FILE PHOTO: French soldiers work on a Tiger attack helicopter at the Operational Desert Plateform Camp during the Operation Barkhane in Gao, Mali, August 1, 2019. Picture taken August 1, 2019.FILE PHOTO: French soldiers work on a Tiger attack helicopter at the Operational Desert Plateform Camp during the Operation Barkhane in Gao, Mali, August 1, 2019. Picture taken August 1, 2019.
Earlier this year, Mali’s interim government withdrew from defense treaties signed with France and other European allies nearly a decade ago to assist the Malian military in stopping militant attacks. And in August, France pulls out its last troops from Mali. The accusations mark a new low in relations between Bamako and Paris. As France pulls the last of its troops out of Mali and Russian mercenaries expand their reach.Russia has become a close ally in Mali’s fight against a long-running insurgency in the Sahel. Mali received five military jets and a combat helicopter from Russia. It is the latest batch of deliveries under close ties forged since a coup in 2020.