Mali’s military government announced the expulsion of the French ambassador to Mali on Monday.
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The Malian question invites itself to the Assembly and the Senate. A debate will be organized in Parliament to discuss France’s military commitment in Mali, in the context of a diplomatic crisis between the two countries, Jean Castex announced to the Senate on Wednesday February 2. “Parliament obviously deserves to be perfectly informed” and “the government will organize a debate on the basis of article 50-1 on this extremely important subject”said the Prime Minister, responding to the request of the President of the Socialist Group, Patrick Kanner.
The day before, the president of the UDI group in the National Assembly had also called for a debate, while the parliamentary session is due to end at the end of the month. Under the terms of the Constitution, this debate can, if the government so decides, be the subject of a vote without engaging the responsibility of the executive.
Two months before the presidential election, the expulsion of the French ambassador to Mali has placed the question of the presence of the armed forces in this West African country at the heart of the campaign. Admitting that “the situation in Mali and the Sahel in general is extremely worrying”Jean Castex again pleaded for “the search for a multilateral response with the African States mainly concerned”. “It’s not just a Franco-Malian problem, it’s a problem for Mali in the fight against international terrorism”insisted the Prime Minister.