French Defense Minister Florence Parly said France would not stay in Mali to fight extremism if the price is too high. “In short, we are not prepared to pay an unlimited price to remain in Mali,” she said.
While speaking to France Inter on Saturday, Parly said, “We do the work we do at the demand of a sovereign state to combat terrorism that victimizes Mali’s population. But we can’t remain in Mali whatever the price.”
Parly added that France would seek a common approach and discuss measures to combat terrorism by Islamic militants with other European allies present in the country.
She also said that France and its allies would determine the new conditions for their mission in Mali that everyone has agreed to maintain. “The conditions of our intervention, whether military, economic or political, have become harder and harder to manage,” she said. France has thousands of troops deployed in Mali as part of an anti-militant force.
Relations between the Malian military government and its international partners have been deteriorating following Bamako's failure to organise general elections after two military coups. On Friday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the situation in the African country was becoming untenable. He added that European allies have agreed to draw up plans in the coming weeks to change their campaign according to the evolving circumstances in Mali and Sahel.
🇲🇱 "Ce sont des propos empreints de mépris, (...) inacceptables"
— FRANCE 24 Français (@France24_fr) January 28, 2022
Le ministre des Affaires étrangères du #Mali Abdoulaye Diop réagit sur @FRANCE 24 et @RFI aux déclarations de Le Drian, qualifiant la junte au pouvoir "d'illégitime". Un entretien à voir ici https://t.co/qOXUFTGWAm pic.twitter.com/KhDxcwr6vB
Last week, the Malian junta told France to stop interfering in their internal matters and keep its “colonial reflexes” to itself. Moreover, the junta insisted on the immediate withdrawal of international troops, leading to Denmark announcing its withdrawal of troops from Mali.
The decision comes amid high tensions between Malian authorities and its international partners, including the European Union, which had imposed sanctions on Mali over their failure to organise elections. Tensions also escalated when transitional authorities deployed private military contractors from the Russia-backed Wagner Group to Mali, which the European countries claim is incompatible with their mission in the African country.