French forces have left Mali’s Timbuktu city. This came nearly nine years after a military intervention that helped push back Jihadist groups.
On Tuesday, the French flag was lowered, and the Malian flag raised in its place at a military base, where a force of about 150 soldiers had remained after France began withdrawing troops.
Former French President Francois Hollande declared the start of France’s military offensive in Mali on February 2, 2013.
France “is present in a different way”, said General Etienne du Peyroux, head of France’s military campaign in Mali.
“This is ultimately the aim of Operation Barkhane: To allow Mali to take its destiny into its own hands … but always in partnership.”
More than 5,000 French troops were sent to the Sahel after France intervened to fend off a jihadist advance in Mali in 2013.
Western politicians and experts consider the Sahel as a major risk. This is due the growing strength of jihadist groups, and its role as a crossroads for arms and people smuggling.
More than eight years ago, local people welcomed the French forces on the streets of the historic Malian city.
But opposition to the French military presence has been growing in recent years with rising insecurity and increased jihadist attacks fuelling anti-French sentiments in the former colony of France.
