France–Mali relations

France–Mali relations refers to the current and historical relations between France and Mali.

French–Malian relations

France
Mali

France was the former colonial overlord of Mali, then known as French Sudan, in which it ruled from the capital in Bamako. Bamako later became the capital of the newborn Republic of Mali. French rule had influenced Mali in several aspects, such as the adoption of the French language as the main language of Mali. Due to this, France and Mali have a strong connection.[1] Both are members of Organisation internationale de la Francophonie. There are over 120,000 Malians in France. AFter 2020 relations soured as the new military government turned public opinion against France. On January 31, 2022, the Malian military junta expelled French envoy Joël Meyer.[2]

Recent relations

Northern Mali conflict

In response to the rise of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb in 2012 following the collapse of Azawad as part of Northern Mali conflict, France deployed 4,000 troops and sent many military equipments in part of Operation Serval. France has been very cautious of Mali's situation, as Mali was a former colony of France and has ties with France.[3][4][5]

In 2017, President Emmanuel Macron had vowed to fight every terrorist in Mali.[6]

European nations led by France have criticized the anti-democratic practices of the military government. The government ridiculed France historic and recent roles and wants France to remove its 2400 troops. [7][8] However even when its counter-terrorism mission is withdrawn, France will continue to provide aircraft military support to Malian troops fighting an Islamist insurgency in the Sahel.[9]

Resident diplomatic missions
Embassy of Mali in Paris
  • France has an embassy in Bamako.
  • Mali has an embassy in Paris.

See also

References
  1. "France and Mali".
  2. "Mali expels French envoy over remarks by foreign minister". The Guardian. Associated Press. 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  3. "What Mali means for France?". Washington Post.
  4. "Mali: Why France is fighting for West Africa". The Foreign Report. 6 February 2013.
  5. Erforth, Benedikt (2020-03-04). "Multilateralism as a tool: Exploring French military cooperation in the Sahel". Journal of Strategic Studies. 43 (4): 560–582. doi:10.1080/01402390.2020.1733986. ISSN 0140-2390. S2CID 216482116.
  6. "Macron in Mali: France will be 'uncompromising' in fight against terrorists". BBC. 19 May 2017.
  7. Ruth Maclean, "‘Down With France’: Former Colonies in Africa Demand a Reset Decades after independence, many African countries are increasingly troubled by the ongoing influence of their former colonial power" New York Times 18 April 2022
  8. John Irish and Tiemoko Diallo, "French military to quit Mali in possible boost to jihadists" Reuters 17 Feb 2022
  9. "France to continue aerial support to Mali after troop withdrawal". Reuters. Reuters. Reuters. 12 March 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
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