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It was in a climate of tension between Paris and Bamako that the redeployment of Barkhane was taking place. The cancellation of Emmanuel Macron’s trip, for official health reasons, cannot mask the strained relations with the putschist leader in power in Bamako. Barkhane’s troops continue their disengagement, as in Timbuktu (Mali).
Aboard an armored vehicle from the French army, this is their very last convoy patrol in the streets of Timbuktu. French soldiers must leave their base in this town in northern Mali the same evening. Far from the anti-French agitation in the capital of Bamako, Timbuktu has grown used to living with Barkhane’s soldiers. Most of the townspeople are afraid to see them go. “Even in recent weeks, we have experienced very painful events, which hurt us. We can no longer walk quietly in the street”, said a resident.
The inhabitants of Timbuktu are still traumatized. In 2012, they spent several months under the control of a jihadist group, linked to Al-Qaeda, which reigned supreme. In January 2013, the French forces entered the city, welcomed as liberators. Almost 9 years later, the French military base in Timbuktu is almost empty. Every day, the French troops leave the base of Gao, stop in several villages of the surroundings, to meet the inhabitants. Their objective: to reassure the population and try to obtain some information. Despite the departure of its three military bases, the painstaking work of the French army continues in Mali, for the security of the Sahel.