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After Macron hinted that the Malian government was “not even the real government”, the Malian government did not express “outrage or disapproval”.
Mali has summoned the French ambassador to the country to express “outrage” at French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent criticism of the country’s government, which is dominated by military figures.
Since the Sahel countries are negotiating with Russian mercenaries, tensions between France and its former colony of Mali have been high.
Mali expressed dissatisfaction with the French ambassador on Tuesday.
These frustrations were fully demonstrated at the United Nations General Assembly last month, when Mali’s interim prime minister, Georgel Kokara Mega, accused France of “a little abandoning” when it decided to reduce its military deployment in the semi-arid Sahel. “. area.
Macron later told the French media that Mecca’s comments were “unacceptable” and suggested that the Malian government was “not even a real government” because of the Malian coup led by Colonel Asimi Goita in May.
‘Anger and disapproval’
On Tuesday, when Macron called on Mali’s ruling army to restore state power in most of the country that was abandoned by an armed uprising, the war of words continued.
He told the French media: “If I can describe it, the role of the French army is not to fill the’non-work’ of the Malian government.”
Late on Tuesday, the Malian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Foreign Minister Abdulaye Diop had summoned the French ambassador to inform him of the Malian government’s “indignation and dissatisfaction” with Macron’s remarks.
“The Minister calls on the French authorities to show restraint and avoid value judgments,” the statement said, adding that Mali hopes to adopt a “constructive approach based on mutual respect.”
After armed insurgents seized control of the north the previous year, France intervened in Mali in 2013. Since then, Paris has deployed thousands of soldiers in the Sahel to combat armed uprisings.
Despite the military presence, violence has spread to central Mali and neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger.
In Mali, thousands of people have died and hundreds of thousands have been displaced, and most of the country has almost no state.
In June, France decided a to scale back its Sahel deployment considerably following a military takeover in Mali in August 2020, which forced out the elected President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.
Colonel Asimi Goita, who led the August coup, established a provisional government led by civilians. But he subsequently launched a second coup in May of this year and dismissed the government’s leader.
Last month, news broke that Mali’s ruling army was about to hire 1,000 paramilitary personnel from Wagner, a private Russian security company, which angered France.
The French government stated that although it plans to withdraw its troops, it is still committed to combating armed uprisings in the Sahel.
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