists.
On Thursday, France and its European partners in the so-called Takuba operation announced the withdrawal of their soldiers from the West African crisis state.
The military junta had demanded this.
The French government cited the postponement of the elections in Mali and "numerous obstructions" by the junta as reasons for the withdrawal.
Observers now fear a security vacuum and a further increase in violence in the impoverished country.
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In the Malian capital of Bamako, however, several hundred demonstrators cheered the planned French troop withdrawal.
The demonstration was organized by supporters of the military government.
'We don't need France.
It should go, "said the demonstrators.
The former colonial power France is massively active in West Africa against Islamist militias;
Mali is a focus.
The current French operation "Barkhane" includes up to 5100 soldiers.
With a realignment of its presence in the region and the end of »Barkhane«, France wants to reduce its troop strength to 2,500 to 3,000 troops in the long term.
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Germany is not involved in the French-led Takuba operation, but the Bundeswehr is present in the country as part of two other missions with a total of around 1,300 soldiers.
The French withdrawal decision could also have an impact on the Bundeswehr missions.
Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) expressed serious doubts about the continuation of the German Mali missions on Thursday.
The German soldiers are taking part in the EU training mission EUTM in the West African country, in which Malian soldiers are being trained, and in the UN mission Minusma, which is intended to help protect the civilian population.
nile/AFP