Relations between the military junta ruling Bamako and Paris have deteriorated rapidly in recent months.
Several dozen people demonstrated in a town in northern Mali on Sunday to demand the speedy withdrawal of the French military mission in Barchan, organizers and local government officials told AFP.
“We are giving from today (ss: yesterday Sunday) an ultimatum of 72 hours for the final departure of Barhan,” said the protesters, who present themselves as “the living forces” of Gao, a city in northern Mali that is often hit by jihadist attacks.
Gao is home to the last French soldiers present in Mali and are gradually being relocated to Niger.
Relations between the military junta ruling Bamako and Paris have deteriorated rapidly in recent months. The African country and the once-colonial power came to a standstill after nine years of continuous French military presence in the country as part of the fight against jihadists.
“Unbutton Barhan”, “protector and ally of terrorist organizations”, “no foreign power will take the spoils of Mali”, the demonstrators had written among other things on banners and placards, captured photos that the organizers sent to the AFP.
Such messages are widely circulated in anti-French circles and on social networking sites. The French government often complains of massive disinformation campaigns against it in Mali.
Some participants in the mobilization were received “by the general director of the governor’s services, to whom they presented their declaration,” Issa Idrissa, the governor’s communications officer, told AFP. Details of the demonstration were confirmed by other local elected officials.
RES-EMP
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