Minister of Defence says France won't stay in Mali if price is too high
French defence minister Florence Parly has said that European states combating Islamist militants in Mali will endeavour to find a way to keep their mission going, but there are limits to the price that France is willing to pay to remain there.
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Saturday's statement from France's armed forces minister comes as relations between Mali's military junta and its international partners are close to breaking down after failing to organise an election following two military coups.
Last week, the junta told France to stop interfering in the affairs of its former colony and to keep its "colonial reflexes" to itself.
Speaking Friday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian retorted that the situation on the ground had become untenable, as European allies agreed to draw up plans within two weeks on how to adapt their anti-jihadist operations, which cover Mali and the wider Sahel region, to changing circumstances.
🇲🇱 "Ce sont des propos empreints de mépris, (...) inacceptables"
— FRANCE 24 Français (@France24_fr) January 28, 2022
Le ministre des Affaires étrangères du #Mali Abdoulaye Diop réagit sur @FRANCE 24 et @RFI aux déclarations de Le Drian, qualifiant la junte au pouvoir "d'illégitime". Un entretien à voir ici https://t.co/qOXUFTGWAm pic.twitter.com/KhDxcwr6vB
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"The conditions of our intervention, whether military, economic or political, have become harder and harder to manage," Parly said.
"In short, we are not prepared to pay an unlimited price to remain in Mali."
However, Parly said ministers from the 15 countries involved in the European special force in the Sahel were for now united in wanting to maintain the mission, "so we must determine its new conditions."
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