The last soldiers belonging to France's Barkhane operation in Mali have now left the African country, French chiefs of staff announced.
After ties ruptured between Paris and the junta that took power in Mali in August 2020, the French began to withdraw its troops in February, as jihadist violence surged in the Sahel.
More than 2,000 civilians have been killed in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso since the start of the year, according to an AFP tally based on the findings of non-governmental organisation ACLED.had 5,100 personnel in the Sahel. Around 2,500 French personnel will now remain in the Sahel, more than a thousand of them in Niger, mainly providing air support, the French military says.
They will play a support role, helping local armed forces fight jihadists rather than act in their place.
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