Emmanuel Macron expected in Bamako where he is to meet the transitional president Assimi Goïta

Emmanuel Macron will travel to Bamako on Monday, December 20, to meet the Malian transitional president, Colonel Assimi Goïta, before celebrating Christmas with French soldiers stationed in Gao, announced the Elysee. The visit comes as relations between Paris and Bamako have been strained in recent months, France having warned that the deployment of Russian mercenaries in the Sahel would be “unacceptable” after the redeployment of the Barkhane force, which left Timbuktu after nearly nine years of presence in this city in the north of the country.

Emmanuel Macron, who should stay in Mali until December 21, will meet for the first time Colonel Goïta since the latter came to the head of the Sahelian country by a putsch in August 2020 before being reinforced by a second coup d State in May 2021. Ten days later, Paris announced the suspension of joint operations with the Malian forces, with which it has been cooperating for years against the jihadists. Emmanuel Macron also announced in June the reorganization of his military system, notably leaving the northernmost bases of Mali (Kidal, Timbuktu and Tessalit) and planning to reduce its workforce in the region by 2023 to 2 500-3 000 men, against more than 5 000 then.

Confronted with growing hostility, France is now emphasizing an internationalization of the military effort by involving its European allies more and focusing on the rise of local armies. Paris has also raised its tone in the face of threats from the ruling junta in Bamako to use the services of the private paramilitary company Wagner, suspected of being close to Russian President Vladimir Poutin. On Monday, December 13, the European Union sanctioned this group as well as eight people and three companies linked to it for the “actions of destabilization” carried out in several African countries, including Mali, and in Ukraine.

Emmanuel Macron should also discuss with Colonel Goïta the electoral calendar, while the West African leaders, meeting Sunday 12 in Nigeria, again demanded elections in February and announced that they would impose additional sanctions from the 1st. January without any commitment from the Malian authorities in this regard. The Gao base in the center is one of the main ones in Barkhane in Mali. It will host the command of the European force Takuba, which has nearly 900 men. Since the start of his five-year term, Emmanuel Macron has already celebrated Christmas with troops based in Niger, Chad and Côte d’Ivoire.