the French army leaves Timbuktu

It was a scheduled withdrawal. Eight years later having recaptured the city of Timbuktu from the jihadists, the French army is leaving its local base. As a symbol, she handed the key to the Malian army. However, this departure is not to everyone’s taste: “I find that this is not the time for the French army to leave Timbuktu“, judge a guide who worked for the French army, estimating that” people do not know how it will happen afterwards “.

Before the arrival of French in February 2013, the city was disfigured by jihadists. The latter had in particular destroyed a dozen mausoleums and burned 4000 ancient manuscripts. On the occasion of the military deployment, the then president, François Hollande, went there and said in particular: “France is with you. France is by your side. France is proud of you“. It is the third base in the country to say goodbye to French soldiers. In this area of ​​the Sahel, there will be only 3000 French soldiers in 2022, against 5100 in 2021.