France halts joint army operations with Malian forces over coup

The temporary measure announced by the armed forces ministry is France’s strongest reaction yet to last week’s military coup in Mali. In its strongest reaction yet to last week’s coup in Mali, France has said it will suspend its joint military operations with Malian forces “awaiting guarantees” that civilians return to positions of power. “Pending these guarantees, France, after informing its partners and the Malian authorities, has decided to suspend, as a precaution and temporarily, joint military operations with the Malian forces, as well as national advisory missions that benefit them.” France, the former colonial power in the region, has about 5,100 soldiers in the region under its so-called Operation Barkhane which spans five countries in the Sahel – Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger. “Not only is this a suspension of military cooperation, but it also means that hundreds of instructors and trainers that are embedded within the Malian forces are no longer cooperating with the Malian armed forces.” Over the weekend, President Emmanuel Macron had warned France would pull its soldiers out of Mali if it lurched towards what he called “radical Islamism” following the coup.