Paris: President Emmanuel Macron will seek to convince Sahel leaders from his commitment to African anti-terror battles on Friday, at their first talk since he announced a reduction in French troops in West Africa.
Last month’s decision to measure the French troops – and hopefully convince the EU allies to improve their presence – opening uncertain phases in the war against jihadist guerrillas who control the plots throughout West Africa.
Fresh political turmoil in Mali and Chad, where military junas is now responsible, raises further questions about whether the regional government can effectively deal with Islamist threats.
France has not provided details about how much of 5,100 soldiers in Counter-Terrorism Style Bearane will remain in the region.
Defense Minister Florence Parly said the government would announce “immediate” changes.
He insisted that “this transformation does not mean departure from Sahel, or we will not allow our counter-terrorism operations.” A source who is familiar with the plan to AFP that the army level will fall to around 3,500 during next year, and up to 2,500 at the end of 2023.
The command in the “Saber” task force will continue to hunt down the leaders of the Jihadist group related to Al-Qaeda leaders or an Islamic state, the source said with anonymous requirements.
Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, talks with President Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso and Mauritania will be held with videos, with only Niger President Mohamed Bazoum who traveled to Paris.
He and Macron will hold a press conference afterwards.
Announcing Drawdown Barkhane eight years after the French army was first deployed to the progress of Jihadists in Mali, Macron warned that military power “could not be a substitute for political stability”.
He has suppressed Sahel’s leaders to win public support by picking up corruption in their poor countries, and by restoring government control and services in areas where Islamic fighters have closed the school and pushed tens of thousands of their homes.
The results have been disappointing, with France as far as suspending military cooperation with Mali last month after officers held a second coup in nine months.
Meanwhile the head of the Chad Military Junta, Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, traveled to Paris this week for talks with Macron, who promised more French help after Deby’s father was killed in April while at the front line of the battle.
“Political events in Mali and Chad regularly raised questions about our commitment to Sahel,” General Francois Lecointre, Chief of Staff of the French Armed Forces, told the Senate last month.
“We have not completed” security issues “originating from political problems such as from military problems”, said the blunt officer, the retirement this month.
France has also struggled to train local forces grouped in the Anti-Jihadist G5 Sahel alliance which is still in many regions by Jihadist fighters who have held an increasingly brave attack in recent months.
Paris now plans to fold its presence into the Takuba international task force called, initially training operations for Mali.
The current strength consists of around 600 soldiers, half of them France.
So far the Czech Republic, Estonia, Italy and Sweden have answered Macron’s call for contributions to help make more Takuba functions as a counter-terrorism mission.
Even if bigger allies like Germany sent hundreds of soldiers, winning the war against guerrillas scattered in the semi-desert area, the size of Western Europe would not be easy.
“For many European governments, the level of their current military involvement in Sahel has pushed into the red political line at home,” said Andrew Lebovich, a researcher at the European Council on foreign relations.
“Development projects need security combined with increasing the governance and presence of the government to be effective,” Lebovich wrote in this month’s analysis.
“An uncoordinated drawdown and the construction of the Ad Hoc coalition takes the worst risk of all the world, creating political and security costs for Europe and eliminating ways to work with, or pressure, Sahelia countries to pursue very much needed changes,” he said.