“France will work with its partners to see what is the evolution of its presence” on the spot, explains Gabriel Attal

“By mid-February, we will be working” with “our partners who also intervene in the fight against terrorism” for “to see what is the evolution of our presence” in Mali, said government spokesman Gabriel Attal on Tuesday February 1 on franceinfo. This announcement, which relates to the European group of special forces Takuba, comes the day after the decision of the junta in power in the country to expel the French ambassador there. Paris has already planned to reduce the presence of its own units of the Barkhane force in Mali.

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“What is certain is that we will continue to fight against terrorism in the Sahel”, he added, pointing out that “the Sahel is not just Mali”. For him, “When we fight against terrorism on the spot, with success, with terrorist leaders who have been neutralized by our armies in recent years, we also protect our country, we also protect the French and therefore we must continue to do so”.

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Gabriel Attal also considered that the decision of the junta in power in Mali to expel the French ambassador “is a further step in the isolation that she demonstrates”. “We can clearly see that there is a progressive isolation of this country”, he insisted. The Malian authorities justified this decision by the recent remarks “hostile” and “outrageous” of French officials against them.