During an official visit to Nairobi, French President Emmanuel Macron addressed the deteriorating security situation in Mali over the weekend. He bluntly stated that the Malian junta’s decision to remove French military forces from the country was a strategic misstep.

According to Macron, recent events have proven that the removal of French troops—who had been deployed in Mali until 2022 to combat jihadist groups—has left the country more vulnerable to escalating violence.

Unprecedented jihadist offensive threatens Bamako

Since late April, Mali has faced a major offensive by jihadist factions and predominantly Tuareg rebel groups. These coordinated attacks have severely weakened the junta that seized power following the 2020 and 2021 coups. Despite ongoing military operations, large parts of the country remain gripped by rising insecurity.

France-Sahel relations remain strained

The departure of French troops from Mali marked a historic break in relations between Paris and Bamako. This rift has since widened, with similar expulsions occurring in Burkina Faso and Niger following military coups in those nations. For years, France’s military presence in the Sahel has been a contentious issue, sparking political and public tensions across the region.